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CNN Live At Daybreak

Leaders Meet in Tokyo To Plan Funding For Afghanistan

Aired January 21, 2002 - 06:07   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Dozens of nations and groups began a two-day meeting today in to helping rebuild Afghanistan.

CNN's Richard Roth is covering the conference. He's live in Tokyo -- Richard, take it away.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, the world here has met and come up strong for Afghanistan, at least $3 billion in financial contributions on day one. Afghanistan's interim leader Hamid Karzai had said he would come here hoping to return to Kabul with his hands full. His delegation tonight in Tokyo may be counting the euros and the dollars because they seem to have had some success.

And of course the presence of interim leader Karzai, a very dynamite figure who presented an emotional address to this international Afghanistan recovery conference, doesn't hurt.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

HAMID KARZAI, CHAIRMAN, INTERIM AFGHAN GOVERNMENT: Without a full partnership with the international community, Afghanistan may falter again. And I believe that's the reason we are all here today. Not to let Afghanistan go back to the days of the past 20 years or so -- to help it stand back on its feet, to help it secure its borders, secure its own unity, secure the institutions that will make Afghanistan strong, and self-reliant. So we do not see the presence of terrorism or violence or the threats that it -- that such a situation would emanate to the region and the international community.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

ROTH: Karzai told the delegations he'd rather be sitting in the audience as a donor nation rather than as a recipient - the problem, money. Afghanistan doesn't have any. In fact, over the weekend, the United Nations Development Program had to ship in, under locked boxes, $6 million in cash to keep this fledging Karzai government going. Music, though, to the ears of Mr. Karzai and the delegation from an address by U.S. Secretary of State Powell.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: I will go right to the bottom line. On behalf of the United States, I'm pleased to announce that the American people will give $296 million in this fiscal year to the Afghan people for the reconstruction of their society and their nation. President Bush, the Congress of the United States, the American people fully recognize that this is the first contribution to what must be and will be a multi-year effort.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

ROTH: Karzai assured the delegations who have a lot of concerns about where this money is going. He says corruption is going to be his number one goal to fight and that he's going to bring in international accounting auditors to make sure the money goes where it's directed - Carol.

COSTELLO: A never-ending problem. Thank you. Richard Roth reporting live for us from Tokyo this morning.

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