[Peace-discuss] An NGO worker's views on Afghanistan and Pakistan (local person who could speak with us)

[Stuart Levy]

Among the people who stopped by the Farmer's Market table
was a woman, Jan, whose brother, Don Meier, has just returned from
Afghanistan -- but not from being in the miliary.   He has been working
for some years there on agricultural development there with various NGOs.
He speaks Dari (an Afghan cousin of the Persian language Parsi) well,
and in the past had worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in Iran.

He has opinions on the situation in Afghanistan, and also in Pakistan
(though it sounded as though he hadn't been working in Pakistan).
She mentioned that he'd decided to leave -- if I understood right --
because the US/NATO military were trying to attach themselves to
the agricultural work they were doing, and he disapproved of their presence.

She'd travelled in Afghanistan with him a couple of years ago,
and felt they had very free and comfortable access to all sorts of
people -- much more than most Western visitors would have.

Randall and I talked with her awhile, and asked (eagerly!) whether she
thought he might be willing to come speak with us.   She thinks so,
and gave us his contact information.  Maybe we can talk about this at
this afternoon's meeting.