Hamid Karzai

“ We have today in Afghanistan the leaders of the former resistance of Afghanistan against the Soviet Union. We have also millions of refugees who have left Afghanistan because of tyranny and invasion. They are all back in their country, and more are returning.
Ladies and gentlemen, Afghanistan has emerged from a very dark era, one of oppression and terror. We have adopted an enlightened Constitution, establishing a democratic Islamic government. It guarantees equal rights and equal protection for every citizen of our country. ”

“ Drug profits finance private militias, terrorists and extremists. Drug profits undermine our efforts to build a healthy and legitimate national economy. Drugs threaten the lives and future of children, yours and ours. We are determined to cleanse Afghanistan from this menace. ”

“ We, the Afghan people, have once again established ourselves as a proud and sovereign nation. Without your support and commitment and without the partnership between our two nations, none of this would have been achieved. ”

“ Many obstacles exist, and numerous milestones remain to be reached before we can fully realize our shared vision of a stable, prosperous and democratic Afghanistan.
We have to travel further. Private militias pose a threat to the consolidation of stability and democracy in our country. They continue to oppress our people and challenge law, order and government authority. The Afghan people demand and insist on disarming and demobilizing private militias. ”

“ With your support, men and women of Afghanistan have now equal rights before the law and the Constitution. The new Constitution replaces the Taliban-imposed gender discrimination by assigning 25 percent of the seats in our future parliament for women. Together we have furthered democracy by creating a climate where 35 percent of the voters so far registered for our election are women. ”

“ We must build a partnership that will consolidate our achievements and enhance stability, prosperity, and democracy in Afghanistan and in the region. This requires sustaining and accelerating the reconstruction of Afghanistan through long-term commitment, a free trade agreement between the United States and Afghanistan, and providing incentives to the private sector for investing in Afghanistan. ”

“ Afghanistan is open for business and American companies are most welcome. Together we will make Afghanistan a great success and an enduring example of a prosperous democratic society.
Our shared success in Afghanistan is vital to achieving victory over the greatest menace the world faces today, terrorism and extremism. ”

“ With your support, Afghanistan has accomplished a number of significant achievements. We have begun to rebuild our schools. Over 5 million children, boys and girls, attend schools across Afghanistan. We have also commenced to develop health centers to provide basic services to our people, especially to our women and children, who have suffered the most during the decades of war and turmoil. ”

“ Very few Afghans have access to safe drinking water. While our country has rich hydroelectric potential, oil, gas and coal reserves, only 6 percent of the Afghans have reliable access to electricity. While Afghanistan has great rivers, our farmers ironically suffer from a shortage of water. ”

“ And as I speak today, ladies and gentlemen, I received a report this morning from the election commission in the central part of the country that the registrators for voting are more than 50 percent women, and in the rest of the country they are more than 30 percent. As this process continues through September, we will have at least 6 to 7 million registered, and I am sure we will reach nearly 70 percent of them to be women. ”

“ In the economic dimension, despite our achievements over the past 21⁄2 years, we continue to be one of the poorest countries. We still have the second highest infant and maternal mortality rates in the world. ”

“ Ladies and gentlemen, these are significant impediments, yet we are confident that with your continued support and commitment, we, the Afghan people, will overcome them as we have triumphed over other challenges in the past 2 years. To succeed, we ask for your continued investment. ”

“ Even now our vast mineral resources such as iron ore, copper and precious stones remain undeveloped. Our delicious fruits are not reaching major markets due to the lack of refrigeration and proper marketing. ”