Britain committed to fight against terrorism: Blair

Kabul, Nov 20 (UNI) On his first visit to Afghanistan since the ouster of the Taliban, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Britain was here to stay, adding there was no alternative to a long-term commitment to the fight against terrorism, the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

Mr Blair, who had paid a short visit to Afghanistan in February 2002 to visit the British troops in Bagram, began his visit here with a visit to the British troops in Lashkar Gah in Helmand which was followed by talks with President Hamid Karzai in Kabul. He arrived in Afghanistan this morning from Pakistan where he held talks with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.

Helmand has seen some of the fiercest fighting, with British troops sustaining high casualties. Mr Blair said that while not all forces would be prepared to commit (troops) in the way Britain had, there was no alternative. The sickness and evil that had been here in Afghanistan had forced the international community to deal with the problem because the problem in Afghanistan had become a problem for the international community he said.

The British Prime Minister emphasised that Afghanistan has achieved major successes even though significant challenges remained. The problems had been a long time in creating and would take a long time in the resolving he said, referring to a generation-long struggle. The roots of Taliban and Al Qaeda and global terrorism were deep and it would take time to banish that.

''We believe that Afghanistan, rather than being abused as a haven for terrorists and for the Taliban to oppress people, that Afghanistan and its people deserve the chance to increase their prosperity and to live in a proper democratic state,'' he said.

''We will be with you in this endeavour,'' he said, stating that he was speaking for Britain as well as the international community in general.

Though Afghanistan had in recent months been through a difficult period there was a sense of the country moving forward again. On being asked about Pakistan, Mr Blair said it was important for Pakistan to take action if there were any elements (terrorists) in Pakistan.

Speaking at the joint press conference, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai said the Taliban had been defeated in a month and half (in 2001) not just because of the international troops but also because the Afghan people wanted them removed. However, he noted that bombs and terrorism were a different question and no one could stop the latter.

Asked about the insecurity which was visible even in the capital city of Kabul, Mr Karzai said the security in Kabul was better than in lots of other capitals in the world.

UNI XC LL ND1850