Mr Stahel, what was the objective of your latest visit to Afghanistan?

Our group had two aims: firstly we were interested in seeing the political and economic situation, above all in and around Kabul but also in the city of Herat. Our second interest was to get an idea of the health system. This is why doctors from Afghanistan Aid, an organisation from eastern Switzerland, were part of our team..

What were your principal observations?

First and foremost the shocking realisation that Kabul is still in ruins. For the main part the destruction is the result of the civil war of1993/94. There are simply no signs of reconstruction. Of course it's very positive that girls can go to school and women to university. But it cannot be denied that the society is very archaic and the traditional burkas are still worn in public places.

Where have the promised 6 billion dollars of aid been spent?

First of all, it is important to state that only a billion dollars has been paid till now. This is clearly not enough to reconstruct the country. That would probably cost 100 billion. Apart from more or less adequate electricity supplies, we saw the terrible state of roads, water supplies and the health system. Mentally disabled people, for example, are chained to their beds and drug addicts are locked into rooms for six or seven days for detoxication.

The signs of reconstruction that I saw have arisen from private initiatives. My old friend, Hakimi, for example, is helping to rebuild the royal summer palace, which was destroyed by the Taliban. It is frustrating, however, to see that reconstruction could be achieved with relatively modest means.

Did you have any one experience that epitomises the current situation in Afghanistan?

We met four times with Ismael Khan, who, as governor, controls the province of Herat. In the West he is seen as a warlord because, in contrast to the president, Hamed Karzai, he is not on the leading string of the USA. I am not dazzled by him but I feel that he is the type of Afghan that the country needs. At least he manages to govern his town and province well.

In a discussion during the Iraq war you once cited Afghanistan as an example of what you predicted would be a failure of an American military intervention. Do you stand by this opinion?

The USA is still at war in Afghanistan. Even though they officially won in December 2001, intervention is not at an end – it's continuing. At the present time, the Americans have two major military bases in the country. And opposition to these bases and to the international troops, ISAF, are growing day by day.

Can you identify any positive aspects?

It's certainly positive that al-Qaeda has been sent packing and the Taliban government been brought down. But afterwards concrete reconstruction projects should have been undertaken. Instead of chasing after al-Qaeda, roads could have been rebuilt. Even a single pioneer battalion could have made a great difference.

Surely the Americans know that too?

Yes, which makes it doubly tragic.

Has public opinion towards the USA worsened since the Iraq war?

No, the Iraq war wasn't directly connected to Afghanistan. The Afghans would simply be glad to forge ahead.

"The feeling of an Afghan identity exists", says Albert A. Stahel. large

Can any lessons be drawn from Afghanistan for the reconstruction of Iraq?

Yes, for example, one should not hope to achieve reconstruction by setting up straw men in front of the people, and hoping that it will work, especially with so little money. What is needed to start with is a clear concept.

The USA is banking on so-called Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT) to rebuild Afghanistan. What is your opinion of this sort of reconstruction under military protection?

It's not necessary. The people need roads and a functioning health care system.

Aren’t foreigners actively participating in reconstruction at risk?

No, if their real intention is to help, there is no danger.

Does the same apply to humanitarian organisations?

Apart from the eastern region along the border to Pakistan, there is no need for military protection. But there is no call to go there in any case. Help is needed there where most Afghans live. As far as danger is concerned, I can only say that while I was travelling in the Panjshir valley, which is full of weapons, I saw NGO representatives on a Sunday outing bathing in the river, even though there are no ISAF troops in this area.

In a Sunday newspaper you wrote that there has been a multiple increase in the cultivation of opium poppies. How did you arrive at this assessment?

On the one hand, by talking to witnesses and on the other it can been observed from the air. Around Jalalabad, for example, cultivation has increased. For political reasons no counteractive measures are taken. If it were stopped there would be war with the drug dealers.

Is the Taliban still present at all and how important are they?

They no longer exist as an organisation. But if one applies the question to individuals, then I would have to say that they still exist. I personally know someone who used to be a member of Taliban who is a businessman in Kabul today. The Pushtun, for instance, often act in an opportunistic way in this regard.

The official name of the state is the "Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan". The country is to continue under the transitional government until next year. What do you think will happen after that?

If the Loya Jirga (grand council) is not manipulated again, Karzai's transitional government will not be re-relected in June 2004. In a long debate, which would last a month or two, the Loya Jirga might come to an agreement on a new government. Last time round the meeting was simply not long enough and this is why people still feel cheated today.

So you believe that an agreement can be reached?

Yes, the feeling of an Afghan identity exists. A Pushtun living in Afghanistan feels a sense of belonging and an Afghan identity, even though the majority of Pushtuns live in Pakistan. If Afghans are given the chance they will find their own leaders. They have done this before, as the example of Ahmad Shah Durrani shows, who founded the first Afghan state in 1747.