Madam Speaker, today the United Nations world food program warned that an estimated four millions Afghans will be short of food in the next 12 months.
Last Friday, President Karzai asked for international aid to eradicate the production of illegal drugs. His problem is that poppy growing is 40 times more profitable than growing wheat and his farmers need to be convinced of viable alternatives to poppy crops.
His government's control is weak outside of Kabul and there are outbreaks of violence in the southeast and the northwest. He reported that of the $1.8 billion pledged by the international community, only $890 million has been received. He added that peace and stability depend on the international community's sustained engagement in the reconstruction of Afghanistan.