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[ English Section ] [ Feedback ] International news agencies' coverage of the European visit of Ahmad Shah Masood, supreme leader of Afghanistan's national resistance force (3 - 10 April) ------------------------------------------------------ More coverage of the historic visit to Europe by Omaid Weekly's coverage | Press Conference | Photographic coverage ------------------------------------------------------ Afghanistan's Masood says trip to the West a success
On his arrival in the capital Dushanbe, Masood was given a hero's welcome by hundreds of compatriots, who applauded and held up pictures of him. "I had a lot of useful contacts during my visit to France," Masood, kept behind a tight chain of bodyguards, told reporters in Dushanbe airport on his arrival from Paris. "I am very satisfied with my trip." Masood, whose forces of the Northern Alliance remain loyal to ousted President Burhanuddin Rabbani but control only 10 percent of Afghan territory, made a rare trip to the West last week. During his visits to Paris and the European Parliament in Strasbourg, the veteran commander urged the world community to put pressure on Pakistan to stop backing the Taliban and condemned the destruction of giant Buddha statues by the purist movement. "In the European Parliament, I raised questions of the necessity of putting pressure on Pakistan and of delivering humanitarian aid to the people of Afghanistan," Masood said. Masood, whose programme in the ex-Soviet state bordering Afghanistan and China was kept secret, is expected to give a news conference on Tuesday. The 47-year-old charismatic commander became widely known in the 1980s as the "Lion of Panjsher" for successful resistance to Soviet efforts to seize his strategic stronghold north of the Afghan capital Kabul. ------------------------------------------------------ Give us support but not weapons, says Afghanistan's MassoodStrasbourg (Deutsche Presse Agentur) - Afghanistan's Northern Alliance leader Ahmad Shah Massood Thursday appealed for diplomatic support for his struggle against the Taliban but ruled out the need for foreign military aid. "We do not need foreign troops or advisors," Massood said after talks with European Parliament president Nicole Fontaine in the French city of Strasbourg. "Our people are ready to fight," he said. Massood, currently on a first visit to Europe following an invitation by Fontaine, pressed for a tougher E.U. policy on Pakistan, viewed as the Taliban's main backers. "Without Pakistan's support, the Taliban's military campaign would not even last a year," Massood insisted, warning that the Kabul regime wanted to extend its influence in the entire region. Adding her voice to Massood's appeal, Fontaine said she was sending a solemn message to Pakistan: "Stop providing assistance to the fanatic and obscurantist" regime in Kabul. Europe must now grant "political recognition to Commander Massood and his moderate version of Islam," she said. Massood is set to bring his anti-Taliban campaign to Brussels on Friday in talks scheduled with European Union security chief Javier Solana and Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel. Discussions on aid issues in Afghanistan are also expected with the head of the European Union's humanitarian aid office, ECHO. But the European Commission, the E.U.'s executive arm, has said that political discussions will not take place with Massood. The E.U. has no political relations with the Taliban government, currently recognised only by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan. But the E.U.'s humanitarian aid agency, ECHO, is involved in several multi-million dollar emergency aid operations throughout the country, with the focus on helping vulnerable groups including women and children. This has prompted concerns that open European Commission support for Massood's Northern Alliance could anger the Taliban and endanger E.U.- backed humanitarian aid projects in large parts of Afghanistan. ------------------------------------------------------ Belgium promises Afghan aidBBC, Apr 8 The Belgian foreign minister, Louis Michel, has said his country will increase its humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. Speaking after a meeting in Brussels with the anti-Taleban commander, Ahmad Shah Masood, Mr Michel also criticised Pakistan for its support of the Taleban authorities, calling its policy misguided. Mr Michel -- whose country takes up the presidency of the European Union in July -- said the situation in Afghanistan should become a permanent item on the EU's agenda. Mr Masood has been visiting European capitals in an effort to get support to the anti-Taleban opposition. ------------------------------------------------------ Massoud calls on world for helpBy ELKE MEEUS BRUSSELS, Belgium, April 7 (UPI) -- Afghan opposition leader Ahmed Shah Massoud in a meeting with the Belgian minister of foreign affairs, Louis Michel, asked the international community Saturday to help him in his fight against the Taliban regime by aiding Afghan refugees displaced by war and starvation. Massoud met with Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Louis Michel, asking him to help his people, "victims of a civil war, drought, famine and whose rights are constantly being violated," to "put an end to all this suffering, so that the Afghan people can vote for their own government through free elections." The opposition leader told Michel he was would like to open talks with the Taliban, but said that if the hardline Islamists were not ready to begin a dialogue, "we will defend ourselves." The meeting was part of Massoud's first formal visit to the West. On Thursday, the "Lion of Panshir" met with European Parliament President Nicole Fontaine. In response to his pleas, Michel said: "The international community and Belgium will do their best to help the commander in his fight for his people, to reach a cease-fire between all rival parties and to organize free elections for men and women." The foreign affairs minister said he also planned on creating an educational program for Afghan women, who have been systematically stripped of their rights since the ultra-fundamentalist Taliban came into power in 1996, closing all schools to women, denying them access to hospitals and forbidding them from working outside the home. Michel also condemned the Taliban for their seeming indifference to Afghan opium cultivation and for harboring suspected terrorists such as Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden. Pakistan's role in the Afghan civil war was also addressed. Michel pledged to reinforce humanitarian aide on a European level for Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Iran. Nongovernmental organizations would be sent directly into Afghanistan without passing through Pakistan, which supports the Taliban regime through military means, he said. Both Massoud and Michel called on Pakistan, one of the few countries to recognize the Taliban as Afghanistan's legitimate ruling faction, to assist in ending the civil war. The Afghan opposition leader asked the international community to put pressure on the Pakistani government to cease providing the Taliban with arms. ------------------------------------------------------ European overture to Afghan developments good omen: dailyTehran, April 8, IRNA -- Two English-language dailies on Sunday commended the ongoing European tour of veteran commander of the Afghan North Alliance, Ahmad Shah Massoud and hoped that with the help of the international community, a democratic government, representing all groups and factions, would be established in Afghanistan. `Iran Daily' in its perspective column praised the international community's firm will to back the legal government in the war-torn nation of Afghanistan and labeled the European overture as a "good omen." Vehemently denouncing the brutal acts and operations of the Taliban against the innocent people and nation of Afghanistan ever since they took power in that country the paper warned the Taliban that their "bullying and blackmailing" would not last for long. The daily urged the international community, which once was a silent spectator towards the waves of violence and terror in Afghanistan, "to resume the aid, which they once denied