Afghanistan, 2003

There is no reality more

oppressive than the silence of a nation. For too long,

Afghanistan was a silenced nation, a country without a

voice. After decades of being suppressed into silence,

our nation is beginning to have a voice of its own.

Recovering from the tragedy of war and destruction,

Afghanistan is determined to reverse the effects of the

suffering it has long endured.

A lot has changed in Afghanistan over the last

two years. But no change is so critical and pervasive as

the animated response of the people of Afghanistan to

the recent developments in our country. I find no sight

more rewarding than that of our young girls and boys

flocking to schools every morning. I find few things

more engaging than the company of elderly

representatives who come to Kabul from far-flung parts

of the country to discuss their priorities for

reconstruction. And, in the same order, there is nothing

more enthusing than the active participation of Afghan

men and women in the process of public consultation

for the new constitution.

From the public consultations conducted in

connection with the constitution drafting process, we

know that the people of Afghanistan want a modern,

unitary State that is committed to Islamic values and

the preservation of peace and national unity, a State

that ensures security for all its citizens, enforces justice

and the rule of law and promotes prosperity. As in any

post-war society, the need for security and for

removing the threat of arms and armed factions is a

compelling issue for all Afghans. Our people demand

the establishment of truly national and competent

institutions, notably the army and the police. Afghans

want State institutions that are professional and

representative and an administration that is efficient

and free of corruption. The Afghan people want

tolerance for other religions, protection of human rights

and affirmative action to promote the rights of women.

Since I addressed the Assembly in September of

last year, Afghanistan has taken significant strides in

the path of post-war reconstruction. While total

stability may not have been achieved yet, today

Afghanistan is more stable and peaceful than in any

other period in its recent history. The International

Security Assistance Force (ISAF), to the credit of the

participating countries, has done a tremendous job of

securing the nation’s capital. That is partly the reason

that people from other parts of the country have

demanded that ISAF be expanded to their areas, too.

We see NATO’s decision to take over the command of

ISAF in Kabul as a positive development. The Afghan

people have also welcomed the provincial

reconstruction teams that are supported by the coalition

member States. Reconstruction and security are tied to

one another, and we are absolutely certain that no

matter what flag they fly, forces that ensure stability

will be welcomed throughout Afghanistan.

However, we recognize that providing security to

the people of Afghanistan is ultimately our own

responsibility. We are grateful to the international

community, the United States and Germany in

particular, for making a determined effort to help us

embark on a process of reforming and rebuilding our

security institutions, namely the Afghan National Army

and the national police.

After an arduous process of restructuring, we

have just completed the reform of the Ministry of

Defence. That step is now paving the way for the

implementation of the nation-wide programme on

disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, which

will begin in earnest in mid-October with assistance

from Japan.

A Constitution is the bedrock of the modern

State. Under the Bonn Agreement, my Government

was assigned the historic task of giving Afghanistan its

new Constitution. The commission assigned that task

has just finished the draft Constitution. The draft will

be submitted in December for approval to a

constitutional grand council of the Afghan people,

which in our language is called a Loya Jirga. Work on

the reform of the judicial system and on drafting new

secondary laws has also continued, with notable

outcomes achieved in recent months. The laws on

political parties and banking have now been officially

adopted.

Having started from a below-zero baseline, the 30

per cent economic growth rate that Afghanistan

enjoyed last year is a promising start. Committed as we

are to an open-market economy, and seeing the private

sector as the true engine for growth, we have moved

aggressively to create the legal and financial

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frameworks needed for a positive environment for the

private sector. Our newly adopted laws governing

investment, banking and property rights, the new stable

currency and the bureaucratic reforms we have enacted

provide a liberal and conducive underpinning for rapid

economic growth. Like never before, Afghanistan is

open to business.

Once, in the past, Afghanistan was at the centre

of a global threat, that of terrorism. Our vision for the

future is that Afghanistan should be a centre for

economic opportunity. We do not call ourselves a land-

locked country; rather, we are a land-bridging country.

