Afghanistan, 2001

At the outset, on

behalf of the Government of the Islamic State of

Afghanistan, and on my own behalf, I wish to express

my profound condolences to the Government of the

United States of America and the American nation, as

well as the families that lost their loved ones in the

unfortunate crash of American Airlines flight 857

yesterday.

My delegation is very much delighted at Mr. Han

Seung-soo’s assumption of the presidency of the fifty-

sixth session of the General Assembly and remains

assured that his able conduct will lead the work of this

session to its desired end.

My delegation is also very pleased at Secretary-

General Kofi Annan’s meritorious winning of the

Noble Peace Prize this year, I wish to warmly

congratulate him and his fellow recipient of the prize,

the United Nations itself.

I am very thankful to all delegations that have

mentioned the name and the case of Afghanistan and

the need for international help to reach Afghanistan.

The appalling events of 11 September and the

somewhat lesser-known event of 9 September — the

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assassination by suicidal killers of the great Afghan

leader Ahmad Shah Massoud — have changed the

world. The United Nations, the international

community and the world at large are focusing on a

new war, the war on terrorism. My Government and the

people of Afghanistan denounced the terrorist attacks

against the United States and continue to denounce

terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We

ourselves have been captives and hostages of terrorism

longer than most. In fact, during 23 years of war in

Afghanistan, Muslim Afghans have not engaged in any

terrorist acts. Islam is an integral part of life in

Afghanistan and teaches justice and respect for human

life and glorifies the dignity of human beings.

I quote from the Holy Koran: “We have bestowed

dignity on the children of Adam”. (The Holy Koran,

XVII:70)

Islam, in the tradition of the Abrahamic faiths,

places great emphasis on peace, compassion and the

value of human life. Thus, Islam should be recognized

for the principles upon which it was created and not

acts resulting from irresponsible interpretations, which

are far from genuine Islam. These irresponsible

interpretations are based on primitive and sectarian

thinking, especially the retrogressive policies against

women, which have no place in Islam.

With the strong, broad global coalition on their

side, today the people of Afghanistan have been

vindicated in their righteous struggle against terrorism

and extremism — a struggle pursued single-handedly

but valiantly over the past seven years against the

terrorist forces of the Taliban mercenaries and their

cross-border and international allies, chief among them

since 1996 being Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda terrorist

organization.

In this most trying time, when the people of

Afghanistan are being liberated from the rule of the

Taliban, and when Taliban forces are fleeing strategic

cities across our land, including the capital, Kabul, it is

evident that the civilian inhabitants of these cities and

the people of Afghanistan as a whole, having offered

their support to the liberating forces of the Islamic

State of Afghanistan’s United Front, are deserving in

the fullest measure of a Government to which their

welfare can be soundly entrusted.

On Tuesday, 13 November, in a series of events

rapidly taking shape in and around Kabul, the Taliban

mercenaries and their terrorist allies were thought to be

holding ground, but abandoned the city in a hasty

manner, causing a power vacuum.

With the capital, Kabul, on the verge of chaos and

mayhem, the Government forces were left with no

option but to dispatch a limited police force to the city.

The decision to police the city preceded eyewitness

reports of the looting of National Bank assets and the

plundering of the city’s main currency market and a

number of aid agencies by the retreating Taliban forces.

We deeply regret any ill treatment of individuals

that may have occurred in isolated cases. We have

ordered our security authorities not only to refrain from

but to actively investigate any such acts that may have

been committed and to prevent such incidents from

taking place in the future. Let me reiterate that our

desire for peace for all people in our land remains firm

and that we will not, now or later, condone any lawless

acts aimed at disrupting the crucial process of

instituting a broad-based, multi-ethnic and fully

representative Government in Afghanistan, as called

for by the United Nations and the entire international

community.

The Islamic State of Afghanistan hails the new

developments as a victory not only for the people of

Afghanistan but also for the international community in

our shared campaign against terrorism.

Let me assure the Assembly that the recent

gaining of ground by the forces of the Islamic State of

Afghanistan’s United Front in Kabul in no way reflects

an intention on the part of the Government of the

Islamic State of Afghanistan to monopolize power.

Rather, it is our sincere hope that the people of

Afghanistan will decide democratically in the near

future what form of political system they desire. In this

context, we steadfastly support United Nations

resolutions on Afghanistan, and thereby the

recommendations made by the Secretary-General’s

special envoys to Afghanistan, Ambassador Lakhdar

Brahimi and Ambassador Francesc Vendrell, and will

do our utmost for the implementation of the process.

The Islamic State of Afghanistan fully honours its

agreement made in Rome with the representatives of

the Rome process, led by the former King of

Afghanistan, Mohammed Zahir Shah, and remains

committed to its implementation.

Today Afghanistan finds itself in a major

humanitarian crisis — a crisis such as the world has not

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witnessed in recent times. With winter approaching our

people are facing famine. Our people will die because

they do not have enough food to sustain them through

the winter. Many aid agencies began leaving

Afghanistan after it became evident that the bombing

campaign would begin.

Over the past several years, tens of thousands of

civilians have either fled the country or have been

internally displaced. The people of Afghanistan are not

asking for a favour. They desire first and foremost to

return to the position they were in before 1978 — a

level playing field where they can govern themselves

and grow. Twenty million landmines, a ruined and

almost non-existent infrastructure and a very high

illiteracy rate do not make for a level playing field.

