India gives 50 million Dollar aid to Afghanistan

New Delhi, Apr 10 (UNI) India today announced an additional assistance of 50 million dollars to Afghanistan for reconstruction programmes and expressed concern at the increased terrorist activity in some parts of the war-ravaged country.

With the additional 50 million Dollar assistance, the total amount of Indian aid to Afghanistan has gone up to 650 million dollars.

The two sides also signed three Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) on cooperation in the fields of Education, Rural development and standardisation.

The pacts were signed in the presence of visiting Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after nearly two-hour talks between the two leaders on various aspects of bilateral relations including development and cooperation against terrorism.

The two countries agreed that India would host the second Regional Economic Reconstruction Conference for Afghanistan in New Delhi on November 18-19 this year.

The Prime Miniter announced that India would consider establishing a Line of Credit (LOC) facility of 50 million US dollars and said both countries had decided to set up a Joint Committee of Commerce Ministers to review the implementation of the bilateral Preferential Trade Agreement and promote bilateral trade.

Addressing a joint press conference after their talks, the two leaders strongly condemned terrorism saying both countries had been the victims of the menace.

They called for regional cooperation against terrorism.

The two leaders, however, stopped short of blaming Pakistan for increased terrorist activity across the Pak-Afghan border and said that even Pakistan was not immune to terrorism.

Afghanistan has earlier accused Pakistan of aiding terrorists across the Pak-Afghan border into Afghanistan.

To a question on Trade and Transit for goods between the three countries and Pakistan's transit permission to Indian goods to Afghanistan, both--President Karzai and Prime Minister Singh--hoped that Pakistan would allow transit to Indian goods and said it would benefit all the three countries and the region as a whole.

The two leaders held restricted talks which was followed by nearly 30-minutes of one-on-one and then 45-minute delegation-level talks.

Earlier President Karzai, who arrived here yesterday on a four-day state visit, was given a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan this morning. He said his visit to India would add to the ''friendship and depth of relationship'' between the two countries.

He said his country's expectations from India were always great as India was cooperating almost in all walks of life including education, health, rural development, re-building of infrastructure and in economic spheres.

The Afghan President, who will be here till April 13, will go to Hyderabad tomorrow to interact with cyber experts. He is accompanied by a 106-member delegation including seven Ministers, Members of Parliament and business persons.

In the afternoon, President Karzai addressed a business meeting organised by the CII/FICCI and ASSOCHAM and asked Indian companies to invest in Afghanistan saying there was a lot of untapped potential in sectors like oil and gas, power, hotels, healthcare, cement and banking.

He assured Indian businessmen that Afghanistan would always follow the rules of free market and added that investors interests would be protected.

A Joint Statement issued after the meeting between the Prime Minister and the Afghan President said India had expressed full support to the goal of a sovereign, democratic and prosperous Afghanistan which was necessary for peace, security and stability in the region.

The MOU on Education was signed by XXX Picking up Ninth Para of DI 25, External--India-Afghanistan.

UNI