| How much is left after Karzai gets his? |
Ministers and senior diplomats from 70 countries will meet in the Japanese capital on Sunday to say they will continue to prop up the nation after most Nato troops leave.
Diplomats had feared that anger over Afghan corruption, fatigue over the decade-long campaign, and domestic money worries would prevent donors pouring yet more money into the troubled country. But unnamed Japanese diplomats said the fundraising drive was on track, according to Kyodo News.
In return, Afghanistan will once again promise to eradicate corruption, improve its legal system and strengthen its finances.
| Suckers... |
Nato is already trying to get another $4.1 billion a year to keep the Afghan army and police going from 2015.
Aid sources in Kabul questioned how much of the aid would be new, rather than already pledged, and said they expected much would come with so many strings attached that it might never be spent.
Mr KarzaiÂ’s government is totally reliant on foreign aid and even the most optimistic assessments of plans to tap the countryÂ’s mineral wealth suggest it will take at least a decade before it is a significant source of income.
Mr Mitchell this week warned hard-won gains made by British troops risked being lost if the international donors failed to make long term aid commitments to the country. Even $4bn a year would be significantly less than the aid peak in 2010 and 2011. Mr KarzaiÂ’s backers flooded the country with aid in support of the surge of Nato troops, but there is concern much was wasted on flawed projects, or embezzled.
Vygaudas Usackas, the EUÂ’s envoy to Kabul, said it would become increasingly difficult to justify aid if Kabul did not tighten up corruption and financial management. "We are not blind and we all feel considerable fatigue among the taxpayers of Europe and beyond," he told Reuters.
The EU gives $1.5 billion annually in development aid.