The Saudi government has announced that construction has begun on a major road project in Afghanistan. The Kabul-Kandahar-Herat highway, largely destroyed by war, is being rebuilt through a Saudi-US-Japanese partnership.
The road project will repair a major transportation artery and will help bring back transportation and trade to the war-torn country. The project is part of a multi-billion dollar effort to the rebuilding of Afghanistan.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has committed more than $270 million to the rebuilding of Afghanistan and for humanitarian aid. The contributions of Saudi Arabia are, on a per capita basis, the largest commitment of any of the countries that co-chair the international donor conference.
From 2001 to date, the total amount of aid pledged to Afghanistan by Saudi Arabia is over $233 million. This is in addition to $37 million donated by Saudi citizens as of the end of 2001.
The Kingdom is co-Chair of the committee supervising the reconstruction of Afghanistan, along with the United States, European Union (EU) and Japan. The Saudi Development Fund (SDF) is the lead organization for the Kingdom in the relief efforts. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