the North Alliance or rather the legal government of Afghanistan with." It is only in this way that the community of nations can help the oppressed and innocent Afghan people to once again enjoy the benefits of a democratic system, believed the article. At any rate, the paper added, "the post-Taliban era in Afghanistan would not bear any similarities with the communist rule either." Not only this, but it also believed that the war-trodden country would once more be "blessed with democratic institutions, particularly a parliament of members selected by its people." In light of the above stated facts, the daily urged Afghanistan's neighbors, especially Iran to closely monitor all developments in that country. They should see that at least "this time around they do not allow that Muslim country to become a victim of unrest and chaos--something that can affect the entire region," it stressed in conclusion. Commenting on the same issue, `Kayhan International' believed that the "military equations will change in the coming weeks and months" in the land which is ruled by one of the most hated ruling groups in the world. The paper further hoped that those "handful" of governments which till date have backed the Taliban regime, "will learn a lesson from this reversal of fate" for this internationally isolated group. It urged the international community to ensure that groups, such as the Taliban, that do not in any way represent the will of their people, will not be tolerated for long. Had the community of nations shown the same kind of aversion towards Taliban five years ago, today, "the oppressed Afghan nation would not have been subjected to so many indignities and human rights abuses," believed the article. However, the time has arrived for "peace and independence and restoration of dignity and sovereignty" to come back to Afghanistan, the paper believed quoting Shah Massoud as having said. But for this to become a reality, the paper in conclusion urged all the supporters of Taliban to stop meddling in Afghan affairs and wake up to the fact that their days of unwanted influence in Afghanistan are numbered. ------------------------------------------------------ Belgium vows pressure on PakistanThe News (Pakistan), Apr 8 BRUSSELS: Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel on Saturday pledged to send more humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and put pressure on Pakistan to stop supporting the Taliban. "Pakistan has to be shown that some of its views are wrong," Michel told a news conference after talks with Ahmad Shah Masood, commander of the Taliban opposition forces. Masood accused Pakistan of giving military aid to the Taliban during a news conference in Paris on Wednesday. Islamabad has rejected the allegation. "If we don't stop this group, not only will the people of Afghanistan suffer, but also the entire region," he told the Brussels news conference. Masood reiterated his vow to bring democracy to Afghanistan, grant women the right to vote, respect human rights and fight drug trafficking. Michel said that he would start a dialogue with Pakistan to try to get it to stop giving military support to the Taliban. Belgium would send aid for health, education, agriculture, and women's rights, he said. A Foreign Ministry spokesman said Belgium would decide on the size and timing of the aid in coming weeks. The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, is preparing 13 million euros ($11.71 million) in new aid for the country ravaged by war and drought. ------------------------------------------------------ Afghan figure terms Masoud's Europe visit as blow to TalibanIslamabad, April 7, IRNA -- Prominent Afghan personality and President of the Cultural and Reaserch Centre of Afghanistan, Moulana Abdul Qadir Imami Ghori says the visit of Ahmad Shah Masoud to Europe is a big blow to Taliban. "The presence of Ahmad Shah Masoud in France and Belgium at the invitation of the European Parliament proved very costly for Taliban. This visit has further isolated Taliban in the international community," Imami said in an interview with IRNA, on Saturday. He said: "The European Parliament not only invited Masoud for address, its President also told him that she would try to increase pressure on Taliban and Pakistan." "The destruction of statues, violation of human rights, involvement in narcotics production and contacts with terrorists have exposed the real face of Taliban," he said. He said Taliban were not only facing external pressure but they were also confronted with internal pressure ''as opposition of Taliban among the Afghan people is increasing day by day.'' Imami said by continuing their inhuman acts in the name of Islam, Taliban have dealt a blow to the Islamic Ummah as well. He said Taliban's illogical policies have also confronted Pakistan with tremendous difficulties in the community of nations. ------------------------------------------------------ Masood's visit to Strasbourg opens new chapter in EU Afghan policyTehran, April 7, IRNA -- The recent landmark visit of the Afghan warlord Ahmad Shah Masood to Strasbourg has opened a new chapter in EU policy towards the war-torn country of Afghanistan, commended the English-language daily `Iran News' in its editorial on Saturday. The paper praised Ahmad Shah Masood as being the "sole opponent" of the Taliban to have "survived the grueling years of struggle against all comers," as well as for his "unfailing resistance" to the Taliban. It accused the Taliban militia of torching their victims and carrying out "systematic pogroms and mass lynchings of their opponents" and for failing to cooperate with and appease international agencies. Not only this, but the intensive poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, which supplies as much as "80 percent of the world's opium," as well as the recent desecration of the ancient historical relics in the country has further incensed world public opinion against the fundamentalist militia, wrote the paper. However, the daily believed that the ruling Taliban will surely react to the EU initiative and step up a terror campaign in the country and persist in oppressing the ordinary citizens. It denounced what it called Pakistan's "silent screen", which has shielded Taliban operations till now. In this light, the paper urged Pakistan to however wake up to the fact that the "effective shelf-life" of the Taliban has expired. It warned Pakistan of "going down the maze of despair" created by the Taliban. The daily concluded by strongly recommending Pakistan to take sincere steps and call an immediate halt to the ethnic cleansing being carried out by the Taliban and "revive Afghanistan from poverty, under-development and unbearable hardship." ------------------------------------------------------ Afghan guerrilla leader meets EU security chief, aid officialBRUSSELS, April 6 (AFP) - Afghan opposition leader Ahmad Shah Masood, on a high-profile European tour, received a cautious reception at the European Commission here Friday as he sought support in battling Afghanistan's hardline religious rulers. He had wanted to meet with Commission President Romano Prodi, External Affairs Commissioner Chris Patten or Development and Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Poul Nielson, but they were all out of town on Friday, a commission spokesman said. Instead, Masood met with Javier Solana, high representative for security and foreign policy, and a European Commission official responsible for humanitarian aid, "the highest ranking aid officer available," said a spokesman. He said Masood was in Brussels primarily to seek humanitarian aid for the portion of Afghanistan his UN-recognised "Islamic State of Afghanistan" controls -- 50 percent according to him, 10 percent according to the ruling Taliban. Masood, speaking to reporters through an interpreter, said he had asked Solana for EU aid in re-establishing peace in his country. "I also asked him to do his utmost to get humanitarian aid to the people of Afghanistan and the strengthen the resistance," he said, without elaborating. A diplomatic source who attended the meeting said Masood asked Solana to "strengthen humanitarian aid to displaced persons inside Afghanistan, and to do so quickly." Solana, said the source, told Masood the EU "supports a