Even a fraction of the benefits bestowed on the

international community by Afghan sacrifices can

reconstruct our nation.

Today we are charged with finding a solution for

Afghanistan, even as problems continue to increase and

change on a day-to-day basis. But we must now, not

later, think about the people of Afghanistan and about

giving them peace after so many years of war.

A broad-based Government, inter alia, through

the Loya Jirga — Grand Assembly — must be

established. All ethnic groups must be equitably and

adequately represented and given voice in this broad-

based Government. The Hazaras, Pashtuns, Tajiks,

Uzbeks, Aimaks, Turkmen, Baluchis and all other

ethnic groups of Afghanistan must have fair

representation in this broad-based Government.

All these groups make up what Afghanistan is

today, and Afghanistan is not complete without any of

these groups. For centuries, all of these groups have

lived peacefully among themselves without bloodshed,

and each one has contributed to Afghanistan and has

sacrificed tremendously in the resistance against

repeated foreign occupations. For centuries, all these

groups, as a united people, resisted foreign hegemonic

forces. History has shown that Afghanistan is not for

foreign occupation or conquest.

The Islamic State of Afghanistan’s United Front

wants the rule of law based on Islamic tenets,

pluralistic democracy, fundamental human rights,

peace, unification and meaningful reconstruction. At

our core we wish to uphold human rights for all

peoples of our land — men and women. We desire to

abide by United Nations resolutions, the rule of law

and recognized international norms and principles. We

highly appreciate the efforts being made by the United

Nations aimed at finding a solution for Afghanistan

and support all United Nations endeavours and

measures to combat international terrorism.

The future Government of Afghanistan must not

be subjected any more to the unilateralism that has

blanketed it for so long. The nation of Afghanistan

must have, as any nation must have, the respect of and

sincere cooperation with its neighbours. The future

Government of Afghanistan must not be reduced to a

“sphere of influence”; it must be recognized as a

sovereign nation in the truest sense. Self-determination

for Afghanistan means that no country of the world

should have a veto concerning what the Afghans decide

for themselves.

Recognition of the principles of mutual respect,

non-interference and full sovereignty of Afghanistan

will naturally be followed by economic and

commercial cooperation. Hence, a sovereign

Afghanistan will deploy all efforts to broaden its

relations with all of its neighbours, including Pakistan.

Such measures as opening up to Pakistan and opening

up key transit routes, from north to south and from east

to west, ought to be implemented. Afghanistan has to

broaden its economic relations with all neighbouring

countries. The crossroads at the heart of Asia is

situated in Afghanistan, and our country’s economic

and international development rests largely in utilizing

this resource in a progressive and open manner.

I need not remind Members today that a stable

Afghanistan means a stable Pakistan and a stable

Central Asia. An ignored and ruined Afghanistan

would be a calamity for the entire region and the whole

world.

The people of Afghanistan must decide what

form of Government they desire. No one ethnic group

must dominate and no neighbour of Afghanistan has

the right to incite, overtly or covertly, one ethnic group

against others. It is time for the people of Afghanistan

to think about their future and to come together. They

must all work together for their country as they have

worked for centuries before. It is my aspiration and the

aspiration of every Afghan that normalcy will be

restored and that we will live in peace.

We, the Islamic State of Afghanistan, and we, the

United Nations and the international community, have

a duty to rebuild Afghanistan. There must be an

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extensive and comprehensive United Nations-led

reconstruction plan for Afghanistan. The international

community must take the reconstruction of Afghanistan

as seriously as it takes the war on terrorism. I submit

that reconstruction and a people’s hope will do more to

eradicate evils such as terrorism and the seeds of

terrorism than war can perhaps ever do.

Rehabilitation must begin with addressing

humanitarian problems, including the pressing crisis of

internally displaced persons and refugees. The longer-

term Afghan reconstruction programme must be

comprehensive; under such a programme, facilities of

all kinds — roads, bridges, hospitals and schools and

universities for boys and girls — must be

reconstructed. Girls were purposely made illiterate by

the Taliban mercenaries. A massive education effort

must be undertaken so that our young people can learn

skills and grow up to be a new generation for our

country. The 20 million landmines must be cleared so

that the people can cultivate their land and not have to

rely only on poppies to make a living.

In the Afghan reconstruction programme there

must be a programme for orphans and widows. The

Afghan reconstruction programme must directly help

the war-stricken and war-devastated land and people of

Afghanistan. Afghans of the diaspora, from all over the

world, must come and take part in the Afghan

reconstruction programme and help build their country.

I believe that, with the help of almighty God, we

can rebuild Afghanistan and that Afghanistan can once

again live in peace with its neighbours and can

contribute to the prosperity of the international

community.

In conclusion, I appeal to the United Nations and

to the international community to adopt a new vision

for Afghanistan, a vision that will leave behind the

death and destruction that has seized its people for so

many years, a vision that embraces tolerance and unity,

a vision that will rebuild the spirit of Afghanistan and

give hope for peace to each and every person of our

land. The change must come from each person who

calls himself a Muslim and an Afghan; it must also

come from each country that calls itself a friend of

Afghanistan. Our friends and neighbours must grant us

the goodwill to govern ourselves and to be our own

people.