Sep 12, 2007 - BBC Monitoring

Hamed Karzai, president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, chaired the second meeting discussing ways of reviving Kabul's electricity network, and providing electricity, at the presidential palace today.

The presidential media relations office has reported to Bakhtar Information Agency: The president had a meeting with a number of officials from the ministries of energy and water, and finance, and [presidential] advisors on economic affairs last week. The meeting discussed challenges and strategies for producing electricity. The president said providing electricity to the residents of Kabul City in the winter was important.

Today's meeting was attended by Water and Energy Minister Mohammad Esmail [Khan], Finance Minister Anwarolhaq Ahadi, Dr Eshaq Naderi, the president's economic advisor, Wahidollah Shahrani, the deputy minister of finance, Hasanzada, deputy director of the Siemens Company, and a number of deputy ministers and heads of relevant departments.

Anwarolhaq Ahadi said the USAID [United States Agency for International Development] would provide [the government] with [power] generators, which would help address a part of the electricity shortage in Kabul this winter.

He said the revival of the Kabul electricity network needed around 100m dollars, which would be paid for from the revenues of the Finance Ministry.

He said the Kabul electricity network would be rehabilitated and rebuilt with modern standards by the time the project of transfer of electricity from Central Asian countries to Kabul is complete next year.

The Energy and Water Ministry was assigned to prepare the project for the revival of the Kabul electricity distribution network with details and send it to the Finance Ministry for funding.

Originally published by Radio Afghanistan, Kabul, in Dari 1530 11 Sep 07.

(c) 2007 BBC Monitoring South Asia. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.

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