PRESS BRIEFING BY THE U.N. OFFICES FOR PAKISTAN AND
AFGHANISTAN ( 30 December 2001)

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s briefing in Kabul by U.N. (excluding questions and answers session).

Over the last few days, SRSG Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi continued his intensive consultations with a wide range of people, including members of the interim Administration, intellectuals, political officials and donor representatives. He is focusing on several
discrete issues. First, he is meeting with members of the Interim Administration, maintaining open channels of communication with them, hearing their concerns and discussing how the United Nations can help them in the complex task that confronts them. We have already noted here that the United Nations is immediately helping the Interim Administration by providing support for the setting up of necessary offices and equipment

He is also consulting individuals as part of the process of forming a Special Independent Commission for the establishment of an Emergency Loya Jirga by 22 January, as agreed on in Bonn.

On Thursday, in his meeting with Ayatollah Mohseni, Ayatollah Mohseni expressed his continued support for and cooperation with the peace process. Mohseni expressed concern for the distribution of international aid in western Kabul where many Shia
Hazara people are living. They also discussed the future course of the Special Independent Commission for the Convening of the Emergency Loya Jirga, including its composition and functions, as well as the establishment of a future civil service commission.

Mohseni is an Afghan leader of the Shias, and leader of Harakat-Inqilab-Islami.

On Friday, Saturday and Sunday the consultations continued. On Friday Mr. Brahimi met with Dr. Sima Samar, Vice Chair and Minister for Women's Affairs. They discussed logistical issues-that is the setting up of the Ministry for Women's Affairs. The administration had been looking for a building to house the ministry. Dr. Samar acknowledged the serious challenges of her post and requested the continued support of UNSMA and the UN. She will maintain close contact over the coming weeks.

The SRSG also met on Friday Abdul Rasul Sayaff, leader of the Itehad-e-Islami Azadi Afghanistan (the Islamic Union for the liberation of Afghanistan) and with Muhammad Qassem Fahim, Vice Chair and Minister for Defense.

On Saturday and Sunday, the pace of meetings continued. He met, for example, with Professor Reshad, an Afghan intellectual. They held consultations on the Special Independent Commission for the establishment of the Loya Jirga. In addition to several ministers of the Interim Administration on Saturday and Sunday, today SRSG Lakhdar Brahimi met with Mr. Hajimir, deputy to Ismael Khan. Mr. Hajimir re-affirmed their support for the Interim Administration.

Today, Mr. Brahimi participated in a very important meeting with the Airport Committee. This was an initiative of UNSMA to gather together the Civil Aviation Ministry and Tourism, the International Civil Aviation Organization, various donors and interested parties. The meeting went well. The Head of the Department of Civil Aviation and Tourism, Mr. Abdul Rahman, was present with his technical advisors. They explained their needs for Kabul airport. The donor country representatives included the UK, US, France, and Germany. The United Nations Mine Action Regional Coordinator and a representative from UNDP also participated. All present expressed interest in helping the Ministry. Tomorrow, the ICAO, donors, and the representatives of the Interim Authority will meet again at the airport to conduct a technical survey of the needs there.

In an attempt to drastically reduce the number of children who die of preventable diseases in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Public Health, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization, and NGOs are jointly kicking off a
measles immunization campaign to vaccinate about nine million Afghan children who are between six months to twelve years old. The campaign will cost over $8,000,000.

Tomorrow in Kabul, the Minister of Public Health, Dr. Suhaila Seddiqui will inaugurate the beginning of the countrywide programme. To be held at Indira Gandhi Hospital in Kabul, the ceremony will begin at 9 a.m.

The campaign will start in Kabul on New Year's Day. Over three months, it will continue in other areas of the country, reaching children in areas most difficult to access and displaced children.

Measles is the leading cause of childhood vaccine preventable deaths and killed over three-quarters of a million children worldwide in 2000. Since it is very easily spread, epidemics occur especially in places where people live in poverty and in overcrowded conditions. Severe measles cases are especially likely to occur among poorly nourished children.

