Rome, 26 June (AKI) - Commenting on repeated calls by some parties in Italy's ruling centre-left coalition for Italian troops to leave Afghanistan, minister for EU policy Emma Bonino told Rome daily La Repubblica: "Afghans have ventured on a new path [...] and it would be irresponsible for us to abandon them half way through." In the UN mission to Afghanistan, "both the democratically elected government and civil society are asking us to stay and do more," Bonino said. "A country [Italy] which wants to grow on the international stage must face up to its responsibilities," she said.
Bonino has long been involved with human rights issues and is regarded as a democratisation expert. While serving as the European Union's humanitarian aid commissioner from 1994-1998, she promoted a number of initiatives in support of human rights. These included the 1997 campaign 'A flower for Kabul's women', to fight Afghan women's discrimination and to help them gain better access to international aid.
"I went to Afghanistan for the first time in 1997. Those who do not want to acknowledge the changes there do so for purely ideological reasons," Bonino said. "You only need to speak with ordinary people there to understand what has changed. Not everything is resolved, but at least women can work and children can go to school." Bonino explained that "it will take one generation to achieve complete and stable changes, it is a slow process." "There have been protests because the Afghans had great expectations and they are partially disappointed," she said.
Speaking in detail of Italy's role in Afghanistan, Bonino added: ""We are leading the crucial reform of the judiciary, [...] and it will be important to increase our diplomatic presence." "We shall also do more in the field of education - the next Afghans' generation represents the future of the country and we must support them," she continued. "I hope the most radical parties in our coalition will understand that [...] should we leave Afghanistan now, this would create us many more problems in future," Bonino concluded. 
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