Today's Date:

France put forward an action plan for Afghanistan on October 1. Other countries offered in-put. The Fifteen adopted the "main lines" on October 17. These form the basis of the plan, and after numerous contacts, France considers that the action should be pursued as follows:

1 - Humanitarian assistance: substantial commitments have been made. The European Union and its member states have played an important part in them. But it is essential for this assistance to be adapted to the needs of the Afghans, and delivered to and distributed among the people in time. It is important to ensure that the assistance is sustained and well coordinated. Coordination is the task of the U.N. (HCR and WFP).

2 - Preparations for a political changeover and transition process in Afghanistan need to be intensified and accelerated. It is imperative to prevent a political vacuum in Kabul that would allow the conflicts between factions and ethnic groups to persist.

To this end we are encouraging, through our contacts, a broad-based meeting--under whatever form and name--of the various component peoples who make up Afghanistan, out of which would come a representative transition authority accepted by the Afghans. Its first priority would be to address the country's immediate needs, with the help of the international community, and its task for the medium term would be to prepare for new institutions.

This process presupposes that none of the components of Afghanistan seize power and rule for their own profit.

The former king could play a political role, serving as a catalyst for agreement among all the component groups of Afghanistan during the transition.

A lasting solution implies that the legitimate interests of neighboring countries--an Afghanistan at peace is not a source of regional instability--are taken into account. But this does not give any of them the right to block the process or impose its own solution.

The goal is to enable the Afghans themselves to regain control of their future.

France's action is aimed at a convergence of the approaches and ideas being put forward by the Afghans, the former king, the permanent members of the Security Council, the neighboring countries, other interested countries, the U.N. secretary-general and his representative, and the European Union.

3 - Security:

- There are millions of mines in Afghanistan. Without mine-clearance, the refugees will not return and farming will not resume. A mine-clearance plan is indispensable.

- The return to normal life presupposes that internal order is restored. The international community will have to help in this.

4 -In the economic and social sphere, the goal is to give Afghanistan the means to help itself to develop.

To this end, agriculture will have to be given priority. It involves nine-tenths of the Afghan population. An agricultural development plan will have to be formulated comprising, in addition to de-mining, the return and resettlement of refugees in their villages, action to deal with the effects of the draught, the reconstitution of livestock herds, better water-resource management, the eradication of poppy culture and its replacement by other cash crops.

Lastly, an important effort will have to undertaken in health and education, especially for women.