Despite all efforts, overall just fewer than 40% of Afghan children get the vaccines they need to help them survive childhood diseases such as measles. Measles immunization campaigns in the past have been hampered by lack of funds, conflict, and shortage of trained personnel.

Among all vaccine preventable diseases, measles is the largest killer of children in Afghanistan. It is responsible for an estimated 40% or more of all vaccine preventable childhood deaths in the country. Afghanistan is third on the list of the top twenty
countries with the highest measles mortality.

The number of children who die from measles in Afghanistan is estimated at 35,000 per year. This number could be higher this year due to poverty, lack of health services and poor nutrition. Given the humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan, high displacement levels, extreme poverty, cold, prolonged malnutrition, Afghan children are more at risk this year than ever before. The sooner they can be vaccinated against this disease, the better. This eight million dollar campaign will give millions of Afghan children a chance to survive their childhoods.

On the mine action front, the United Nations Mine Action Programme has received a list of 103 cites where cluster bombs were dropped countrywide. Details are still awaited on 25 of these sites. No cluster bombs seem to have been used within the confines of Kabul city proper.

However there are four confirmed cluster bomb sites on the old road north of Kabul. The numbers of unexploded bomblets is less than expected, and Halo Trust, part of the United Nations Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan, is almost finished clearing these sites.

Last week, the United Nations Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan undertook a short reconnaissance of the village of Denar Kheil, situated 10 kilometers from Kalokhan, towards Bagram airbase. The village was cluster bomb attacked by coalition forces last month and is now heavily contaminated by with unexploded BLU 97 bomblets. With the onset of winter, it will take some time to get to the village to survey it. Given the high risk to the local population, especially children, a UN survey team is being sent to map the exact area of contamination, and following this, a team will undertake surface clearance before it
snows.

Mine Action has almost finished clearing Kabul City of new unexploded ordnance, mainly of bombs in the range of 500-2000 pounds. The two at the airport remain due to lack of equipment. The one on the runway is now believed to be so deeply embedded as to pose no threat. The site has been filled in.

Due to Coalition attacks on ammunition depots, there is still a lot of unexploded ordnance in and around Kabul City that spewed in various directions when the targets were hit. These include multi-launch rocket systems, anti-aircraft missiles, millions of rounds of ammunition and other munitions.

Afghan Technical Consultants, part of the UN Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan, is working on clearing the New Road. There is significant contamination along this area-mainly of different type of ordnance, predating the Coalition attacks, which
was blown out of tanks, bunkers, etc and requires clearance. When asked how much ordnance there was in this area, the Regional Manager for the Mine Action Programme in Kabul replied, "Tons."

Overall estimates of these dangerous munitions are not available at this time. Munitions in military areas have been sealed off. In non-military areas, they have been marked by Mine Action, which will clear them when requested to do so

So far, the United Nations Mine Action Programme has been informed that no depleted uranium was used in the Coalition bombings, and no evidence has been found to contradict this. We are receiving information about the total munitions dropped in the Coalition campaign, including cluster bombs, but the information still remains incomplete.

In Herat, Mine Action has deployed mine action teams now. Five battlefield clearance teams there have been helping clear a site called Mir Dawood, which is the planned location of the new camp for displaced persons The site is four square kilometers.

For the first time ever in the Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan, the programme will welcome a female explosives ordnance disposal expert today. Ms. Bohle will use her expertise in Herat. She has been sent by the Government of Germany through the NGO HELP.

Finally, tomorrow UNHCR together with other aid agencies is organizing a first assisted return of internally displaced persons. Around 200 families (1,000 people) are expected to return from Panjshir Valley to their homes in the Bagram district.

This is the start of what we hope would be a daily assisted return to the Shomali plain and humanitarian aid agencies' collective efforts to help rebuild Afghan communities.