The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan remained of major and immediate concern to the Government, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, told the Dβil.

"Our concern is shared throughout the international community, where every effort is being made to meet the humanitarian needs of the vulnerable Afghan population.

"So far this year, £4 million has been provided in bilateral emergency assistance to that country. Our priority is to take effective humanitarian action which will have an immediate impact before the winter season fully takes hold." Mr Cowen said that in his latest international contacts, he had emphasised there must be a visible and effective strategy for meeting the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people. "This will provide a basis upon which the move from providing international emergency relief to supporting national reconstruction can take place.

"This will be an ongoing process, not a once-off project. As the initial step in this process, we cannot afford to waiver in our delivery of humanitarian assistance. It will be an important building-block in creating the conditions for a new national dispensation for the people of Afghanistan." Mr Simon Coveney (FG, Cork South Central) said that while transitional talks took place, it was essential that Ireland used its influence to insist that an international peacekeeping force, primarily representative of Muslim countries, went into Kabul, Mazar-e-Sharif and other towns, which needed stability during a key period while there was a political vacuum.