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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| UK 'in Afghanistan for decades' | UK 'in Afghanistan for decades' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The UK presence in Afghanistan will need to go on for decades to help rebuild the country, British ambassador Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles has said. | The UK presence in Afghanistan will need to go on for decades to help rebuild the country, British ambassador Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles has said. |
| "The task of standing up a government of Afghanistan that is sustainable is going to take a very long time," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. | "The task of standing up a government of Afghanistan that is sustainable is going to take a very long time," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. |
| He added that the Afghan people wanted the UK presence to help resist the Taleban and develop the country. | He added that the Afghan people wanted the UK presence to help resist the Taleban and develop the country. |
| Extra diplomatic staff are being deployed to Afghanistan this year. | Extra diplomatic staff are being deployed to Afghanistan this year. |
| "The message we are getting, the message I had only last week down in Helmand from the people of the villages there, was, 'Please protect us from the Taleban,'" said Sir Sherard. | "The message we are getting, the message I had only last week down in Helmand from the people of the villages there, was, 'Please protect us from the Taleban,'" said Sir Sherard. |
| AFGHANISTAN'S FUTURE This week, BBC News is taking an in-depth look at the challenges facing Afghanistan's people and the peacekeepers. Stories include: the state of the Taleban; corruption; the drugs problem; and attacks on schools. class="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/south_asia/2004/afghanistan/default.stm">Afghanistan in-depth class="" href="/1/hi/world/south_asia/6756125.stm">Can Afghanistan be won? "Their worry isn't about us staying, it's about us going; about us not finishing the job of standing up the police, standing up the security forces, standing up the judicial system, putting schools and hospitals in place." | |
| He added: "They remember the Taleban - they have had a test-drive of Taleban rule and if there is one thing they are clear about it's that they do not want to return to the dark days of medieval Taleban rule." | He added: "They remember the Taleban - they have had a test-drive of Taleban rule and if there is one thing they are clear about it's that they do not want to return to the dark days of medieval Taleban rule." |
| 'Huge commitment' | 'Huge commitment' |
| The BBC learned in January that the government planned to send as many as 35 extra diplomatic staff to Afghanistan. | The BBC learned in January that the government planned to send as many as 35 extra diplomatic staff to Afghanistan. |
| The priorities would be to combat corruption, help build government institutions in the south and to tackle the production of opium, the Foreign Office said. | The priorities would be to combat corruption, help build government institutions in the south and to tackle the production of opium, the Foreign Office said. |
| The UK troop numbers in Afghanistan are also being boosted to about 7,700 this year, mainly based in the volatile Helmand province, where they have been fighting the Taleban. | The UK troop numbers in Afghanistan are also being boosted to about 7,700 this year, mainly based in the volatile Helmand province, where they have been fighting the Taleban. |
| It's a marathon rather than a sprint Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles | |
| BBC world affairs editor John Simpson said the British embassy in Kabul was likely to become the UK's biggest anywhere. | BBC world affairs editor John Simpson said the British embassy in Kabul was likely to become the UK's biggest anywhere. |
| "It's a huge commitment," he said. | "It's a huge commitment," he said. |
| "The fact that Sir Sherard is here as ambassador is itself a sign of the Foreign Office's determination to upgrade its whole representation in Afghanistan. | "The fact that Sir Sherard is here as ambassador is itself a sign of the Foreign Office's determination to upgrade its whole representation in Afghanistan. |
| "He's a big hitter in the diplomatic service." | "He's a big hitter in the diplomatic service." |
| But our world affairs editor added: "There is real concern in the Foreign Office in London that the new government of Gordon Brown will take a short-term view of Afghanistan, rather than the long-term view that the Foreign Office thinks is needed." | But our world affairs editor added: "There is real concern in the Foreign Office in London that the new government of Gordon Brown will take a short-term view of Afghanistan, rather than the long-term view that the Foreign Office thinks is needed." |
| Sir Sherard said: "We are going to win this, but it's going to take time. | Sir Sherard said: "We are going to win this, but it's going to take time. |
| "It's a marathon rather than a sprint - we should be thinking in terms of decades." | "It's a marathon rather than a sprint - we should be thinking in terms of decades." |