Afghanistan connects South Asia, Central Asia and the

Middle East, a fact to which geo-strategists have long

been attracted. But it is time that Afghanistan’s vast

potential for facilitating trade and economic activity is

exploited.

Through such nationwide programmes as the

National Solidarity Programme, the Government aims

to take reconstruction to the villages and households of

Afghanistan. Perhaps no other priority features more

widely in the demands of the Afghan people than the

provision of education. Today, fortunately, almost 40

per cent of the students and teachers in primary and

secondary education are female. That is a huge increase

from the close to zero percentage that we inherited

from the Taliban. Millions of textbooks have been

published, and schools are being built at a higher rate

than ever. However, in other areas of service-provision

the need is much greater than our capacity to deliver.

The struggle against the production of, and

trafficking in, narcotics continues. We see a direct

connection between narcotics and terrorism, and it is in

our absolute national interest to fight both. Both are

transnational challenges. We in the region and in the

international community must take the strategic

decision, in the spirit of true partnership, to fight

against both menaces.

As we acknowledge that the road ahead for

Afghanistan is long and tortuous, we appreciate the

fact that significant achievements have been made over

the last two years. The people of Afghanistan are

grateful to the international community for its crucial

support. While countries that have extended a friendly

hand to Afghanistan are far too many to thank

individually, it would be unfair not to single out the

United States, the European Union and Japan for

special thanks. The United States of America has led

the international community by example in offering

support for Afghanistan. The additional assistance

provided to us under the Accelerated Success Initiative

will go a long way towards rebuilding our country. The

neighbours of Afghanistan also have a special place in

our hearts. Our people will always remember the warm

welcome they received from their brothers and sisters

in Pakistan and Iran. In addition, Afghans hold

Secretary-General Kofi Annan and his Special

Representative Lakhdar Brahimi in very high esteem.

Their kind-hearted attention to Afghanistan is highly

appreciated.

Cognizant of our new situation and the emerging

opportunities that exist today, we are determined to

build friendly, civil and constructive relationships with

countries of the world. We continue to extend a sincere

hand of friendship to Pakistan and all our other

neighbours on the basis of the requirements of a

civilized relationship. We will never permit our

territory to be used against any other country, and

expect the same in return.

We are deeply concerned about the loss of

innocent lives in Palestine and Israel. We support the

realization of the right to self-determination for our

Palestinian brothers and sisters.

We are fully committed to remaining a resilient

partner with the international community in the fight

against terrorism.

All the achievements I have just noted amount

only to a good beginning. Our challenge is to stay the

course. That will depend not only on the resolute

determination of the Afghan people, but also on the

continued engagement of the international community.

While the achievements are significant, and

although challenges are inevitable, today, in this forum,

I wish to point to what can potentially amount to a

critical threat, namely, the ongoing threat of terrorism.

The crisis in Afghanistan may well be over, but the

forces of violence continue to threaten. Embodied in

various manifestations, from militant infiltrations to

hateful teachings at places disguised as madrassas,

terrorism continues to make inroads into the space of

peace and prosperity that we want to secure for our

nation.

Islam, our universalist religion, has absolutely no

place for terrorism. The apostles of hatred who preach

murder in the name of religion and who abuse the name

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of Islam and the sanctity of madrassas are the enemies

of Islam. They act against all that Islam teaches,

namely, peace, tolerance, compassion, social justice

and the good of humanity.

Terrorists aim to harm the nation of Afghanistan,

a deeply believing Muslim nation that is averse to

extremism. They pose a threat to the process of

reconstruction in Afghanistan. Terrorists see their

lasting defeat in the success of reconstruction. They are

therefore maliciously intent on derailing the process of

reconstruction in Afghanistan. That must stop. We

must defeat the forces and ideas of violence in the

region. Today terrorism is a liability to the

Governments in the region. Governments must stop

using extremism as an instrument of policy. As long as

terrorism survives in this part of the world, neither

Afghanistan nor our neighbours, nor indeed the rest of

the world, can be safe.