KABUL - Afghanistan has been unable over the past 37 years to benefit from joining the International Road Transport Union (IRU) due to decades of conflict. Renewing Afghanistan's agreement with the IRU in 2010, transport officials had said Afghan vehicles carrying commercial goods would be able in seven months to travel to Asian, African and European countries.

"Though the seven months have passed long before, Afghan vehicles are only able to travel to Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar," Halim Yousaf, the chairman of Afghanistan Association of Freight Forwarders Companies, told the ninth congress of the companies in Kabul.

He said the government had so far been unable to make arrangements for Afghan truckers to reach regional and neighboring countries. He rejected the official claim that Afghan vehicles did not meet international standards.
"This (claim) is untrue. We have some firms with vehicles that have better standards than those used in some regional countries," he said. Yousaf asked the government to enter talks with foreign countries on allowing entry to Afghan trade vehicles.

But the Ministry of Transport and Aviation spokesman, Nangyalai Qalatwal, said Afghanistan could not take benefit from IRU facilities because of the uncertain political situation in some neighboring countries.
He said the ministry had launched efforts at paving the ground for Afghan vehicles being allowed entry to regional, European and other countries. (Pajhwok)