peaceful solution in Afghanistan," stressing the same message was for "both parties," Masood's forces and the Taliban. Solana also expressed concern over the Taliban's alleged involvement in drug trafficking and violation of human rights. A commission source who asked not to be named offered an explanation for the failure of any commissioners to meet Masood. "We have many NGOs (non-governmental organizations) working every day in Afghanistan under extremely harsh and very volatile political conditions, and we do not wish to endanger these operations and we do not wish to endanger the security of those people," he said. "We have already had previous occasions where certain regional commanders, in the Taliban context, took strange measures regarding these NGOs," he said, referring to instances of threats and intimidation. "So that is the main reason why the commission does not want to take a high profile in this," adding that European politicians enjoyed political liberties not open to the commission. He referred to a high profile visit by Masood to the European Parliament in Strasbourg Thursday, where he received a head-of-state welcome from Parliament President Nicole Fontaine, and an earlier reception in Paris by Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine. "The commission has the responsibility to continue humanitarian aid to all of the Afghan population, so that is why it wishes to maintain a low political profile," said the source. Europe's welcome to Masood was seen by analysts as a get-tough signal in Europe's diplomatic struggle with Afghanistan's ruling Taliban militia. At a press conference in parliament Thursday, Masood denied claims he received military assistance from neighboring Iran and Russia, but would not be drawn on whether he had come to Europe with a military shopping list. "Whatever will lead to peace and independence and the restoration of dignity and sovereignty in Afghanistan, we will accept," he said. The Taliban's closest ally is Pakistan, and many of the militia's fighters are directly recruited from religious schools there. But Islamabad, the first foreign government to recognise the Taliban, has frequently denied charges that it provides the Islamic militia with men, arms, logistical support or intelligence, saying only that it gives moral support. ------------------------------------------------------ EU assembly chief backs Afghan oppositionBy Joelle Diderich
European Parliament President Nicole Fontaine spoke after meeting Ahmad Shah Masood, the veteran commander of the opposition resistance in Afghanistan, who is on his first visit to the West to drum up support for his struggling army. "I solemnly demand that Pakistan cease to bring its support to a movement which by its fundamentalism and intolerance has excluded itself from the international community," Fontaine told a news conference. "The support they are providing to the Taliban is a menace to the entire region," she added. Masood hailed the declaration as a "turning point" in world opinion towards Afghanistan, where the Taliban apply a strict interpretation of Islam, including severe restrictions on women. The European Parliament, the EU's directly-elected assembly, has no power over foreign policy issues so Fontaine's support carries symbolic rather than real weight. However, in Kabul, the Taliban slammed the Parliament for meeting Masood. "To invite him personally for this meeting is a tyranny against the Afghan people," Taliban Deputy Interior Minister Haji Mullah Khaksar told reporters. "Because they (Europe) will give him the orders to fight more...and that will cause the conflict to drag on," he added. MASOOD WANTS MODERATE ISLAMIC STATE Masood, who met French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine on Wednesday, reiterated that he was willing to accept any form of aid to bring about a peaceful resolution to the Afghan conflict and pave the way for democratic elections. France announced on Thursday that it was giving 28 million francs ($3.85 million) in food and humanitarian aid to Afghanistan to be distributed both to areas held by the Taliban and areas in opposition hands. In an interview with Reuters Television, the bearded Masood said the Afghan opposition Northern Alliance, of which he is vice-president and defence minister, would give women the vote and open the country to the outside world. "We are in favour of a moderate Islamic state, which would be the only one that could confront the Taliban's extremism, could bring people together, and permit men and women to take part in free elections," he said. He told reporters in the eastern French city of Strasbourg that the international community must put pressure on Pakistan, saying it provided not only arms and ammunition but also soldiers and crucial strategic support to the Taliban. "Their objectives are not limited to Afghanistan," said Masood. "They consider Afghanistan a first phase for their objectives in the region and beyond." Pakistan, one of only three countries to recognise the Taliban, denies sending troops to Afghanistan but acknowledges that some members of Pakistani religious groups might have joined the Taliban ranks as volunteers. Masood has hinted during his visit to France that his movement needed military aid from the West but repeatedly ducked questions about the exact form of backing he was seeking. On Thursday he ruled out calling on foreign troops to join the resistance, despite rumours that his army was running short of men. "We have not asked for and we don't need foreign troops in Afghanistan to defend our land," he said. Masood, 47, became known in the 1980s as the "Lion of the Panjsher" for repeatedly defying Soviet attempts to conquer his Panjsher Valley stronghold north of Kabul. He said thousands in the region now risked starvation following a severe drought. Masood is scheduled to meet the European Commissioner for External Affairs Chris Patten on Friday. ------------------------------------------------------ Masood asks European Parliament to ask Pakistan to end support to TalibanIslamabad, April 6, IRNA -- Afghan commander Ahmad Shah Masood, who is presently in France at the invitation of the European Parliament, has asked the latter to press Pakistan to end its uspport to Taliban. News reports here quoted Masood as telling this to journalists after his meeting with the President of the European Parliament, Nicole Fontaine. "The people of Afghanistan are ready to resist and to defend our land, but this requires supports," he added. "I will solemnly ask Pakistan to stop supporting a regime which, because of its fanatic views, is a threat to the international society," she promised. Masood also held talks with leaders of different political parties of Europe. Earlier, while addressing a press conference he thanked the European Parliament for taking interest in the Afghan problem. He said he would join peace process which might give a positive outcome. ------------------------------------------------------ Give us support but not weapons, says Afghanistan's MassoodStrasbourg, Apr 5 (Deutsche Presse Agentur) - Afghanistan's Northern Alliance leader Ahmad Shah Massood Thursday appealed for diplomatic support for his struggle against the Taliban but ruled out the need for foreign military aid. "We do not need foreign troops or advisors," Massood said after talks with European Parliament president Nicole Fontaine in the French city of Strasbourg. "Our people are ready to fight," he said. Massood, currently on a first visit to Europe following an invitation by Fontaine, pressed for a tougher E.U. policy on Pakistan, viewed as the Taliban's main backers. "Without Pakistan's support, the Taliban's military campaign would not even last a year," Massood insisted, warning that the Kabul regime wanted to extend its influence in the entire region. Adding her voice to Massood's appeal, Fontaine said she was sending a solemn message to Pakistan: "Stop providing assistance to the fanatic and obscurantist" regime in Kabul. Europe must now grant "political recognition to Commander Massood and his moderate version of Islam," she said. Massood is set to bring his anti-Taliban campaign to Brussels on Friday in talks scheduled with European Union security chief Javier Solana and Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel. Discussions on aid issues in Afghanistan are also expected with the head of the European Union's humanitarian aid office, ECHO. But the European Commission, the E.U.'s executive arm, has said that political discussions will not take place with Massood. The E.U. has no political relations with the Taliban government, currently recognised only by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan. But the E.U.'s humanitarian aid agency, ECHO, is involved in several multi-million dollar emergency aid operations throughout the country, with the focus on helping vulnerable groups including women and children. This has prompted concerns that open European Commission support for Massood's Northern Alliance could anger the Taliban and endanger E.U.