Afghanistan Is Promised Aid Package

Afghanistan received promises of economic and military support at an international conference here Tuesday in return for pledges to fight corruption and the illegal opium trade.

Four years after the U.S.-backed campaign that ousted the hard-line Taliban regime, Afghanistan remains one of the world’s poorest countries and security is a major obstacle to development.

The London meeting is supposed to formalize a five-year plan, known as the Afghanistan Compact, to tackle illegal armed groups, impose the rule of law, work toward the eradication of opium production and enforce a zero-tolerance policy on corruption.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the Bush administration would seek approval for $1.1 billion of aid for the Afghan people in the next year, a figure similar to the aid allocation for 2006. British Prime Minister Tony Blair pledged about $885 million over the next three years.