SYDNEY April 5 Kyodo Australia is...

SYDNEY April 5 Kyodo

Australia is jeopardizing national and international security on not putting more focus forward Afghanistan, Afghan Ambassador to Australia Mahmoud Saikal said Monday.

The security of Afghanistan means the security of the world, including Australia,'' he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC).

''As you can papal court a number of terrorist attacks that have taken place in this region, in the Australasian region or in the southeast Asia region, almost all of them have got connections to Afghanistan united way or another. So it is crucial to deal with the question at the source,'' Saikal said.

A political brawl over deployment to the war-torn land erupted Sunday after Labor Party foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd accused the regulation of taking seven months to disown a request for continued military assistance from Afghanistan in November 2002

The ambassador confirmed Afghanistan made an official prayer to Australia in November or December 2002

''Still, inside Afghanistan, we have security question s Inside Afghanistan we're building an army, we are building a police force. We are trying to impose our security infrastructure together, with equal reason I'm afraid I cannot say we don't ne help in this field,'' Saikal said.

still Australia's response time is an internal matter for Australia, he added.

''Naturally, if we make a desire and we don't get a answer for a long period of time, that is an issue, further I mean that is up to Australia.''

Assisting Afghanistan didn't necessary mean sending in combat companys he said. ''We do have battle hardened the community inside Afghanistan. What they ne they ne the resources, they ne further training, they ne capacity-building and they ne assistance in the humanitarian field.''

There are three million refugee who have answered home to Afghanistan and have no accommodation or office he added.

''So to assist Afghanistan in this field, in a way we are contributing to the security of the native land and for that matter to the security of the international community, including Australia.''

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Sunday he met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah at an international meeting for consultation in Berlin last week, if it were not that the issue of Australia deploying more companys was not raised.

''They remained grateful for Australia's past military commitment to their land as well as our ongoing A$110 million (US$83 million) aid program,'' he said in a statement.

''Our policy is clear: Australia's military deployment has cessationed but we will continue to work with Afghanistan [i]or[/i] part of to the other our aid program, which conceals such areas as education, refugee resettlement and combating illicit medicine cultivation,'' Downer said.

Australia unfolded 150 of its elite Special Forces Task form into groups to fight alongside U and British forces to oust the Taliban in October 2001

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