Private Sector Event
Remarks by Ambassador Said T. Jawad
The Embassy of Afghanistan
12/04/2003
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Jack
Kemp, honorable Don Ritter, Mr. Delawari welcome to the Afghan
Embassy.
It is my pleasure to host this event in honour
of Delawari. Before I give I give the floor to Mr. Jack Kemp
to say a few words about the importance of private sector for
sustained economic growth in Afghanistan, and than to Mr. Delawari,
I would to discus briefly three issues:
First. Our commitment to Free Market Economy:
We are fully committed to an open market economy
and see the private sector as the true engine for growth. We
have moved aggressively to create the legal and financial framework
of an environment conducive to private sector growth. To attract
foreign direct investments, we have adopted new liberal investment
laws and issued decrees to safeguard property rights and foster
free market economy. We have also created a High Commission
for Investment to expedite policy decisions on foreign and domestic
investments. Afghanistan is open to business, and would like
to see a higher degree of investment in the priority areas of
road building, transportation, communications, energy generation,
mining, building water dams and power generation. We have serious
problem with corruption and nepotism.
Second, Today, I presented my credential to President
Bush.
I am honored to present Afghanistan in a historic
juncture of our history. My mission is to strengthen the cooperation
and partnership between US and Afghanistan.
The bedrock of our cooperation is our common interest
to secure complete victory over terrorism, as a menace to humanity.
To make Afghanistan, the region and the world a safer place.
The basis of our partnership is our shared vision of building
a constitutional state that guarantees the safety, security
and civil liberties of its citizens, promotes prosperity, democracy,
women’s rights, rule of law and self sufficiency. We have
just achieved yet another milestone toward realizing this vision.
The first draft of the constitution, after broad consultation
with the Afghan people, has been released.
Third, tomorrow is the anniversary of the Bonn
agreement. Two years ego the participants of the Bonn agreement
called on satellite phone President Karzai on a cold hut on
the mountains of Uruzgon. Although President Karzai was not
prepared for a formal speech, he spoke from his heart. He demanded
everyone not to refer to me just as a Pashtun leader. I said
he was an Afghan, as all people of Afghanistan irrespective
of their ethnicity, language and tribe are Afghans.
His most important decision was when he moved
to Kandehar and decided to enter Kabul. The elder of Kandehar
told him to take a few thousand men with him. He decided to
enter Kabul unarmed and alone as a mean of peace. He signaled
an end to era of war. The people of Afghanistan embraced this
as a clear break with the past. He wanted to convey to the world
that from this day on an unarmed man will take charge and that
guns will never again rule my country.
Today Afghanistan, from a neglected and isolated
state, has emerged as a model of cooperation of civilization.
The reconstruction process is moving ahead
with speed – so much so that we have a problem in finding
enough skilled laborers. In Kandehar alone there are over 12
thousand Pakistani construction workers.
