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A30 WORLD NEWS
Dialuna 14 Februari 2022

Ex-Afghan president: Biden order on frozen funds an atrocity

(AP) — Afghanistan’s for- is unjust and unfair and an der, dispersed protesters as
mer president on Sunday atrocity against Afghan peo- they tried to gather near the
called a White House or- ple.” city’s Eid Gah mosque.
der to unfreeze $3.5 bil-
lion in Afghan assets held President Biden’s order Meanwhile the United Na-
in the U.S. for families of signed last Friday freed $7 tions Assistance Mission in
9/11 victims an atrocity billion in Afghan assets cur- a tweet late Sunday said four
against the Afghan people. rently held in the United women activists who disap-
States, to be divided between peared more than two weeks
Former President Hamid 9/11 victims and humanitar- ago have returned home.
Karzai at a packed news con- ian aid to Afghans.
ference sought the help of In late January Tamana Zary-
Americans, particularly the Sept. 11 victims and their abi Paryani, and her three
families of the thousands families have legal claims sisters disappeared, allegedly
killed in the 9/11 terrorist at- against the Taliban and the $7 seized by a group of men
tacks, to press President Joe billion in the U.S. banking after they participated in a
Biden to rescind last week’s system. The $3.5 billion was ey so that it can be spent for administrations, was dogged demonstration against the
order. He called it “unjust set aside for a U.S. court to those foreigners who come by charges of widespread cor- forced wearing of the Islamic
and unfair,” saying Afghans decide whether it can be used here, to pay their salaries, to ruption. hijab.
have also been victims of to settle claims by families give it to (non-governmental
al-Qaida leader Osama bin of 9/11 victims. U.S. courts organizations),” he said. Karzai spoke to a packed press The Taliban denied taking
Laden. would also have to sign off conference inside his sprawl- them.
before the release of humani- Afghanistan’s economy is ing compound in the capital
Bin Laden was brought to Af- tarian assistance money. teetering on the brink of of Kabul. Dozens of Afghani- International media, how-
ghanistan by Afghan warlords collapse after international stan’s Pashto- and Persian- ever, has reported that sev-
after being expelled from We “ask the U.S. courts to money stopped coming into language journalists jockeyed eral British nationals and
Sudan in 1996. Those same do the opposite, to return the the country with the arrival for space in a second-floor an American are still being
warlords would later ally Afghan money back to the in mid-August of the Taliban. conference room with more held by the Taliban, includ-
with the U.S.-led coalition Afghan people,” said Karzai. Last month, the United Na- than a dozen television cam- ing freelance cameraman
to oust the Taliban in 2001. “This money does not belong tions made a $5 billion appeal eras. Peter Jouvenal, a dual Brit-
However, it was Taliban lead- to any government ,,, this for Afghanistan. The U.N. ish and German citizen who
er Mullah Mohammad Omar money belongs to the people warns that 1 million children Karzai used the news con- has covered Afghanistan for
who refused to hand over bin of Afghanistan.” are in danger of starving and ference to press the coun- more than 40 years. He has
Laden to the U.S. after the 90% of Afghans live below try’s Taliban rulers and their been missing since Decem-
devastating 9/11 attacks that Meanwhile, Biden’s order the poverty level of just $1.90 opponents to find a way to ber and the Taliban have not
killed thousands. calls for the $3.5 billion al- a day. come together. He lobbied responded to queries by the
located to humanitarian aid for the traditional Afghan Associated Press.
“The people of Afghanistan to be put into a trust and be Karzai was Afghanistan’s first grand council, or loya jirga,
share the pain of the Ameri- used to assist Afghans, by- democratically elected presi- as a means to find consensus His wife, an Afghan, has is-
can people, share the pain of passing their Taliban rulers. dent after the U.S.-led co- and establish a more repre- sued a plea for his release.
the families and loved ones alition ousted the Taliban in sentative administration.
of those who died, who lost But Karzai demanded all $7 2001. He served until 2014 US national security adviser
their lives in the tragedy of billion be returned to Af- before Ashraf Ghani, who Anger has been growing in Jake Sullivan said Sunday on
September 11,” said Karzai. ghanistan’s central bank to fled the country on Aug. 15, Afghanistan since Friday’s CNN’s `State of the Union,’
“We commiserate with them further its monetary policy. leaving the doors open for White House announcement. that an American was in Tal-
(but) Afghan people are as He argued against giving Af- the Taliban takeover of Ka- Demonstrators marched iban custody along with “a
much victims as those fami- ghan reserves to international bul. Karzai was highly re- again in Kabul on Sunday number of U.K. nationals.”
lies who lost their lives. ... aid organizations to provide garded as embracing all of demanding the money be re- He gave no further informa-
Withholding money or seiz- humanitarian aid. Afghanistan’s many ethnic turned to Afghanistan. How- tion, saying only that Wash-
ing money from the people groups but his administra- ever, the Taliban, who have ington was “ actively working
of Afghanistan in their name “You give us our own mon- tion, like subsequent Afghan also condemned Biden’s or- to get his release.”

Swiss voters reject public aid plan for newspapers and media

(AP) — Swiss voters on the issue before the public, As the adage goes: ‘Don’t bite
Sunday rejected a govern- part of Switzerland’s particu- the hand that feeds you,’”
ment plan to inject more lar form of democracy that wrote the opponents who
than 150 million francs gives voters in the country pressed for the referendum.
(about $163 million) into of 8.5 million a direct say in They say big print-media
broadcast and print me- policymaking. groups together took in more
dia every year, including than 300 million in profits in
support for early-morning Foes of the plan had said the 2020, even during the CO-
newspaper delivery and cash injection would waste VID-19 crisis.
online media to the tune taxpayer money, benefit big
of 70 million francs (near- newspaper chains and the Many other countries in Eu-
ly $76 million) a year, ac- media moguls who run them rope and beyond offer sup-
cording to exit polls. and hurt journalistic inde- port to newspapers through
pendence by making media postal fee discounts, tax
Some 56% of voters rejected outlets more dependent on breaks and other measures. broadcasters in Switzerland the Swiss Green party, which
the measure, public broad- state handouts and thus less and around Europe. supported the measure, had
caster SRF reported. likely to criticize public of- Supporters of the cash in- argued before the vote.
ficials. They also said it was jection had countered that “Media groups are fighting
Opponents of the plan, discriminatory, since free journalism, especially in local to survive. Ad revenues for Proponents said more than
which had been passed by newspapers wouldn’t benefit. areas ill-served by big media print press haven’t stopped 70 papers have disappeared
Swiss lawmakers in June, had groups, should be considered declining or are getting swal- since 2003. Advertising rev-
pulled together enough sig- “A media subsidized by the a public service, as are many lowed up by giants like Face- enue in all print publications
natures in a petition to put state is a media under control. public radio and television book and Google, and sub- plunged 42% between 2016-
scriptions aren’t enough,” 2020 in Switzerland.