- backed humanitarian aid projects in large parts of Afghanistan. ------------------------------------------------------ Afghan leader pressures Europe over TalibanSTRASBOURG, April 5 (AFP) - Afghan opposition leader Ahmad Shah Masood, on a series of high-level meetings with European officials, arrived at the European Parliament Thursday in what analysts see as a get-tough signal in Europe's diplomatic struggle with the Taliban. Masood, wearing traditional Afghan garb, was accorded a head-of-state welcome by Parliament President Nicole Fontaine, who had invited him here and with whom he was to hold a joint news conference at noon (1000 GMT). Arriving from Paris, he headed immediately for a series of meetings with euro-deputies on the situation in his troubled and fractioned country. On his first visit to Europe, the famed guerrilla leader and sole remaining military hurdle for the hardline Taliban, was expected to be seeking more than just sympathy in confronting the ruling Islamic fundamentalist group. In Paris, he met with National Assembly President Raymond Forni and Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine, calling on Europe and the United States for "any help you can give us to win back our country." Masood's invitation here comes just weeks after the Taliban's widely-condemned destruction of the ancient Bamiyan Buddhist statues, and at a time when Afghanistan has found its way back into western headlines. With anti-Taliban sentiment running high in the West, Masood, who rose to prominence in the fight against the Soviet occupation in the 1980s when he became known as the "Lion of the Panjshir," is the sole leader of importance holding out against the Taliban. His conflict-ridden government was ousted from Kabul by the militia in 1996, and his army has been forced back into northeastern Badakhshan province and the Panjshir valley north of Kabul. Masood's UN-recognised "Islamic State of Afghanistan" -- officially headed by veteran scholar and President Burhanuddin Rabbani -- covers just 10 percent of Afghanistan. The rest is under the Taliban's "Islamic Emirate" led by the reclusive Mullah Mohammad Omar. His tangible support from foreign sympathisers has been as thin as his supply lines, even though the Taliban count among their enemies an unlikely coalition including Iran, Russia, the United States, India and Tajikistan. The big diplomatic losers from his visit here are expected to be Pakistan -- who Masood is expected to lash out at for allegedly backing the Taliban -- and the Taliban, whose chances here of recognition are now considered effectively buried. The Taliban, which control most of Afghanistan with a firebrand interpretation of Islamic law, yearn for international recognition, but so far only Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have obliged. "We are here to impress on our friends in Europe that enough is enough," an Afghan diplomatic source told AFP. "After the Buddhas and the problems of women and human rights, we hope that the international community is more aware of the situation, and their responsibilities," the source added. ------------------------------------------------------ Europe fetes anti-Taleban leaderBBC, Apr 5 By Justin Webb in Strasbourg The commander of the Afghan opposition, Ahmed Shah Masood, is due to meet members of the European Parliament at Strasbourg in France. On Wednesday he had talks with the French Foreign Minister, Hubert Vedrine, in Paris. The visit is a major propaganda coup for the Afghan opposition and has infuriated the ruling Taleban militia. Mr Masood will not address the whole European Parliament, but he will have talks with a number of key members representing all the main political groups. He will also hold a news conference at which he will have the opportunity to make an impression on the wider European public. The European Parliament has very little power to influence the foreign policies of the European Union's member governments, but it does provide an important forum for debate. The parliament's president, Nicole Fontaine - who issued the invitation to the Afghan opposition leader - has called the Taleban regime "infamous and criminal", particularly with regard to its treatment of women. It had, she said, banished itself from the civilized international community. So Mrs Fontaine and her fellow European parliamentarians will be keen to learn from Mr Masood how the world community might assist in efforts to oppose the Taleban. But the Taleban itself has complained that European support for Mr Masood will merely prolong Afghanistan's civil war. It has certainly been a significant boost to opposition morale that might also persuade the Taleban of the need to do more to extinguish this source of annoyance to their regime. The Teleban have said that European support for Mr Masood will merely prolong the civil war in Afghanistan. ------------------------------------------------------ Massoud buoyed by visitBy ELIZABETH BRYANT PARIS, April 5 (UPI) -- Afghan commander Ahmed Shah Massoud said Thursday he believed his meetings in France may be a "turning point for a new phase in regards to the situation in Afghanistan." Massoud's remarks to the press, followed a meeting with European Parliament President Nicole Fontaine in Strasbourg Thursday. The same day, Fontaine reportedly called for an end to Pakistan's assistance to the Taliban militia in Afghanistan -- a condemnation Massoud has been looking for since arriving in Paris this week. The Afghan leader's trip to France, his first official visit to the West, included Wednesday meetings with French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine and with French lawmakers in Paris. The French foreign ministry announced Thursday it had earmarked $3.15 million in food aid to Afghanistan and $685,000 in humanitarian assistance to the poverty-striken country. During his visit Massoud has repeatedly slammed Pakistan as being the cause of the misery in his country, notably for sponsoring the Taliban militia. At a Paris press conference Wednesday, he also appealed to Western nations, particularly the United States, to apply "hard pressure" on Pakistan to cease meddling in Afghan affairs. Massoud's trip to France coincides with mounting criticism against the Taliban militia, who have imposed a rigid interpretation of Islam in the country that most recently included demolishing two ancient Buddha statues. The former minister of defense under the government of President Burhanuddin Rabbani from 1992 to 1996, Massoud currently heads the Northern Alliance, Afghanistan's main rebel faction. But the group's control of the country has shrunk to a small section of northern Afghanistan. Rabbani was part of a larger Muhajideen movement that ousted the Soviet Union's last puppet government under President Najibullah in 1992. But infighting among the Muhajideen allowed the Taliban to take over much of the country. The United Nations, however, still recognizes the Rabbani government as Afghanistan's legitimate regime. Welcomed in France as "vice-president of the Islamic State of Afghanistan," Massoud has fiercely criticized the Taliban's interpretation of Islam as extreme, a position the West finds increasingly in sympathy with. In an interview published in France's Le Monde newspaper Thursday, Massoud said he would seek "a moderate" form of Islam, should he once again control the country. "I repeat, I am a moderate Islamist, supporting a moderate government that (offers an alternative) to extremist Islam," he said. "We subscribe to the principle of elections, in which both men and women play a role, in respect to people's rights. And this moderate government, at peace with its neighbors, will rise up against terrorism and drug trafficking." ------------------------------------------------------ Afghan leader brings anti-Taliban battle to European Parliament
