CONFLICT: Women Peace Leaders Address Security Council On Abuses.

Women peace leaders from Afghanistan, Kosovo and East Timor yesterday spoke

to U.N. Security Council members about violations committed against women

during and after conflicts, as well as women's role in peace negotiations

and peace-building efforts. The briefing comes exactly one year after the

council passed Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security.

Jamila, director of the Afghan Women's Welfare Department, told the council

that women in Afghanistan must be included in any future peace negotiations

for the country. "Do not think that because women wear a veil we do not

have a voice," she said. "When the U.N. is looking for leaders, look to us.

Tap our networks that reach and assist women and their families in refugee

camps."

"The entire peace process benefits when women are at the table," said

Noeleen Heyzer, executive director of the U.N. Development Fund for Women.

"Recognizing and supporting women's contributions can prevent many lifetimes

of untold sorrow. This is especially poignant for Afghanistan. Any U.N.

response for Afghanistan must include women and their concerns."

Also addressing the council was Elisabeth Rehn, former U.N. undersecretary

general and one of two independent experts appointed by UNIFEM to carry out

a global assessment of the impact of conflict on women and women's role in

peace-building. "We have to challenge the world's silence about the

situation of women in war," she said. "Their protection is glaringly

neglected. Their contributions to peace-building are often marginalized,

and no one is picking up the pieces."

Rehn briefed the council on preliminary findings from recent field

assessments in East Timor, Cambodia, Somalia, Rwanda, the Democratic

Republic of the Congo and the Balkans.

The council members also heard from Natercia Godinho-Adams, a representative

from Timor Aid, who appealed to the council to create an international

tribunal for crimes committed in East Timor during the territory's

occupation by Indonesia, including sexual assault.

Haxhere Veseli, a 16-year-old refugee from Kosovo, appealed to council

members to not forget youth concerns. "Teenagers lost a lot of control

during the war in Kosovo," she said. "They exchanged sex for money and

access to assistance and they did so with little or no knowledge of

HIV/AIDS" (UNIFEM release, Oct. 30).

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AFGHANISTAN: UNHCR Chief Meets With Musharraf, Taliban Envoy

U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers met yesterday with

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, saying he spoke "rather tough" with

the president regarding his concerns about Afghan refugees.

"I understand from his perspective that he cannot accept the flood of

Afghans coming in," Lubbers said, adding that Musharraf has asked the UNHCR

to concentrate its work in Afghanistan. "The president asked me . 'Can you

not be instrumental to provide camps for people who have to flee at the

Afghan side of the border?'" Lubbers said. "I said to him, 'We are the

humanitarian and we never say immediately "no," because we have to be

realistic as well.'"

Lubbers said he asked Musharraf "to see his responsibility" not only to

those who have fled to Pakistan from war-torn Afghanistan but also to those

"on the other side of the border when there is no alternative for them" but

to flee.

Lubbers added that the U.N. agency will "be very cautious" about refugee

camps in Taliban-controlled areas "because we cannot go build camps and

assist there when they are used for conscription of a forced labor or for a

hiding place for those military who need a rest for while before going back

to the front" (U.N. Newservice, Oct. 30).

Work continues on 15 UNHCR border camps in Pakistan slated to receive up to

300,000 of the most vulnerable Afghan refugees, including women, children,

the elderly, the wounded, the disabled and possibly young men in danger of

forced conscription by the Taliban (Richard Lloyd Parry, London Independent,

Oct. 31).

The UNHCR reported today that health conditions are "deteriorating rapidly"

in a makeshift Taliban-run camp just inside Afghanistan (Agence

France-Presse/ReliefWeb, Oct. 31).

Lubbers also met yesterday with Taliban Ambassador to Pakistan Abdul Salam

Zaeef. The high commissioner said he received assurances that the Taliban

will stop the looting of U.N. supplies and ensure the safety of staff,

Reuters reports. "I made it clear to the ambassador that we would

appreciate that he does his utmost that our property and activities are

respected there," Lubbers said, adding that he gave Zaeef a list of missing

equipment. "I also spoke with the ambassador that maybe at some point we

need his assistance for safe access to certain places to do our work and to

bring in equipments and materials."

