Ireland should press at the United Nations Security Council for the lifting of sanctions on Afghanistan, according to the head of the UN's humanitarian operation in the country.
Mr Antonio Donini said Ireland had a "moral responsibility" to use its membership of the Security Council to agitate against sanctions, which were imposed on the country's Taliban rulers last month.
Mr Donini, who is director of the Office of the UN Co-ordinator for Afghanistan, was in Dublin yesterday to appeal for help from the Government and Irish aid agencies to deal with the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the country.
More than half a million people have been displaced within Afghanistan in the past six months as a result of drought or fighting or a combination of the two.
A further 150,000 have taken refuge in neighbouring Pakistan since September.
However, it had taken the deaths of 150 refugees in a displacement camp in Herat last week for the international community to start providing aid in anything like the volume needed, he said.
"The refugees had been given the minimum of food and medical help.
"There were no blankets or quilts in the tents. There wasn't even a candle to be had at night in the camps.
"Last week, there was a cold snap and the temperature dropped to minus 25 celsius at night. Many of the children simply went to sleep and froze to death," Mr Donini said.
If the international community had responded more when the drought hit last year, the situation today would be less serious, he said.
Blame for the exodus of refugees lay with the failure of donors to provide sufficient funds to allow the UN to deliver aid to all the affected regions.
One-quarter of the crop failed in 1999, and 50 per cent failed last year, adding to the problems of a country already weakened by 22 years of conflict.
"It's not like Africa. You don't see walking skeletons in Afghanistan, because people are dressed up and the sick are kept out of view. But the country is in economic collapse," said Mr Donini.
The UN Security Council imposed the sanctions because of Afghanistan's failure to surrender the Saudi-born fundamentalist, Mr Osama bin Laden, who is accused of organising the bombing of American interests around the world.
The sanctions include an arms embargo on the Taliban, a reduction of their diplomatic missions abroad, a ban on travel of Taliban officials and the freezing of assets abroad.
However, Mr Donini said the sanctions were "one-sided" because they did not try to stop the flow of arms to rebel forces in the north of the country.
"Sanctions have given a boost in morale to the northern alliance and they have helped the Taliban to solidify. As such, they are a recipe for the continuation of the war."
Last year, the Government's Ireland Aid programme gave £440,000 to Afghanistan, most of it channelled through the Red Cross and the World Food Programme. Concern also funds some programmes in the country.
