Afghanistan: Promise & Prospective After Election
Talking Points by Ambassador Said T. Jawad
Interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
08/18/2004
Distinguished panelists, ladies and gentlemen,
Please allow me to thank the Radio Free Europe/Radio
Liberty for organizing this discussion.
The upcoming elections are another significant
millstone on the path to democracy, peace and prosperity in
Afghanistan. It will open a new and very significant chapter
in our political life. Years of invasion, war and resistance
have made us tough, bedrock people. We are known for our ability
to fight and pray. Now, if the international community delivers
on its promises, we are determined to demonstrate our skills
for building democracy and a prosperous, civil society in Afghanistan.
With the elections, we will enter the second phase
of state building in Afghanistan. The first phase of state building
is welding the different groups and segments of the population
around a nation-state by providing a national vision and creating
national institutions. It is constructing a stable government.
For us, the second phase is more crucial. It is the essential
phase of building a democratic and secure state by providing
good governance, implementing the rule of law, fighting corruption,
ensuring individual liberties, and empowering the private sector.
While in the past, success in Afghanistan was
set in the context of preventing negative results, such as spread
of terrorism and violation of human and gender rights, now,
with the upcoming elections, Afghanistan is emerging as model
of success, creating positive and exemplary results for the
region. A stable and developing Afghanistan is becoming a facilitator
of regional economic and democratic development. The resulting
jump in commerce and trade through Afghanistan is encouraging
the movement of goods and ideas along the historic trade routes
of Asia.
The Afghan election will serve as a model and
blueprint for democracy in similar societies. Afghanistan’s
successful advance on the path to democracy and state building
will impact upon the expectations and the aspirations of other
people suffering from terror and tyranny.
The impact of the elections will not be limited
to the region; it may influence voting here in the USA and Europe.
The success of the Afghan election represents
a good example of the triumph of international partnership.
The goal of this partnership has been to transform a failed
and terrorist sponsored state into viable state that contributes
to regional and global stability. This partnership is helping
rebuild an Afghanistan that is politically stable and democratic,
and economically self reliant and prosperous.
Afghanistan is a wonderful example of the success
of the cooperation of civilizations. In Afghanistan, today,
we have religions of the world, and cultures of the world cooperating
with each others to make the world, the region and Afghanistan
a safer place. 41 countries are contributing solders or resources
to stability operations in Afghanistan. 29 countries are helping
train and equip our national army. The Afghan people have received
with warm hospitality and deep appreciations the assistance
provided by the United States of America, Europe, our neighbors
and the international community.
This international partnership has given the Afghan
people a hope for the future. A hope that Afghanistan in a few
years will be standing on its own feet, a hope that Afghanistan
will be providing its own security, a hope that Afghanistan
will be a stable and strong democracy. President Karzai has
nurtured and sustained the politics of hope and inclusion.
The people of Afghanistan have demonstrated that
they have chosen the path of democracy, as shown in their enthusiastic
participation in the registration process for the election.
Our people are fully utilizing the newly acquired constitutional
rights and freedoms and opportunities. Afghan women are returning
to school and to the workplace, and participating in the politics.
We are experiencing successes in education, health care and
development of a market economy. Kabul is the fastest growing
city in Asia. Other major cities are flourishing with business
and reconstruction. The Afghan private sector has now access
to the newly established international banking services. Highways
are being reconstructed. Families are being reunited as three
million refugees have returned to their homes and villages.
People have set up more than 14 independent and privately owned
radio and TV stations throughout the country. More than 270
newspapers and periodicals are published. Women are acquiring
a strong voice in the media. About 5.6 million children have
returned to school.
Return on limited international investment in
Afghanistan has been tremendously good, as evidenced by an economic
growth rate of 30% last year and continuing at 20% this year,
according to the World Bank.
We are realistic about the challenges that Afghanistan
will continue to face after the elections:
• Challenges of preparing for the parliamentary
elections, building civil organizations, developing political
parties with national vision, providing a secure environment
for the parliamentary elections, where good candidates can run;
and people can vote without fear or intimidation by warlords
and drug barons.
• End security problems posed by the terrorists
and warlords.
• Improve local and district level governance,
and reform, and strengthen our government institutions to make
them accountable, capable and more representative.
• Enhance government capacity to deliver
services to all corners of the country, especially areas prone
to terrorist infiltration. All Afghans have not yet benefited
from the peace dividends; some still lack personal and social
security.
• Eliminate warlordism, corruption, nepotism,
rule of guns and abuse of power that undermine our recovery
process.
To overcome these challenges:
• We need the robust and immediate support
of the international community, especially United States and
the NATO to provide resources and troops to enhance security.
• We have asked for the expansion, increase
and immediate deployment of ISAF and NATO. We welcome the commitment
made in NATO, and looking forward to its full implementation.
• We need to expedite the process of building
our national army and professional police force.
• We need the US support to implement the
DDR before the parliamentary election. We welcome the international
community’s support for decisive actions taken by President
Karzai against individuals and elements that are impediment
to the implementation of DDR process. We can not build a civil
society in Afghanistan as long as guns rule.
• We need to fight narcotics, which pose
a serious challenge for all of us. It goes hand in hand with
terrorism and warlordism. It is to our best national interest
to fight them all simultaneously not sequentially. We welcome
recent policy enhancements at the Department of Defense to make
the fight against drugs part of the fight against terrorism.
We must mobilize all our resources. We know Afghanistan’s
heroin is a source of the illegal money that funds international
terrorism and crimes across the region, and the destabilizing
activities of warlords and criminals in Afghanistan.
• Our people deeply appreciate and genuinely
believe in engagement with the US and the international community.
The world has found a genuine strategic partner in our President
• The Afghan people have put their
trust on the benefits of international partnership. In this
crucial time the international community must deliver fast and
demonstrate that this trust is not misplaced.
Thank you.