Lubbers called for the U.S. military campaign to be focused and limited

(Zeeshan Haider, Reuters/Yahoo! News, Oct. 30). He also called for a

greater focus on the plight of Afghan refugees. "When there is an alliance

against terrorism, there should also be an alliance for humanity," Lubbers

said. "I hope that all the leaders concerned -- [U.S.] President [George W.]

Bush, [U.K. Prime Minister] Mr. [Tony] Blair, my own secretary general --

put the Afghan people in sight. It should not become a war against Afghans"

(Parry, London Independent).

An ongoing U.N. program to find homes for thousands of displaced Afghan

families has lost participation from the United States, among other

countries, since Sept. 11. Last year, Washington took 90 percent of the

4,000 Afghans resettled from U.N. camps, Reuters reports. "Many countries

are reluctant to take Afghans" now, though, "and even those who have been

selected have not left Pakistan or Iran," said UNHCR spokesman Yusuf Hassan

(Michael Christie, Reuters, Oct. 31).

The United Nations reiterated yesterday that Afghan refugees are civilians

fleeing war and seeking asylum in neighboring countries. "In practical

terms, persons fleeing war and war-related conditions, such as civil war and

ethnic and religious violence, and whose state is unwilling or unable to

protect them, are in need of international protection and should be

considered refugees," said U.N. spokeswoman Stephanie Bunker. "Refusing

such people asylum is the same as 'forcible return' and violates

international law."

Reporting that about 200 Afghans crossed into southwestern Pakistan

yesterday, UNHCR spokesman Peter Kessler warned of a "continuous flow of

refugees." Kessler said about half of the 1,300 people waiting at a

temporary site adjacent to the border crossing at Chaman, Pakistan, are

vulnerable children (Integrated Regional Information Networks, Oct. 30).

The UNHCR warns that up to 400,000 Afghan refugees could seek asylum in

Iran. Tehran says it is preparing camps inside Afghanistan to accommodate

up to 800,000 people. UNHCR spokesman Andrej Mahecic said that despite a

sharp decrease in Afghans returning from Iran following the September

terrorist attacks, 7,000 refugees have returned to Afghanistan voluntarily

in the last two weeks. "Most of them are saying they are going back to be

with their families before winter sets in," he said (Reuters/Karachi

Business Recorder, Oct. 31).

U.S. Bombs Hit Red Crescent Dispensary; Countries Step Up Contributions

A U.S. air raid today hit a Red Crescent Society dispensary in the southern

Afghan city of Kandahar, killing 11 people. The bombs fell at 4:30 a.m.,

according to a doctor wounded in the attack. The doctor's report of

casualties could not be independently verified (Tahir Khan, Reuters/Yahoo!

News, Oct. 31).

U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher yesterday announced the

disbursement of $18.1 million in aid to Afghanistan as part of an overall

$320 million aid package. The funds will be administered through the

International Committee of the Red Cross, the World Food Program, the

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the

International Organization for Migration, the U.N. Office for the

Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the U.N. Population Fund (U.S.

State Department release, Oct. 30).

Boucher said the United States has airdropped 1 million food packs to the

Afghan people and has helped deliver enough food to feed 2 million people

for the next month. "That's still short of the number of people we would

like to be able to feed," he said. "But it's an effort that is ongoing and

has been somewhat successful" (U.S. State Department release II, Oct. 30).

The WFP said yesterday that more than 32,000 tons of food has been

distributed to 2 million persons in Afghanistan. This amounts to only

one-third of what is needed, the agency warned, saying insecurity and a lack

of trucks, fuel and personnel are hampering WFP distribution efforts (U.N.

Newservice).

Indonesia has donated $200,000 to the WFP to buy 60 tons of wheat for

displaced Afghans. "This is the first donation from a Muslim state to

support our Afghan operations, and we are very grateful for it," said WFP

Afghanistan country director Gerard van Dijk. "It is heartening to see a

positive response from new donors like Indonesia to help combat the food

crisis which threatens the entire region" (Karachi Business Recorder, Oct.

31).

The European Commission donated funding for 4,500 tons of wheat for

Afghanistan, the European Union announced yesterday. The wheat will be

channeled through aid group EuronAid (Reuters II/Karachi Business Recorder,

Oct. 31).

