Long term development should include rail, security council told

West should redirect Afghanistan money to north, says UN aide

The west should redirect much of its aid money from the violent south of Afghanistan to long-term development projects in the more peaceful north, including a rail network, the head of the UN mission in the country believes.

Kai Eide, the secretary general’s special representative in Kabul, will tell the security council today that the US and its allies should focus efforts to support key development areas including agriculture, transport and unlocking Afghanistan’s vast untapped mineral wealth.

Eide said that General Stanley McChrystal, the US commander of Nato forces, had talked about “making this country in terms of security forces. We need to think in terms of sustainability on the economic side. By building a railway network and expanding electricity lines we create the base for dramatic economic growth potential.”

Source: The Guardian, 2009-09-28

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