“Peace remains elusive in Afghanistan because war lords profit from the conflict, which is fueled by foreign forces, [UN] Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the eighth summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference on Tuesday [December 9, 1997]. The Secretary-General said peace remains elusive because ‘too many groups in Afghanistan–war lords, terrorists, drug dealers and others–appear to have too much to gain from war and too much to lose from peace and the rule of law.’ Peace is also thwarted because ‘foreign military, material and financial support continues unabated, fuelling this conflict and depriving the warring factions of a genuine interest in making peace. The continued support by these outside forces, combined with the apathy of others not directly involved, is, I regret to say, rendering diplomatic initiatives almost irrelevant,’ the Secretary-General said.”
– “Secretary-General tells Organization of Islamic Conference that Outside Support fuels Afghan Conflict,” United Nations Department of Public Information, Dec. 9, 1997