No recognition for Enduring Freedom!

["Ken Hanly" <khanly@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>From the Independent (UK)

Strange snub to US at inaugural ceremony
The new government
By Kim Sengupta in Kabul
23 December 2001
They thanked the UN, the EU, each other and even the Chancellor of Germany.
But when Aghanistan's new interim government took power yesterday, at a
colourful ceremony at the Grand Hall of the Ministry of the Interior in
Kabul, there was no mention of the US, the country that had made it all
possible.

To add to the surreal note, American representatives overwhelmed those of
every other country at the inauguration ceremony. There was General Tommy
Franks - who might have expected a victor ludorum after vanquishing the
Taliban - the US ambassador, State Department officials, secret service men
and armed uniformed soldiers.

Speech after speech passed without any reference to the Americans and how
they had changed Afghanistan. Even Hamid Karzai, the new American-backed
leader, made only fleeting reference to the 11 September attack.

The one name mentioned constantly, to roars of "Bismillah" and "Allahu
akbar", was a man who was not there, but whose memory overshadowed the
proceedings.

A huge portrait of Ahmed Shah Masood, the murdered leader of anti-Taliban
forces, loomed over the stage. The chair in the centre was not given to Mr
Karzai; it was draped in black, with another portrait of the absent leader.

Security was tight, with Northern Alliance soldiers and police, and British
Royal Marines, on duty. In the Grand Hall, Uzbeks and Tajiks in tribal
costumes, with Kalashnikovs slung over their shoulders, mingled with
Kabulisin western clothes and Pashtuns.

A uniformed guard of honour practised their drill, marching out of step to a
band playing out of tune, until they were forced to run for cover because
the fire brigade decided to try out one of their hoses, soaking the red
carpet.

The 1,000-capacity hall was crammed with around 1,500 guests. Rows of
military commanders in battle fatigues sat behind the foreign dignitaries.
The Afghan soldiers wept as they sang their national anthem, a mujahedin
battle hymn written during the war against the Russians; old enemies of the
civil war, now friends, hugged each other.

Mr Karzai said he would be only a caretaker leader and prepare for a loya
jirga (grand council) to decide the future of the country. To cheers, he
promised that the rights of women would be respected. There are two women in
the interim government.

He proclaimed that the days of strife were over, and that the political
process would be smooth. Behind him sat the disparate elements who make up
his allies: warlords such as General Dostum, young technocrats like Dr
Abdullah Abdullah, and other Tajiks, Pashtuns and Uzbeks.

Apart from the few big names, the main attraction for the international
media were the women delegates. A car bringing five of them was soon
surrounded. Fahima Adi, headmistress of Mariam High School in the city,
said: "I knew there would be interest in us, but not so much. If they ignore
us next time, I'll know progress has been made."