On his first visit to Europe, the famed guerrilla leader and sole hurdle for the hardline Taliban's total domination of Afghanistan was expected to be seeking more than just words of sympathy. Masood's invitation here comes just weeks after the Taliban's widely-condemned destruction of the ancient Bamiyan Buddhist statues, and at a time when Afghanistan has found its way back into western headlines. With anti-Taliban sentiment running high in the West, Masood, who rose to prominence in the fight against the Soviet occupation in the 1980s when he became known as the "Lion of the Panjshir," is the sole leader of importance holding out against the Taliban. His conflict-ridden government was ousted from Kabul by the militia in 1996, and his army has been forced back into northeastern Badakhshan province and the Panjshir valley north of Kabul. Masood's UN-recognised "Islamic State of Afghanistan" -- officially headed by veteran scholar and President Burhanuddin Rabbani -- covers just 10 percent of Afghanistan. The rest is under the Taliban's "Islamic Emirate" led by the reclusive Mullah Mohammad Omar. His tangible support from foreign sympathisers has been as thin as his supply lines, even though the Taliban count among their enemies an unlikely coalition including Iran, Russia, the United States, India and Tajikistan. The big diplomatic losers from his visit here are expected to be Pakistan -- who Masood is expected to lash out at for allegedly backing the Taliban -- and the Taliban, whose chances here of recognition are now considered effectively buried. The Taliban, which control most of Afghanistan with a firebrand interpretation of Islamic law, yearn for international recognition, but so far only Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have obliged. "We are here to impress on our friends in Europe that enough is enough," an Afghan diplomatic source told AFP. "After the Buddhas and the problems of women and human rights, we hope that the international community is more aware of the situation, and their responsibilities," the source added. Masood was to meet here with parliamentary groups, address parliament and hold a high-profile noon press conference with Parliament President Nicole Fontaine. He met in Paris Wednesday with French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine and Senate speaker Christian Poncelet. ------------------------------------------------------ Lion of Panjsher drums up Europe's help in struggle against TalibanPakistan must stop supporting Kabul regime, Masood says The Guardian (UK), Apr 5 Jon Henley in Paris and Rory McCarthy in Islamabad Ahmad Shah Masood, the veteran soldier leading the armed struggle against Afghanistan's Taliban, made his first visit to the west yesterday to urge the international community to put more pressure on Pakistan to halt its support of the ruling hardline Islamic regime. Commander Masood, Afghanistan's most celebrated military tactician, met the French foreign minister, Hubert Védrine, and the leaders of both houses of parliament before leaving for Strasbourg to address members of the European parliament today. Appearing to loud cheers and applause at a Paris news conference, he declined to say how yesterday's talks had gone, saying simply that he had "explained what needed to be done" for the fighting in Afghanistan to end, and that it was now up to foreign leaders to take action. "The path that will give access to peace is for the international community to put strong pressure on Pakistan," he said. "Pakistani interference in Afghanistan in terms of training, soldiers, funding and logistics is evident. What happens now depends on leaders and European presidents. Do they want to defend the just cause of the Afghan people, or will they content themselves with mere declarations?" Cmdr Masood said he was confident that the Taliban's recent destruction of two ancient statues of Buddha in central Afghanistan - an act met with worldwide condemnation - would successfully mobilise revolt against the extremist regime both inside the country and abroad. "The real nature and the true face of the Taliban are now clear by all our people," he said. "To understand the Taliban and their way of thinking, you have only to look at this destruction. People also see how much Pakistan is contributing to the Taliban. In the near future, I have no doubt that you will witness a mass popular movement against the Taliban." Cmdr Masood, 47, a wiry, grey-haired man in a woollen hat, was a leading figure in Afghanistan's war of resistance against the Soviet occupation in the 1980s. He never once lost control of his native Panjsher Valley, 50 miles north of the capital Kabul, despite repeated offensives from the Soviet army. After the Soviet Union pulled out of Afghanistan, rival mojahedin factions fought for control of Kabul and the "Lion of the Panjsher", as Cmdr Masood is known to his soldiers, won the city in 1992 and became defence minister. But four years later he fled in the face of the rapid Taliban advance, and has since been pushed back into a small area of north-western Afghanistan. There he effectively runs the opposition Northern Alliance controlling around 5% of the country. Despite military and financial support from Russia, Iran, India and Tajikistan, Cmdr Masood's forces have struggled to regain large areas of land, including their political headquarters at Taloqan, lost to the Taliban last summer. He has since agreed fragile military alliances with rival commanders, many of whom have betrayed him in past battles, and promised to mount a new offensive in the coming weeks as the winter snows melt. Cmdr Masood said he was willing to accept European aid in any form, whether political, military or humanitarian. "We face major human problems in health, education and with refugees," he said. "I have to signal with regret that the aid provided in the past has been minimal and insignificant. Due to the lack of food in the north, lives have been lost." A French foreign ministry spokesman said Mr Védrine had promised a package of humanitarian aid measures for the Afghan people suffering from a drought that has brought famine to several areas of the country. ------------------------------------------------------ France to Provide Aid to Afghan PeoplePARIS, Apr 5, 2001 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- France will provide the Afghan people with food aid worth 23 million francs (about 3.1 million U.S. dollars) and humanitarian aid of 5 million francs (about 700, 000 dollars), the French Foreign Ministry said Thursday. The aid, via international non-governmental organizations, will reach the Afghan people both under Taliban's rule and in the region controlled by opposition forces, said the ministry in a statement. Ahmed Shah Massoud, chief commander of the anti-Taliban forces, is currently in France for talks with French and European high-level officials. It is his first visit to the West. Following a meeting with Massoud on Wednesday, French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine said France would continue the dialogues with all parties in the central Asian country. ------------------------------------------------------ European Parliament Considers Aid for Afghan Anti-Taliban ForcesPARIS, Apr 5, 2001 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- President of the European Parliament Nicole Fontaine said Thursday that the parliament will consider providing aid to Afghanistan's anti-Taliban forces. Fontaine made the remarks in Strasbourg, eastern France, after a meeting in the morning with Ahmed Shah Massoud, commander of the Afghan anti-Taliban forces, reported Agence France-Presse. The European Parliament, the Strasbourg-based body of supervision and consultation of the European Union (EU), "will examine the forms of aid that contributes to a political solution to rebuild peace in the region," said Fontaine. "The Taliban has respect for nothing. They shelter themselves behind the Muslim religion while in fact betraying