Open discussion of Association for International Affairs: How and why to help to Afghanistan?

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Association for International Affairs in cooperation with Czech Railways arrange touring exhibition of photos from Afghanistan. In each city is the exhibition accompanied by open public discussion on the theme: 'How and why to help to Afghanistan?' As first was the exhibition and discussion launched in Prague in Governmental Room on Capital Railstation.

In this nontraditional place with long history we could meet these panelists:

- Ester Lauferová, coordinator of Province-Reconstruction Team of the Czech Republic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Czech Republic,
- Sabina Středová, security expert, Ministry of Defence, Czech Republic,
- Mjr. Karel Kout, Armed Forces of Czech Republic,
- Sultan Sarwar, correspondent of Afghan section of Radio Free Europe in Prague,

In the first part we heard the speeches of panelists. The main topics were:

- general security and political situation in Afghanistan with special reflection on the situation in Lógar, the province where Czech Recunstruction Team is operating,
- introduction to the composition of the Team and its daily work,
- Mjr. Kout introduced to us the main characteristics and aspects of the work of soldiers in the field operating by the side of civil experts,
- conclusion was made by Mr. Sarwar, who have recently come back from the traveling across his homeland, and he showed us the view from the Afghan population side.

After the speech part followed the open discussion. Not every question could be answered due to the timeline of whole discussion. The majority of questions was concerning these points:

- analyze of the new strategy for Afghanistan of general McChrystal, who has recently become new leader of American troops in Afghanistan,
- prediction of the development of political situation in the country (in the answer was expressed the value that in Afghanistan we could not talk about massive civil disorders as it was in Iran),
- possibility of future cooperation of PR team with locals with lower military protection, which would allowed the experts to get closer to local people and accelerate the projects realization.

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