China, Russia want coalition govt in Afghanistan

["Ulhas Joglekar" <uvj@xxxxxxxx>]

The Times of India

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2001

China, Russia want coalition govt in Afghanistan

BEIJING: The foreign ministers of China and Russia are calling for the
formation of a broad-based coalition government in Afghanistan, China's
official Xinhua News Agency said on Wednesday.

It was the first time China has said publicly what kind of Afghan government
it wants. The comment was a departure from Beijing's oft-stated policy of
non-interference in other countries' affairs, but China is eager to end
Afghan support for Muslim separatists in its own northwest.

Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan made the remark in a telephone discussion on
Tuesday of anti-terrorism with his Russian counterpart, Igor Ivanov,
according to Xinhua.

"The formation of an Afghan coalition government which can be accepted by
all parties and is able to cooperate with neighboring countries in a
friendly manner would be beneficial to the Afghan people and conducive to
regional peace and stability," Tang was quoted as saying.

Neither Beijing nor Moscow recognizes the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan, who
are under attack by U.S.-led forces for giving refuge to Saudi-born terror
suspect Osama bin Laden.

Ivanov called for international support of an Afghan "coalition government
with a wide-ranging basis," according to Xinhua.

In the phone conversation, Tang referred to separatists in the western
Chinese region of Xinjiang, calling them "terrorists." He drew a parallel
between them and rebels in the Russian region of Chechnya.

"China and Russia have the same stance and interest on the issue of
anti-terrorism," Tang said.

China hopes the anti-terror campaign launched after the Sept. 11 attacks in
the United States will translate into support for its campaign to crush
separatists in Xinjiang.

Muslim separatists opposed to Chinese rule in Xinjiang have received
training and inspiration from Afghanistan. Human rights activists have
criticized China for executing guerrilla suspects and supressing the
region's dominant ethnic group, Turkic-speaking Muslim Uighurs.

In a recent meeting with a Hong Kong delegation, the chairman of the
region's government said a global coalition against terrrorism would benefit
stability in Xinjiang, a pro-Beijing Hong Kong newspaper reported.

"I am very glad to see that some countries and individuals that have
tolerated and even supported terrorist activities in our country in the past
can now recognize the nature of terrorism," Ta Kung Pao quoted Abulahat
Abdurixit as saying.

In a report on its Web site, the newspaper said the official defended
China's efforts to crush separatism in Xinjiang. He said "a small number of
extremists" have carried out bombings, assassinations and "other terrorist
activities."

"On one occasion, these people placed a bomb inside a bus and killed seven
or eight people on the spot!," the report quoted Abdurixit as saying. "Shall
we not suppress those terrorists who placed bombs and assassinated innocent
people?"

( AFP )

Copyright © 2001 Times Internet Limited. All rights reserved.


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