Military efforts insufficient to stabilise situation in Afghanistan - FM

ANKARA, November 3 (Itar-Tass) - Military measures are insufficient to
stabilise the situation in Afghanistan, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar
Mamedyarov said.
The Azerbaijani minister takes part in the 4th Regional Economic
Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan currently underway in Islamabad.
"It is necessary to combine military measures and economic and social
cooperation on Afghanistan. This will facilitate the intensive and
successful development of the country," he said. The minister recalled
that from 2002 Azerbaijan took part in the International Security
Assistance Force in Afghanistan. "Lately Baku has begun developing
training programmes for Afghan security forces and doctors," Mamedyarov
said.
Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul said his country needed support
for fighting organised crime and extremism because despite certain
progress, the efforts, which have been taken, were insufficient. In his
words, social welfare measures, the development of education and
healthcare will facilitate the resolution of these problems.
Rassoul said hundreds of schools had been reconstructed and built.
Over 4,000 schools are expected to be built by 2015, the Afghan minister
said.
Commenting on healthcare problems, he said infantile paralysis was
rather critical despite the construction of new hospitals and certain
initiatives, which had been put forth by different parties.
According to the participants in the conference, it is exclusively
important to develop the infrastructure in Afghanistan - roads, transport
and the energy sector. Rassoul noted that the
Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project had long-term
prospects.
Mamedyarov said Azerbaijan would make significant contribution to the
development of the mining industry in Afghanistan. He said the
Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project "can give a good opportunity to cargoes
transport to Afghanistan".
-0-yur