US donates $ 40 mn for Afghan polls: Clinton

The United States will donate $ 40 million for key elections in Afghanistan in August.

The United States will donate $ 40 million for key elections in Afghanistan in August, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.

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Clinton on Monday announced the amount to reporters travelling with her to The Hague in the Netherlands, where she will take part in a major international conference on Afghanistan on Tuesday.

“One of the important steps that must be achieved is a fair and secure election process and I will be announcing on Wednesday that the US will contribute 40 millions dollars toward achieving a fair and secure electoral outcome,” she said.

“We do not support or oppose any candidate but we want to assure that the elections themselves are going to have legitimacy and credibility.”

Earlier on Monday, the European Commission said it was ready to commit an additional $ 79 million in aid to support the elections, as well as the police and the farm sector in Afghanistan.