Japan yesterday said it will give $3.3 million in emergency aid to the UNHCR

for Afghan people as part of a $6 million package promised in response to

the U.N. agency's appeal (Agence France-Presse, Oct. 30).

Qatar's Red Crescent Society plans to set up field hospitals in the Afghan

cities of Jalalabad and Kabul, according to a Qatari official. The

society's secretary general, Muhammad Bin Ghanim, expressed his desire for

long-term cooperation and strategic partnership with the Pakistani Red

Crescent Society (Associated Press of Pakistan/Karachi Business Recorder,

Oct. 31).

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AFGHANISTAN: Annan Wants End To Strikes Soon; More

Citing the need to move in U.N. relief supplies as winter approaches,

Secretary General Kofi Annan yesterday said he hopes the United States will

halt its strikes on Afghanistan soon. Since Oct. 7, Washington has been

bombing the country, whose ruling Taliban harbors Osama bin Laden, the

leading suspect in the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

"We would want this whole military operation ended as soon as possible,

particularly the air action, so that we can begin to move in our supplies,"

Annan said (Irwin Arieff, Reuters/Yahoo! News, Oct. 30).

Some leaders have called for a temporary halt to strikes during the Muslim

holy month of Ramadan, which begins in about two weeks. Pakistani President

Pervez Musharraf, though, yesterday dropped his request for such a halt,

despite repeated riots, fueled by anti-American sentiment over the attacks,

which have rocked Pakistan this month.

"One has to achieve the objective of the military operation," Musharraf

said. "I only hope this is achieved before Ramadan. There is a

possibility. ... But if that does not happen, I would discuss the matter

with (U.S. President George W. Bush), but I wouldn't be pressing him as

such."

Musharraf also said important defections from the Taliban by core ethnic

Pashtun supporters are possible. "It's not wishful thinking," he said.

"Who is the head of the Pashtun? Not the Taliban. It is a very calculated

remark that I am making" (Harding/Carroll, London Guardian, Oct. 31).

U.K. Defense Minister Geoff Hoon, whose country has participated in the air

strikes, said yesterday that Ramadan "is something that we will consider

very carefully," but that "it wouldn't make military sense to announce up

front what our intentions were during that period" (Jonathan Wright,

Reuters/Yahoo! News, Oct. 30).

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld yesterday confirmed reports that U.S.

troops are already on the ground in Afghanistan. The soldiers are guiding

U.S. bombing and advising, but not controlling, the opposition Northern

Alliance, Rumsfeld said. Less than 100 U.S. soldiers are in northern

Afghanistan, while others have been "in and out" of the southern part of the

country, he said (Matt Kelley, Associated Press/Yahoo! News, Oct. 31). U.S.

military sources told the London Telegraph yesterday that a ground invasion

is under consideration in case current special operations activity fails to

achieve U.S. goals (Smith/Harnden, London Telegraph, Oct. 31).

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, warning that the war

could violate human rights if it causes too much hardship to Afghan

civilians, said yesterday in Ghent, Belgium, that "it is very necessary, if

possible, that there would be a pause" to get food in. Speaking at a

European Council globalization conference, Robinson also expressed concern

over the European Union's proposed new anti-terrorism legislation, which she

said could allow civil rights infringements.

Robinson also stressed the role of women in shaping the Afghan future. A

planned 120-person traditional grand council should include women, she said.

"Are we really going back to an all-male council?" she asked. "More than

half the population of Afghanistan are women. They need this kind of

support now. It won't be popular with the men, but I think if there's

enough international support, it could happen" (Denis Staunton, Irish Times,

Oct. 31).

Brahimi, Musharraf, Others Discuss Post-Taliban Government

Lakhdar Brahimi, Annan's senior Afghanistan envoy, met yesterday with

Musharraf to discuss possibilities for a broad-based, Afghan-generated

post-Taliban government. U.N. spokesman Eric Falt said Musharraf reaffirmed

his support for a strong U.N. role in the country's future and that the

president agreed with Brahimi that Afghanistan's borders must remain intact

(AP/MSNBC.com, Oct. 30). Musharraf said political planning should be

carried out along with the current military operation and stressed the need

for a "major rehabilitation and reconstruction process" after the war (B.

Muralidhar Reddy, The Hindu, Oct. 30).

