Russia not to allocate $10 mn for Afghan army

Moscow, May 25 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Russia has rejected a NATO request to allocate $10 million for the support of the Afghan Army, the Russian presidential envoy to Afghanistan said following the alliance's summit in Chicago.

"At the summit..., it was stated that after 2014 (when international military forces withdraws from Afghanistan) support for the Afghan Army should continue," said Zamir Kabulov, who also heads the Russian Foreign Ministry's department on Afghanistan.

"For the United States it has already become difficult to bear this burden, they want to share it with NATO partners," Kabulov continued. "They also hinted that it would be good if Russia allocated $10 million."

He said Russia would not participate in NATO's Afghanistan initiatives.

"For several years we had been knocking on the door of the ISAF suppliers club. But this door was reluctant to open. Now they invited us and started hinting...In response we noted that we've long been rendering aid to Afghanistan," the Kommersant daily quoted Kabulov as saying.

Russia has allowed NATO to transit cargos to and from Afghanistan through its territory, and its continued support is crucial for the US-led coalition fighting the Taliban as foreign troops are set to leave the country in 2014.

--IANS/RIA Novosti

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