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Press Release :
Strasbourg, 13 November 2001
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Nicole FONTAINE: 'The fall of Kabul is good news. Priority must be given to humanitarian measures and the formation of a government which represents all the ethnic groups in Afghanistan'
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The President of the European Parliament gave the following reaction to the news of the capture of Kabul by the Northern Alliance: 'The abandonment by the Taliban of the Afghan capital and a large part of the country represents excellent news. The Taliban regime, one hated by the vast majority of Afghans, must come to an end - the Afghan people have suffered too much. It is impossible not to be moved by the manifestations of joy which greeted the Northern Alliance troops when they entered Kabul.
I welcome the fact that a substantial part of Afghanistan has been liberated, since it will now be possible to carry out the large-scale humanitarian operations vital to the survival of the Afghan people and the re-housing of refugees without delay. This is the immediate imperative which the international community must focus on.
In April 2000 I received Commandant MASSUD and three companions, a Pashtun, a Hazara and an Uzbek. He insisted on the need for a political solution involving all ethnic groups, hence his request that I meet the former King ZAHER of Afghanistan.
Today, I see the fall of Kabul as a posthumous victory for MASSUD. I look to his successors to make an active contribution to the formation of a government which represents all the ethnic groups in Afghanistan, a government which I hope will include women. If the information reaching us from Kabul is accurate, the Northern Alliance police forces which have entered Kabul include Pashtuns: this is a good sign.
At this decisive moment in the campaign, my fervent wish is that the Northern Alliance leaders will produce a measured response to their victory and drive any thoughts of exacting vengeance from the minds of their troops: that would sound the death knell for reconciliation.'
For further information, please contact: Jacques NANCY, tel. 0032 476 96 96 72.
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Press enquiries: Jacques NANCY, President's Spokesman
TEL : +32-2.284.24.85 - GSM : +32-476.969.672 - FAX : +32-2.284.49.73 - E-MAIL : jnancy@europarl.europa.eu
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