Falt summed up the meeting's results. "A broad-based, multiethnic and fully

representative government must come into power, and the political

dispensation must be homegrown and fully owned by the people of

Afghanistan," he said. "We must also ensure that the future government will

maintain friendly relations with all its neighbors and not allow its

territory to be used for hostile acts against its neighbors or anybody

else."

Speaking in New York, Annan echoed Falt's words, saying a new government is

"for Afghans to make" (U.N. Newservice, Oct. 30).

Citing time constraints, Falt confirmed reports that Brahimi rejected an

invitation to meet with Taliban Ambassador to Pakistan Abdul Salam Zaeef

(Jack Redden, Reuters/Yahoo! News, Oct. 31). Taliban Supreme Leader Mohamed

Omar ordered Zaeef not to meet with Brahimi anyway. Official press quoted

Omar as calling the United Nations "a tool in the hands of America" (Agence

France-Presse/ReliefWeb, Oct. 31).

Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said yesterday that the Taliban

should have no role in any future government. There is no such thing as a

moderate Taliban wing, Vajpayee said, calling for broad-based government

without representatives of the current regime (The Hindu, Oct. 30).

The Financial Times reports that the United Nations is drawing on its long

experience in Cambodia as it plans for Afghanistan's future. As in

Cambodia, success in Afghanistan "will be measured along the lines of a

marginal improvement in a very bad condition," the Brookings Institution's

Timothy Crawford said. As in Cambodia, the world body is likely to have a

broad mandate but not to force an outcome on the parties, the Financial

Times reports (Carola Hoyos, Financial Times, Oct. 31).

U.K. Holds Suspect In Masood Assassination

A suspect in the assassination last month of Northern Alliance chief Ahmad

Shah Masood is being held in London. Yasser al-Siri, a London publisher of

Egyptian nationality, was arrested last week and charged yesterday with

conspiring to murder Masood and with soliciting support for a banned Islamic

extremist group. Al-Siri, who was working as head of the Islamic

Observation Center and presented himself as a conduit for Taliban

information, has been refused bail and will appear at another hearing Nov.

7. He allegedly secured accreditation for two Masood assassins who posed as

journalists before the killing (Jimmy Burns, Financial Times, Oct. 31).

CIA Met Bin Laden In Dubai Hospital In July

Bin Laden met with a CIA agent this year during a July 4 to 14 stay at the

American Hospital Dubai, Le Figaro reports. Citing a source close to the

hospital's administration, the Paris daily says bin Laden went to Dubai to

be treated for a kidney problem. Terry Callaway, a urologist who reportedly

treated bin Laden at the hospital, declined to comment, but sources said a

local CIA representative was seen taking the elevator to bin Laden's room

and heard several days later boasting that he had met the Saudi exile.

"Authorized sources" told Le Figaro the agent was called home by the CIA the

day after bin Laden's departure (Alexandra Richard, Le Figaro, Oct. 31, UN

Wire translation).

The Christian Science Monitor, citing bin Laden biographer Hamid Mir,

reports that bin Laden's right-hand man, Ayman al-Zawahiri, may be more

dangerous than the al-Qaeda leader himself. While bin Laden is a "caveman"

likely to "pack an AK-47, a kilogram of grenades, a kilogram of explosives

and a donkey to carry them all to a cave," al-Zawahiri "has a different kind

of experience," Mir said. "He is not interested in fighting in the

mountains. He is thinking more internationally, involved in militancy inside

Egypt. He was behind the terrorist attacks on tourists," he said, referring

to a 1997 attack in Luxor that left 58 dead. "He is the person who can do

the things that happened on Sept. 11" (Scott Baldauf, Christian Science

Monitor, Oct. 31).

Arab Countries Respond To War, Terrorism

Jordanian King Abdallah II yesterday warned Washington not to expand its

campaign beyond Afghanistan to Iraq. "There is no proof of Iraqi

responsibility vis-a-vis the Sept. 11 attacks," the king said (Islamic

Republic News Agency, Oct. 31).

The Gulf Cooperation Council countries -- Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United

Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman -- yesterday agreed to proceed

together on fighting terrorism and cracking down on related money laundering

(Reuters/Karachi Business Recorder, Oct. 31).

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