(1 Oct 2005)

1. Various of UK Defence Secretary John Reid talking with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai
2. Mid shot of the British delegates
3. Mid shot of the Afghan delegates
4. Wide shot of the news conference in the Kabul Ministry of Defence
5. Journalist asking a question
6. SOUNDBITE (English): John Reid, United Kingdom Defence Secretary:
"We also want to contribute to the south - not only in terms of narcotics, because that is such a corrupting influence in holding back the building of a democratic stable state, but also in creating the framework where economic alternatives can flourish."
7. Mid shot of the press
8. Reid walking down from the podium
9. Various of British troops driving outside the front of Abdul Ghafor Ahmadi High School
10. Reid arriving at school
11. Various of Reid being greeted by school children
12. British troops playing bagpipes
13. Reid cutting ribbon to open school
14. Close up of sign reading 'Abdul Ghafor Ahmadi High School'
15. Various of street scenes

STORYLINE:

British Defence Secretary John Reid met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul on Saturday to discuss the deployment of thousands of British troops to country next year to fight militants and opium exporters.

Britain plans to deploy troops to the volatile south of Afghanistan after it takes over the command of the NATO security force in next year, Reid said.

However the Defence Secretary played down differences within the alliance over whether the NATO force should be involved in offensive combat operations - currently the realm of US-led forces hunting al-Qaida and Taliban insurgents.

Reid said Britain was committed to leading the NATO force - now 11-thousand-strong and deployed in Kabul and the north and west of the country - from May 2005, and running the headquarters of its rapid reaction force.

"We also want to contribute to the south," he told a press conference after talks with Afghan Defence Minister Rahim Wardak.

A sizeable number of soldiers will also be sent into the Helmand region to bolster efforts to find fighters with links to al-Qaida and to seek out powerful warlords behind the world's largest production of heroin.

It is not known how many additional troops would be sent, but it is thought as many as 4,000 soldiers could be committed to the plans - in addition to the current 900 British troops already serving in Afghanistan.

The southern provinces currently account for the majority of the country's heroin production - with Helmand responsible for half of all opium yields.

Those areas are currently considered beyond the control of authorities and it is suspected that the region may harbour fighters with links to al-Qaida

After meeting with President Karzai, Reid opened a new high school in Kabul.

The Abdul Ghafor Ahmadi High School was built by British forces, as part of reconstruction efforts in the country.

He talked animatedly to local children, who had gathered outside the front of the school to greet him.

Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ] ​​
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]


You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]

свернуть