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On
Afghanistan,
US Kerry
Concerned at
"Parallel
Government"
Talk
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, July
7 -- After
allegations of
fraud and UN
recommendations,
late on July 7
US Secretary
of State John
Kerry said
"I
have noted
reports of
protests in
Afghanistan
and of
suggestions of
a 'parallel
government'
with the
gravest
concern. The
United States
expects Afghan
electoral
institutions
to conduct a
full and
thorough
review of all
reasonable
allegations of
irregularities.
At the same
time, there is
no justifiable
recourse to
violence or
threats of
violence, or
for resort to
extra-constitutional
measures or
threats of the
same.
The apolitical
role of the
security
forces must be
respected by
all parties.
We call on all
Afghan leaders
to maintain
calm in order
to preserve
the gains of
the last
decade and
maintain the
trust of the
Afghan
people.
Any action to
take power by
extra-legal
means will
cost
Afghanistan
the financial
and security
support of the
United States
and the
international
community."
We
will have yet
more about the
UN's and
UNDP's fumblings
in Afghanistan.
Back
on May 21,
2104, with
Afghanistan in
transition,
the
International
Monetary
Fund
issued a
report that
"several
reforms have
been delayed."
On banks, the
IMF's Article
IV review said:
Directors
concurred
that continued
efforts are
needed to
strengthen the
banking system
and promote
financial
deepening.
They
encouraged the
central bank
to monitor the
banking system
closely and
enforce
prudential
regulations
decisively.
They looked
forward to the
rapid
implementation
of the
strategic plan
for
strengthening
financial
sector
supervision
and
recommended
the prompt
passage and
implementation
of the new
banking law,
amendments to
the central
bank law, and
provisions to
assure
adequate legal
protection of
central bank
supervisory
staff. They
encouraged
stronger
efforts to
recover Kabul
Bank assets
and finalize
the
privatization
of New Kabul
Bank.
John
Sopko, the US
special
inspector
general for
Afghanistan
reconstruction
(SIGAR), said
that the 2010
collapse of
Kabul Bank was
triggered by
$935 million
skimmed and
stolen, 92% of
it by a mere
19 people. He
said, it
shows how the
patronage
system and the
failure to
prosecute
people guilty
of gross fraud
and abuse is
undermining
the Afghan
economy.
Then again,
there have
been few
prosecutions
for even
larger,
predatory
lending
triggered bank
failures in
the United
States.
Watch
this site.
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