President Karzai Addresses World Economc Forum
On January 22, President Hamid Karzai attended the Davos World Economic Forum, an annual gathering of corporate leaders in Switzerland. This year’s Forum themes included fighting terrorism, climate change, the Middle East peace process and social networking technology’s impact on the global economy.
Formally opening the World Economic Forum, President Karzai highlighted the assassination of Benazir Bhutto as a disturbing example of the global reach and threat of terrorism. The President described terrorism as "a venomous snake that some among us tried to nurture and befriend at the expense of others, which I hope we realize now was a mistake.
President Karzai encouraged the international community to work with the Afghan Government to eliminate the "scourge of terrorism" from the region, and focused on how terrorists exploit the poor to recruit suicide bombers. "The solution really lies in all of us, the whole of the world," he said.
On January 23, President Karzai met privately with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. They discussed counterterrorism and narcotics challenges as well as NATO's role in combating terrorism in Afghanistan.
President Karzai met with a number of national and corporate leaders on the sidelines of the conference, including Pascal Couchepin, President of the Swiss Confederation and Federal Councillor of Home Affairs; Gordon Brown, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; Viktor A. Yushchenko, President of Ukraine; Sali Berisha, Prime Minister of Albania; and Jan Peter Balkenende, Prime Minister of Netherlands.
President Hamid Karzai was accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Rangeen Dadfar Spanta, National Security Advisor Dr Zalmay Rasoul, Minister of Finance Dr Anwarulhaq Ahadi, and Spokesperson to the President Humayun Hamidzada.
CLICK HERE to read President Karzai's speech
CLICK HERE to view Presdient Karzai's answer to "The Davos Question"
