The Jan. 21-22 international conference in Tokyo on the reconstruction of Afghanistan will provide an opportunity for the post-Sept. 11 international community to unite in contributing to the war-ravaged country's stability.
Sadako Ogata, cochair of the ministerial conference and former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, said: "The international community was too indifferent toward the Afghans. I believe the time has come to learn from our past failures." Ogata was commenting on Afghanistan's plight for the past two decades following the Soviet invasion.
Reconstruction aid for Afghanistan is essential for establishing political stability in the country. Afghanistan is now ruled by an interim government, after the United Nations Security Council in December adopted a resolution mandating the dispatch of multinational peacekeeping forces to Kabul.