it for destructive actions," she added. She also called on Pakistan to stop supporting the Taliban regime in Kabul. Massoud, who arrived in Paris Tuesday for his first visit to the West, said, "The Afghan people is prepared for the fighting. But this resistance does need certain aid." However, he added, "We ask for neither arms nor foreign military personnel to defend our country." He promised to try to find a political solution to the problem in his country instead of armed conflict. Massoud on Wednesday met French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine and leaders of the French National Assembly. He is also expected to meet Javier Solana, top foreign policy official of the EU, in Brussels on Friday. Kabul's Taliban movement is currently recognized by the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, while the authorities of ousted president Burhanuddin Rabbani still holds Afghanistan's seat in the United Nations. Taliban controls 90 percent of Afghan territory and the anti-Taliban forces led by Massoud are based in the northeast of the country bordering Tajikistan. ------------------------------------------------------ AHMAD SHAH MAS UD WARN PAKISTAN AGAINST THE AFGHANS WRATHBy Safa Haeri, IPS Editor (Iran Press Service) PARIS 4 Apr. (IPS) Veteran Afghan warrior Commandant Ahmad Shah Mas ud bluntly warned Wednesday Pakistan to get out of Afghanistan or face the same humiliation the Afghan people dealt to the British and Russian occupiers. Speaking to a pack press conference in Paris, Mr. Mas ud, who is in France on his first ever visit to the West, said he could check and defeat the Taleban if it were not for the "full military, logistic, financial and physical" assistance the hard-line Islamist militants receive from Pakistan. "We ended the British colonialism and defeated the Red Army. Pakistan is not stronger. Sooner than latter, they too, will suffer the same humiliation", he assured, calling on both Europe and the United States help restoring peace and stability in Afghanistan by putting pressure on Islamabad to evacuate Afghanistan. The Afghan leader met with Mr. Hubert Vedrine, the French socialist Foreign Minister and presidents of the National assembly and the Senate, to whom he briefed about the situation in his war-torn nation and called on them to take a bolder role in Afghanistan, particularly in stopping Pakistan s deadly interference in Afghanistan s internal affairs. According to the charismatic warrior, by destructing the giant Buddhas of Bamiyan he described as "Afghan s most valuable cultural heritage", the Taleban tore off the mask from their ugly face. "Now that the people have seen the real visage of the Taleban, they would fight them to the end", Mr. Mas ud told French and international journalists. He said, without explaining though, that he expect the dominantly Pashtun population of the Kunar Province near Pakistani border up rise against the Taleban, adding that once this happens, it would be followed by similar movements in Kabul, Qandahar, where resides Taleban s supreme leader Mollah Mohammad Omar, as well as in other major cities,. Though the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan controls more than 90 per cent of the Afghan territory, yet it is not recognised but by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in the Persian Gulf. Asked by Iran Press Service why he all the time accuses Pakistan but has no word about Saudi Arabia, another main supporter of the Taleban that is reported to be behind a scheme for the destruction of all Shi a mosques and monuments, Mr. Mas ud again lambasted the Pakistani whom, he explained, were "associating" the Saudis in their strategy for Afghanistan. Pakistan is the only country that has a clear-cut strategy for Afghanistan, that is to transform it into its backyard, Afghan sources said. Heading a seven-member delegation that includes some commanders as well as the Foreign Minister of the Borhaneddin Rabbani government that was ousted from power by the Taleban in September 1996, Mr. Mas ud is due to address the European Parliament Thursday in the French city of Strasbourg, near the German border. The invitation to the "vice-President and defence Minister" of the Islamic Government of Afghanistan to address Europe-deputies came from Mrs. Nicole Fontaine, the French Speaker of the European Parliament him after the Taleban destroyed Buddha s statues, arousing dismay and anger among the international opinion. Mas ud, a former second degree student at the French College of Kabul, described as "positive" the sanctions imposed by the United Nations on the Taleban, but regretted that because of "general negligence", the Pakistanis were able to bypass and ignore it "in full violation of the UN recommendations". He dismissed as "Pakistan s propaganda" reported rifts and dissensions among commanders and members of the Northern Coalition, observing that the anti-Taleban opposition was formed from personalities belonging to different ethnics and branches of Islam dedicated to put an end to the dark ages imposed by the Taleban. Asked if it was not against his interests to get arms from Russia, a country that himself fought against for more than a decade, Mr. Mas ud said immediately that he considers as his "most natural right" to get help from any source in order to "liberate my occupied nation and free my people". He said the future regime of Afghanistan must be decided by the Afghan people in free and fair elections with the participation of all Afghans, including women, observing that "only democracy" can preserve and guarantee social justice, peace and equality for all Afghans, regardless of their ethnic, religious or cultural backgrounds. Rejecting all forms of terrorism under any name and ideology, Mr. Mas ud said Mr. Osama Ben Laden, the Saudi anti-American, anti-Western millionaire crusader the American accuses of terrorist activities, is in "symbiosis" with the Taleban ideology. According to some information, Mr. Ben Laden has formed an army of his own in Afghanistan and enjoys paramount influence over afghan senior clerics around Mr. Omar. Mr. Ben Laden is sought by the American Justice for the twin bombing of American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. He regretted that the new US Administration had not a clear policy for Afghanistan and warned that in case Washington and other peace loving nations do nothing for the restoration of peace in Afghanistan, "they will bear the consequences". Mr. Mas ud says former Afghan King Mohammad Zaher Shah can play a positive role in restoring peace in Afghanistan and lauded efforts the Rome-based Monarch is deploying to this end by trying to convene a Loya Jirga, or the traditional Elders Grand Assembly. ------------------------------------------------------ In first Western visit, Afghanistan's Masood appeals for aid
"Faced with the agression of Pakistan, I give myself the right ... to seek aid everywhere," Masood told a packed press conference here after a closed-door meeting with French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine. Masood is on his first visit to Europe and on a rare foray from his bases in the snow-capped mountains of northeastern Afghanistan. During the 1980s, his battle against Soviet occupation earned him the title of "Lion of the Panjshir". "Any help that countries can give us for reconquering our country, we need it," added the now-struggling commander, who has suffered a wave of setbacks but remains the sole serious obstacle to the Taliban's full control of Afghanistan. Accusing the hardline Islamic Taliban of being directly propped up by Pakistan and Osama bin Laden, the alleged Saudi-born terrorist, Masood also warned the United States that "there will be no end to the current problems, which will only get worse" unless his fortunes were reversed. "To end the war, the international community must place strong pressure on Pakistan. This is what I raised with Mr. Vedrine and what I will raise in all my meetings here," said Masood. After Vedrine's one-hour meeting with Masood, the French foreign ministry issued a brief statement saying the current military and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan had been discussed, but no further details were given. Sources close to Masood told AFP that the meeting