President Karzai Returns to Kabul after
His Visit to the Province of Zabul
Office of the Spokesperson for the President
03/28/2006
Arg, Kabul - H.E. Hamid Karzai, President
of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, returned to Kabul this
evening after his visit to the province of Zabul where he inaugurated
the Zabul regional teaching hospital, a mosque and a religious
school.
The regional teaching hospital was built with
$2 million in funding from the Red Crescent Society of the United
Arab Emirates. This facility can hold up to 130 patients and
includes a Level 1 trauma center, the highest possible classification
of care. It also has major and minor surgery facilities and
care perform pediatric and neo-natal care, and full-service
dental care.
The hospital will provide the middle provinces
of Afghanistan with a full-service hospital with state-of-the-art
equipment. In the future, two more hospitals will be built in
the province of Zabul to provide healthcare to the people. The
religious school was also built with the assistance from the
United Arab Emirates.
During this visit, the President also visited
the Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT) in Qalat to assess
the impact of their assistance to the people of Zabul. The PRT
is involved in a wide range of activities, including vocational
training, carpet weaving and computer training.
The President, on behalf of the people of Afghanistan,
thanked the people and Government of the United Arab Emirates
for their generous assistance to the reconstruction of Afghanistan.
The President met with soldiers from the 205th
National Army support battalion, enquired about their problems
and instructed the battalion commander to look into their needs.
While speaking to a group of medical staff, Government
officials and the local people, the President called on the
people of Zabul to educate their children in modern sciences.
The President addressed a public gathering in
Zabul and said, “Upon my arrival in Zabul, I saw young
girls and boys who were studying and receiving vocational training,
this small achievement of your sons and daughters pleased my
heart.”
“Today, the people of Afghanistan are dependent
on the assistance of other countries as we have kept our children
away from education. Learning will help us get rid of our dependence
on other countries. Today, our need for foreign engineers and
technical assistance in general is due to our neglect towards
education in the past.”
“Our children, who are being trained against
our national interests outside our soil, have in fact remained
away from education and education is the way for a prosperous
life in Afghanistan. Today, I met with a five-year old Afghan
child who was very good in working with a computer; I hope the
children of Zabul will also reach the level of this child.”
“Schools are not burnt anywhere in the world,
but we have this happening in Afghanistan. Everywhere I go in
Afghanistan, people ask me to build schools, but the enemies
of Afghanistan burn our schools. They are afraid of schools
being built in Afghanistan because schools bring about engineers,
doctors, teachers and diplomats.”
“I urge the Taliban to stop destroying
their country at the instruction of foreigners. The foreigners
use them, the Taliban, as slaves and encourage them to destroy
their country. I urge the Taliban to come and join the peace
and reconciliation process and help rebuild their country. The
enemies of Afghanistan must understand that their plans to destroy
Afghanistan will never succeed.”
