Aid held up on Afghan border

The border is under heavy guard

The first British and French consignments of emergency relief for Afghanistan have arrived in the southern Uzbek port of Termez.

But unexpected problems with the authorities in Uzbekistan is slowing down - and in some cases stopping altogether - the delivery of aid to northern Afghanistan.

Relief supplies are being stockpiled in Termez

Uzbekistan has been billed as a major humanitarian corridor, but apart from United Nations agencies, no other relief groups have permission from the Uzbek authorities to cross the border.

Relief agencies have warned that a humanitarian disaster is imminent, with 3.4m Afghans dependent on aid to survive the harsh winter.

Meanwhile, supplies are continuing to stockpile in the area, and aid agencies are warning that they urgently need to get more aid and staff into Afghanistan.

The British charity Save the Children said that if the route, which has been closed since 1998, was not opened within a week, the humanitarian effort would be compromised.

Crucial bridge

Termez was the launch pad for the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the facilities there are considered substantial.

It is the most logical corridor for the delivery of aid to Afghanistan. From Termez airport to the Afghan town of Mazar-e-Sharif is just a 40-minute drive, and the road is good.

But the Friendship Bridge which crosses the border remains closed and under armed guard, forcing the UN to ship aid by barge across the Amu Darya river.

This is a slow process that has allowed just 1,000 tonnes of food, a fraction of what is needed, to be delivered in the past week.

Charities like Save the Children have been denied permission to move their aid or their international workers across the border.

The agencies have acknowledged Uzbekistan's security concerns about violence spreading across the border, but stress the urgency of the situation.

They say their staff are essential for relief operations of the scale needed in northern Afghanistan.