09966

06/25/2002
EDITORIAL NUMBER=0-09966

PROGRESS IN AFGHANISTAN

The Loya Jirga, Afghanistan’s national council, recently concluded nine days of meetings. Representatives from all parts of Afghanistan met to debate the future of their country. The Loya Jirga also elected Hamid Karzai to lead Afghanistan for the next eighteen months. Since January, Mr. Karzai has served as chairman of Afghanistan’s interim government.

The meeting of the Loya Jirga and Hamid Karzai’s election are the latest actions in Afghanistan’s recovery from years of Soviet occupation, civil war, and natural calamities. "Afghans are making the decisions," said U.S. State Department spokesman Philip Reeker. "We think it’s a very important step forward in the reconstruction of Afghanistan and the re-establishment of self-government."

Since the September 11^th attacks on the United States, the American and Afghan people have worked together to root out a common enemy -- international terrorism. The Afghan people have been liberated from the oppression of the Taleban regime. The Taleban had given sanctuary and support to Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaida terrorists.

Even as the U.S.-led coalition works to eliminate the remaining Taleban and al-Qaida, the U.S. continues to be the biggest donor of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. The U.S. has already given more than three-hundred-sixty-million dollars in assistance to Afghanistan since last September.

The U.S., said President George W. Bush, "is committed for the long haul in Afghanistan." The U.S. is currently helping to train a new Afghan national army. And Turkey has taken charge of the international security force that operates in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital.

But, said President Bush, "Beyond questions of security and reconstruction, our countries have a number of important issues to discuss." These include illicit drug production, regional stability, and human rights. "We have," said President Bush, "made a start on addressing all of these issues and...we will make sure that we capitalize on this momentum."