Russian Deputy Emergencies Minister Valery Vostrotin on Wednesday became the most senior Russian official to hold talks with Afghanistan's Northern Alliance in the capital Kabul.
Vostrotin, who flew in the day before with a team of emergencies staff and equipment, met with the alliance's minister for refugees, Anaitullah Nazary, to discuss Russian humanitarian work in Afghanistan.
"It was very positive," the deputy minister told journalists after the talks. "They see Russia's help as the most important for them at the moment," he added.
On Thursday, Vostrotin will meet two further flights from Russia at Bagram airbase carrying equipment to install a field hospital, 2.5 tons of medical supplies and 25 tons of food aid, he said.
The planes will also have on board 40 Russian emergencies experts, taking the humanitarian team now in Kabul up to 90 people. Moscow is to set up an aid distribution centre in the Afghan capital.
The deputy minister revealed that Russia had been asked by the Northern Alliance to help reconstruct the Salang Pass, which connects Kabul to the north of the country and onto Uzbekistan.
The strategic route, which was used by Soviet troops when they invaded Afghanistan in 1979 and for their withdrawal 10 years later, has been blocked for several years because of the civil war between the Taliban and Northern Alliance.
Russia last Friday announced that it had just sent another batch of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, including 396 tons of food products.
Moscow also said it would join Britain, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and the World Food Program (WFP) in the distribution of 16,000 tons of food aid in northern provinces of Afghanistan between now and March 2002.
Russian President Vladimir Putin promised a week ago that Russia would increase the amount of humanitarian aid it will send to Afghanistan, where 7.5 million people are threatened with starvation according to UN estimates. -- AFP
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
