Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Sunday Morning

World Leaders Discuss Aid for Afghanistan

Aired January 20, 2002 - 09:08   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.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: In Japan today, representatives of dozens of nations and international agencies, they're gathering in Tokyo for a conference that is aimed at rebuilding Afghanistan. Hamid Karzai, who is of course Chairman of Afghanistan's Interim Government, hopes to return to Kabul with an immediate infusion of cash to bankroll all the reconstruction there.

Secretary of State Colin Powell, along with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, are there as well for the two-day conference, which will begin tomorrow. As Afghanistan is now, Japan with international help also recovered from post-World War II devastation.

Here's CNN's Rebecca MacKinnon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REBECCA MACKINNON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The bombed- out streets of Kabul, devastation so complete many now call Afghanistan a startup country.

Japanese who also lived through this devastation and defeat at the end of World War II say they know how it feels.

JUNCHIRO KOIZUMI, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Japan's recovery from the devastation at the end of World War II was achieved not only by the efforts of the Japanese people, but also thanks to the support and the cooperation of the international community, headed by the United States.

MACKINNON (on camera): Is this the beginning of a much more active Japan when it comes to international crises?

SADAKO OGATA, AFGHAN AID CONFERENCE: I hope so. Japanese people must realize that their own peace, security, prosperity can not be produced by Japanese alone. It is really globally based.

MACKINNON: Downtown Tokyo today could have hardly seemed more different than downtown Kabul, but it's not only the Japanese government that's reaching out to Afghanistan. Many ordinary Japanese are reaching out too.

(voice-over): A feminist group, called Women in Black, uses shock value to raise money and public awareness to help Afghan women.

HISAKO MOTOYAMI, WOMEN IN BLACK: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) interested in Afghanistan.

MACKINNON: Workers with little money to spare volunteer their time and labor to load donated clothing and blankets for Afghan families. The donations pile up daily in the doorway of this Tokyo mosque.

HARDON AHMAD QURESH, OTSUKA MOSQUE: The first time we gave the address of this place, this mosque was -- within a few days it was full, even our prayer hall.

MACKINNON: Phones ringing off the hook, the fax machine overflowing with queries, "how can we help?" So far, people have given 30 containers full of whatever they've got. According to the mosque's Pakistani director.

QURESH: In all Islamic countries, Japanese people are respected very much and they are known as a peaceful country. So, it is true that Japan can fill a big role in Afghanistan.

MACKINNON: Rebecca MacKinnon, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CALLAWAY: Rebuilding Afghanistan after a decade of war, even longer, is going to be costly, the initial estimate now about $15 billion. The United Nations calling on, it's calling on member nations to help foot that bill. For more perspective on the rebuilding effort, we're joined by our Afghan analyst, Thomas Gouttierre. Thank you for being with us this morning.

THOMAS GOUTTIERRE, CNN AFGHAN ANALYST: Good to be with you, Catherine.

CALLAWAY: Is it fair to compare rebuilding Japan to rebuilding Afghanistan?

GOUTTIERRE: Well, I think it is. I like the phrase that Secretary Powell used describing Afghanistan in a sense right now as a start-up country. It's been so destroyed, so devastated that indeed it is in that kind of, you know, situation. These pictures that I see on TV and the things that I've seen in my most recent trips to Afghanistan, that's been a couple of years now, there was nothing like that in the past and it really is a country that has been, you know, greatly destroyed.

CALLAWAY: $15 billion, that's just one of the numbers that we're hearing. That's a lot of money. It's going to take a big commitment from more than just one nation, that's for sure. At least half a dozen will have to participate in this, won't they?

GOUTTIERRE: Well, you know, $10 billion, 15 or 20 and the isolation that amount sounds like a great number. But when we compare it to other things, like even the cost of this war that we're going through right now, you know, it starts to pale. And it's true that it will take a number of nations, but I continue to believe that the United States for its own interests and for the interests that it has in that part of the world in particular, needs to be the leader and needs to point the way in this reconstruction effort.

CALLAWAY: How important is this conference that's going to happen in getting that money, and also the role of Hamid Karzai in this effort?

GOUTTIERRE: Well, conferences like this relating to Afghanistan in the past have had mixed results, but it is important I think in that it helps to bring to the world's attention, the type of devastation that Afghans have to, you know, overcome.

And, when you take a look at Hamid Karzai, who's a friend of mine, who I've know for 15 years, who I think has proven to be so far a very decent person for the world to kind of see as the new leadership of Afghanistan, this is a major challenge. I've, you know, heard it described and it's true that right now he's got issues relating to security.

He's got issues relating to just simple, you know, space to house ministers, to house workers, electricity, trying to extend his reach to the parts of the country that are not necessarily under his control right now. All these are very, very daunting challenges.

So we have to hope that we can help him meet the needs of the Afghans, because the degree to which Hamid Karzai will be successful, will be very much to the degree to which we succeed in meeting our interests, advancing our interests in that part of the world.

CALLAWAY: And as you said, Afghanistan is certainly not a safe place yet. But just the refugee situation, the humanitarian crisis that we're seeing there, is unbelievable. I know the World Food Program is now delivering food by donkey to some of the remote regions up in northern Afghanistan. They need help. They need it fast.

GOUTTIERRE: Well, you know, this whole situation has been going on in Afghanistan for 23 years, and that's what, you know, makes this all the more critical and all the more difficult. And it's true, donkeys are being used, and a lot of the roads that have been -- that the Afghans have relied on in the past to deliver anything to anywhere have been destroyed or so badly ripped up that, you know, it's going to take a while to be able to do this. I think that a lot of all of the assistance to Afghans in the next year will have to be transported by air in some form or another.

CALLAWAY: An expensive program indeed it will be. It will be interesting to see what happens out of this conference. Thank you for being with us today and discussing this, Thomas Gouttierre.

GOUTTIERRE: Nice to be with you guys.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com