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$20 Billion Pledged To Help Afghans

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The New York Times

Published: June 13, 2008

PARIS - The United States, Europe and more than 60 other countries and international institutions offered about $20 billion in aid for Afghanistan as part of a big donors conference here Thursday.

Amid the public pledges of support, however, officials were fretting over whether the Afghan government is doing all it can to make sure the money goes to rebuilding and not into the pockets of the country's warlords and corrupt government officials.

More than half of the pledge total came from a previous commitment by the United States to provide $10.2 billion. Britain pledged $1.2 billion over five years.

Some of the largest increases came from France and Japan. President Nicolas Sarkozy promised to "more than double" French aid, to more than $165 million over two years, French officials said; and Japan also doubled its aid, to $550 million. Germany offered more than $600 million over two years.
First lady Laura Bush called on international donors to "reaffirm our commitment" to the country's success and showed slides from her recent trip to the assembled leaders.

U.S. officials expressed satisfaction with the offerings. But an undercurrent of frustration ran throughout the meeting. U.N., European and even Bush administration officials have been voicing increased frustration with Afghan President Hamid Karzai over his inability to crack down on corruption and drug trafficking.

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