Afghan diplomacy
James Morrison
Embassy Row
09/07/2004
The Afghan ambassador to the United States is
expanding his diplomatic influence as he prepares to present
his credentials as a nonresident ambassador to Brazil next week.
Ambassador Said Tayeb Jawad presented credentials last month
to Mexican President Vicente Fox as nonresident envoy to Mexico.
Mr. Jawad will meet Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da
Silva on Sept. 13.
In the latest edition of the Afghan Embassy newsletter,
Mr. Jawad said he will convey greetings from President Hamid
Karzai and urge Brazilians to invest in Afghanistan. "As
Afghanistan makes the transition from war and destruction to
peace and reconstruction, we look forward to establishing strong
bilateral relations with Brazil and encourage the country to
take advantage of many investment opportunities in Afghanistan,
thereby helping our country rebuild and develop on a long-term
basis," he said.
Mr. Jawad, who has been ambassador since December, hosted his
first Afghan independence day celebrations at the embassy with
more than 400 guests last month. ”Today, after 85 years
of independence, Afghanistan's self-reliance is truly solidifying
day by day, as the Afghan people are enthusiastically participating
in the process of building a democratic society and establishing
the rule of law, as evidenced by the successful ongoing voter-registration
process in Afghanistan," Mr. Jawad said.
More than 10.5 million Afghans registered to vote by the Aug.
20 deadline for the Oct. 9 national elections. Women, who were
systematically persecuted under the deposed Taliban regime,
make up 41.3 percent of registered voters, the embassy said.
Mr. Jawad included an appeal for the international community
to continue donating to the reconstruction of his country, urging
them to "accelerate their assistance to Afghanistan so
that our country rapidly builds the capacity to stand on her
feet." Guests at the national day reception included Deputy
Secretary of State Richard Armitage; Andrew Natsios, administrator
of the U.S. Agency for International Development; and Maureen
Quinn, the State Department's coordinator for Afghanistan.
