UAE major donor to Afghanistan

The international community at a donor's conference in Paris last week pledged more than Dh77 billion ($21 billion) for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Hamad Karzai, President of Afghanistan, thanked His Highness Shiekh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for his generosity. Abdul Farid Zikria, the Ambassador of Afghanistan to the UAE said more than 80 nations and international organisations attended the International Conference in Support of Afghanistan. The ambassador said: "The UAE was among the major donors present in Paris and represented by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs. The UAE's new pledge at this conference amounting to $250 million (Dh918 million), which will help accelerate the core of the Afghan development process and improve the economic well-being of the Afghan people. "This new UAE aid announcement, which brings the total UAE commitment to more than $400m (Dh1.5 billion) since 200l, establishes the country as a major donor to the reconstruction of Afghanistan." "The participants pledged more than $21bn to help Afghanistan's five-year strategy to enhance security and boost social and economic development," Zikria said yesterday. He said the UAE participation is greatly appreciated and the generous pledge by the UAE will take the existing bonds between the two countries further. The conference was co-chaired by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.