Germany signs aid pledge for Afghan insurgents who renounce weapons

Oct 26, 2010, 16:51 GMT

Berlin/Kabul - The German government on Tuesday signed an agreement pledging 10 million euros (14 million dollars) annually to an Afghan programme reintegrating former insurgents, the Foreign Office announced in Berlin.

German Ambassador Ruediger Koenig and Afghan Finance Minster Omar Zakhiwal signed a memorandum pledging the five-year funding in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

The peace plan, aiming to persuade up to 36,000 insurgents to lay down their arms, was agreed at an international conference in Kabul earlier this year.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said reintegrating former insurgents was crucial to ensure long-term stability in Afghanistan.

'The success of the Afghan government's attempts at reconciliation is key to the common goal of handing responsibility for security to the Afghans by the year 2014,' Westerwelle said in Berlin.

The programme is set to cost more than 780 million dollars over the course of five years, of which Afghanistan's foreign allies and NATO partners are to provide a significant share.

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