DATE=3/27/02

TYPE=INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT

TITLE=LAYACHI / AFGHAN QUAKE

NUMBER=3-105

BYLINE=TOM CROSBY

DATELINE=WASHINGTON

INTERNET=

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INTRO: Azzedine Layachi (ah-zeh-deen lay-ah-shee) says the earthquake disaster in Northern Afghanistan...as terrible as it is...may provide an opportunity for the international donor community to further assist this beleaguered country and speed up delivery of already promised aid. Mr. Layachi is a professor of Government and Politics at Saint John's University in New York who specializes in the study of Islam. As one who has spent a great deal of time dealing with the history of Afghanistan...he concedes this is just one more tragedy heaped on many others that have already befallen this country:

MR. LAYACHI: It is a terrible time for it, indeed, as the Afghanis are trying to pull their forces and resources together in order to face a very difficult time. And unfortunately this is not the first time that such a terrible earthquake has hit the region, especially that one. But definitely this might be probably also a good time for the international community to accelerate somehow the delivery of its assistance, the promised assistance. And hopefully this will serve as a catalyst for such speeding up of the assistance that was promised to the Afghanis.

MR. CROSBY: But does this not present the Afghan Government with a difficult situation, in that it must first deal with the ongoing war, and now this as well? Can it face two different directions and deal with two different problems?

MR. LAYACHI: In fact, the Afghani Government has been really working on many areas. We know the social and economic conditions, the political compromise, the borders, disarming the various forces in the country, and so on. So this is going to be, yes, indeed, an additional burden. Hopefully international assistance will run to help, and that would somehow alleviate the additional burden that is going to fall on the government.

MR. CROSBY: You have noted that this is not the first time that Afghanistan has had to deal with a natural disaster. They have a bit of experience in this department, don't they?

MR. LAYACHI: That is correct. But they have few means to deal with it. They had the experience in 1998, I think, of a huge earthquake. And also, not long ago, another smaller one, but still strong enough to cause damage. But it is the means that they are lacking, the means in terms of material needs and also the ability to take people and assistance to the areas that are affected. And that is where, hopefully, international solidarity can be most helpful at this time.

MR. CROSBY: Indeed, this is a difficult area to access.

MR. LAYACHI: Oh, yes, it is very difficult. But since there is so much military hardware and ways for transporting people and things by air, this might be also a positive element in the equation now. And hopefully the military forces in the area, including the American forces, will be really very helpful in taking the needed assistance to the affected areas.

OUTRO: Azzedine Layachi (ah-zeh-deen lay-ah-shee) of Saint Johns University, talking with V-O-A's Tom Crosby.

NEB/TC/RAE