with Vedrine was "very positive", but declined to comment openly on whether subjects such as military or financial aid were broached. "The decision (on aid) rests with European deputies," a confident Masood told the lively press conference in a plush Paris hotel, which drew a crowd including veteren French aid workers and expatriate Afghans. But the visit has been seen as a sign that the gloves have come off in Europe's diplomatic struggle with the Taliban, who have drawn global condemnation for their denial of womens' rights and more recently their destruction of Afghanistan's ancient Buddhist statues in Bamiyan. The visit is also a diplomatic coup for Masood, whose tangible support from foreign sympathisers has so far been as thin as his supply lines, even though the Taliban count among their enemies an unlikely combination that includes Iran, Russia, the United States, India and Tajikistan. The president of the European Parliament, Nicole Fontaine, who has invited Masood to address the body on Thursday, also issued a call for European powers to provide more concrete support to the anti-Taliban movement. "It is important that France shows its support to the fight of those who, in Afghanistan, are opposing the fanatical Taliban regime," Fontaine said. "I hope that these first meetings bring the international community beyond the stage of verbal condemnation." Masood, a 49-year-old ethnic Tajik, is the vice-president and defence minister of the United Nations-recognised 'Islamic State of Afghanistan', but his forces wield control over just 10 percent of Afghan soil. The ethnic Pashtun-dominated Taliban's hardline 'Islamic Emirate' is recognised by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and controls the rest of the country including the capital Kabul. Masood was eager to emphasise the Taliban's image as drug producers, sponsors of terrorism and violators of human rights. Speaking in his native Dari and wearing his trademark wool hat, he presented himself as a moderate Islamist keen to restore democracy and women's rights -- even if he is seen as having failed on these during his shaky tenure in power from 1992 to 1996. He also insisted that his alliance with other anti-Taliban factions was back on track after years of internecine fighting that aided the Taliban's conquest of the country, and pledged a wave of uprisings against Taliban rule. Masood, who arrived here Tuesday on a private flight from Tajikistan, also issued a blunt warning against Pakistan, accused of funding the Taliban and the source of thousands of new recruits for the hardline militia. "What happened to the British (in the 19th century) and the Soviet Red Army will also happen to Pakistan," Masood said. ------------------------------------------------------ Afghan opposition leader in FranceBy ELIZABETH BRYANT PARIS, April 4 (UPI) -- Afghanistan's opposition leader Ahmed Shah Massoud met Wednesday with French Foreign Affairs Minister Hubert Vedrine as part of his first official trip to the West, which was also to include meeting with European Parliament members. Massoud's trip to France coincides with mounting criticism against the Taliban militia, which has imposed a rigid interpretation of Islam in Afghanistan that has included demolishing two ancient statues of Buddha. Massoud did not make any comments following the meeting but in an interview with France Info radio, a Massoud spokesman said his visit to France marked a political change on the part of the international community, which is finally taking Afghanistan's plight "seriously." "Today, there is a very strong diplomatic gesture," the spokesman said, marked particularly by Massoud's invitation to speak with European Parliament President Nicole Fontaine Thursday. "I sincerely think we still have time to stop the Taliban." Coinciding with Massoud's arrival in Paris Tuesday, French politicians from both right and left endorsed a statement of support for the opposition chief and called on President Jacques Chirac to meet with him. Massoud "symbolizes the fight for liberty against darkness," said a statement by Alain Madelin, president of the Liberal Democratic Party. But French officials were cautious to balance the visit -- billed as an opportunity to discuss politics and humanitarian relief for Afghanistan -- as part of a larger effort to reach out to all of Afghanistan's political factions. "Our concern is to maintain contacts with all the Afghan parties," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Tuesday, noting French officials had met with the Taliban ministers for health and foreign affairs in March. The former minister of defense under the government of Burhanuddin Rabbani from 1992 to 1996, Massoud currently heads the Northern Alliance, Afghanistan's main rebel faction whose control has shrunk to a small section of northern Afghanistan. The United Nations, however, recognizes the Rabbani government as Afghanistan's legitimate regime, despite being ousted from most of the country by the Taliban. Rabbani was part of a larger Muhajideen movement that ousted the Soviet Union's last puppet government under President Najibullah in 1992. But infighting among the Muhajideen allowed the Taliban to take over much of the country. Massoud has since fiercely criticized the Taliban's interpretation of Islam as extreme -- a position the West finds increasing sympathy with. The rebel leader, who is being welcomed in France as "vice-president of the Islamic State of Afghanistan," is to meet Thursday with Fontaine in Strasbourg. ------------------------------------------------------ "Lion of Panjshir" takes battle to new stageKABUL, April 4 (AFP) - Ahmad Shah Masood, the commander of the Afghan opposition known as the "Lion of Panjshir," has traded guerrilla war for diplomacy, at least temporarily. Masood, who has battled the Soviets and his Afghan rivals for more than two decades, arrived in Paris Wednesday on his first visit to Europe and a rare foray outside of his native Panjshir Valley. Ousted from Kabul in 1996 by the Islamic Taliban militia, Masood is making his diplomatic debut for the former Afghan government headed by Burhanuddin Rabbani. His visit comes just weeks after the Taliban's widely-condemned destruction of the ancient Bamiyan Buddhist statues. Masood met with French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine in Paris on Wednesday and has also been accorded the honour of making an address to the European Parliament. The 49-year-old son of a senior Afghan army officer Masood is an ethnic Tajik educated in the Lycee of Kabul and can speak halting French. The resistance leader shot into prominence soon after the Soviet army invaded Afghanistan in 1979 for foiling successive Red Army attempts to capture the Panjshir valley north of Kabul. Benefitting from the geographical isolation of the valley located in the rugged mountains of the Hindu Kush, Masood's battlefield exploits earned him the title of "Lion of Panjshir." He was in command of the rugged northeastern region, including big chunks of Takhar, Badakhshan, Baghlan and Parwan provinces when Soviet troops ended their 10-year occupation of Afghanistan in 1989. He entered Kabul in 1992 after the fall of the pro-communist regime but the infighting and chaotic rule of then-president Rabbani paved the way for the rise of the Taliban movement of religious students in southern Kandahar province in 1994. The Taliban ousted the Rabbani government and ejected Masood from Kabul in 1996 after a series of victories on the battlefield. Rabbani's "Islamic State of Afghanistan" continues to enjoy UN recognition however while the Taliban, although they control 90 percent of the country, are recognized by just Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Father of four daughters and a son, Masood who appears war-weary and tired, currently holds just a slice of northeastern Afghanistan. Masood controls only Badakhshan province and part of Takhar Parwan province but he remains the major obstacle to the Taliban's ambition of dominating the entire country. The European Union's invitation to Masood is seen by many Afghans as a political and diplomatic setback for the Taliban. Former Pakistani military intelligence chief retired General Hamid Gul said Masood's visit to Europe provides "a new dimension in the present Afghan scenario." But, he added: "Efforts to prop up Masood will not work. "Masood is a military commander and he cannot be a politician and the Taliban will emerge as a likely gainer in the new game." ------------------------------------------------------ Afghan Opposition Calls for AidPARIS, Apr 4 (AP) — During his first visit to the West, Afghan opposition leader Ahmed Shah Massood on Wednesday appealed to Europe for aid of all kinds to help end his country's rule by the hardline Taliban religious militia. Afghanistan needs ``any kind of aid that could help our people to renew peace,'' Massood said at a news conference. Foreign aid has thus far been insignificant, said Massood, an ousted Afghan defense minister who with other opposition leaders controls 5 percent of the country. French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine expressed France's sympathy for the plight of the Afghan people and ``admiration for their courageous combat,'' according to a statement. France expressed its wish to help find a political solution to the Afghan situation. Speaking through a translator, Massood told reporters that his opposition was pro-human rights in contrast to the ruling Taliban, denounced by the international community for its harsh brand of Islam. Massood said he favored allowing women to work and vote. The Taliban impose strict rules on women, forcing them to wear head-to-toe coverings and forbidding them an education. The Taliban shocked the international community last month by destroying two ancient statues of Buddha and other pre-Islamic artifacts because hardline clerics said they were idolatrous. Asked specifically about military support to overthrow the Taliban, Massood said, ``Do (European leaders) want to defend the just cause of the Afghan people, or are they satisfied by mere declarations of support?'' Massood also called on European leaders to take action against Pakistan for its assistance to the Taliban. ``We have always said that the route to peace ... is for the international community ... to put strong pressure on Pakistan,'' he said. The veteran commander also called on the Bush administration to forge a clearer policy on Afghanistan. ``My message to President Bush is the following: If he isn't interested in peace in Afghanistan, if he doesn't help the Afghan people to arrive at their objective of peace, the Americans and the rest of the world will have to face the problems.'' He did not elaborate. The United States was one of the largest bankrollers of the 1980s Afghan war against Soviet occupiers. More recently, it spearheaded U.N. sanctions against the Taliban-led regime. The United States has also been at odds with the Taliban over the alleged presence in Afghanistan of suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden, suspected of masterminding attacks on U.S. embassies in Africa. Massood, who met with Vedrine on Wednesday, was to travel to Strasbourg on Thursday at the invitation of the president of the European Parliament, Nicole Fontaine. The Taliban have sharply criticized Massood's visit, accusing the European Parliament of fanning the fires of war with its invitation. During the four-year rule of Massood and former president Burhanuddin Rabbani, vast tracts of Kabul, the Afghan capital, were destroyed by feuding Islamic factions. Nearly 50,000 people were killed. The Taliban emerged in 1994, promising peace and rebelling against warring groups. They now rule 95 percent of Afghanistan and have imposed their version of ``pure'' Islam, which calls for swift and public punishments. ------------------------------------------------------ Afghan opposition leader to visit FranceBy JIHAD al-KHALIL PARIS, April 3 (UPI) -- The deputy president in Afghanistan's opposition government, Ahmed Shah Masoud, was set to visit Paris on Wednesday to meet with officials to explain the dangerous situation in the country ruled by the fundamentalist Taliban movement, an Afghan official said Tuesday. Abdallah Andallah, the foreign minister of the ousted government of Burhaddine Rabbani, which is recognized by nearly all other countries, told United Press International Masoud would meet immediately after arrival with French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine, upon the latter's request. Abdallah said Masoud was also invited to speak to the European Parliament by its president, Nicole Fontaine, whom he will meet in Strasbourg on Thursday. "This is his (Masoud) first visit to the Western world where he wants to explain the prevailing situation in Afghanistan and the dangerous political, military and humanitarian developments," Abdallah said. "Masoud is also to explain the danger poised by the Taliban regime on the Afghan people and the countries of the region, and is to call on the Europeans to bear their responsibilities because it is their battle too." He said Masoud, who is also defense minister in the opposition government, whose troops are actively fighting the Taliban, will not "ask (Vedrine and Fontaine) anything specific, but will explain the political situation in Afghanistan and our goal is not to ask for weapons." "After our victory over the Soviet Army and liberation of our country, we today face a hard battle against the villain Taliban movement, which is destroying the country and constitutes a danger on Islam and Muslims in Afghanistan and neighboring countries," Abdallah said. "We are peace seekers, and we want the help of all to achieve this goal, and we thus demand the international community to support the Afghan people." The Rabbani government includes an alliance of northern forces which took over Afghanistan in 1992. Two years ago, the rival Taliban movement controlled most of Afghanistan and seized power in Kabul. ------------------------------------------------------ Afghan faction leader Masood arrives in FrancePARIS, April 3 (AFP) - Afghan faction leader Ahmad Shah Masood arrived in Paris Tuesday for talks with French officials and European deputies despite harsh warnings from the ruling Taliban over the visit. Masood was to meet Wednesday with French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine and Senate speaker Christian Poncelet before heading to Strasbourg where he was to meet Thursday with Nicole Fontaine, president of the European Parliament. Officials in Kabul said Masood was also expected to address the European Parliament. This is the first official visit by Masood to Europe since he rose to prominence in his guerrilla warfare during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s. It comes only weeks after the Islamic militia movement defied international pleas and demolished Afghanistan's ancient Buddhist statues including two massive Buddha sculptures in the central province of Bamiyan. The Taliban militia in Kabul on Monday denounced the visit saying it would only fan the flames of war in the troubled country. "The visit will further embolden the opposition, who have been isolated by the nation, to continue their resistance," Taliban Foreign Minister Wakil Ahmad Mutawakel said. "This is tyranny against the Afghan people." ------------------------------------------------------ More coverage of the historic visit to Europe by Omaid Weekly's coverage | Press Conference | Photographic coverage ------------------------------------------------------ [
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DUSHANBE,
Apr 9 (Reuters) - Ahmad Shah Masood, commander of the armed resistance to
Afghanistan's ruling Taliban movement, arrived in Tajikistan on Monday
after what he described as a successful mission to the West.
STRASBOURG,
France, Apr 6 (Reuters) - The head of the European Parliament called
Afghanistan's ruling Taliban a threat to the region on Thursday and urged
Pakistan to stop supporting the hardline Islamic militia.
STRASBOURG,
April 5 (AFP) - Afghan opposition leader Ahmad Shah Masood, on a series of
high-level meetings with European officials, comes to the European
Parliament Thursday in what analysts see as a get-tough signal in Europe's
diplomatic struggle with the Taliban.
PARIS,
April 4 (AFP) - Afghan opposition leader Ahmad Shah Masood made an
impassioned plea Wednesday for foreign aid in his war against the ruling
Taliban and called for diplomatic pressure against the hardline militia's
backers in Pakistan.