Thank you very much, Mr. Prime Minister, and let me thank our
British hosts for the warm welcome and hospitality and for hosting the
conference, and also to you, Prime Minister Blair and your government,
for playing a decisive role to help make this moment possible.
President Karzai, Secretary General Annan, fellow members of this group,
ladies and gentlemen: What brings us together today is a monumental
achievement of our young century: the ongoing transformation of Afghanistan
from tyranny to democracy. This triumph is a credit, first and foremost,
to the noble Afghan people, to the leadership of President Karzai, and
it is, as such, an example of what the world can achieve when we all
work together.
We all remember the Afghanistan of the past. A country ravaged and ruined
by the Taliban’s cruelty. A country completely isolated from the
world and home to al-Qaida. A country where human dignity was trampled,
where liberty was deemed an impure thought, and where soccer stadiums
became killing fields for women guilty only of learning to read.
After the United States and our allies removed the Taliban regime, the
Afghan people set out to liberate themselves. They did so with the international
community by their side. And today, we mark the fulfillment of the ambitious
vision that we all set out together four years ago in Bonn, Germany:
a fully-functioning, sovereign Afghan government.
Who among us could have imagined what the people of Afghanistan would
achieve in this short time? A new, democratic constitution. An emerging
free economy. A growing, multi-ethnic army that is the pride of the
Afghan people. Successful presidential and parliamentary elections,
in which millions of citizens -- men and women -- voted freely for the
first time.
The international support for Afghanistan has been extensive and impressive.
Many different countries are lending their expertise and resources to
reconstruction. Regional partners are joining together to help, along
with the United Nations and the European Union. And many countries,
like Japan and Great Britain, and of course Germany, have distinguished
themselves through their overwhelming generosity and dedication.
On the security side, NATO is leading the international effort to help
the Afghan people secure their new democracy. Our hosts, the United
Kingdom, are stepping up to lead this deployment, as it expands throughout
Afghanistan. And our friends in Canada deserve special thanks for their
essential contribution to this important NATO mission.
With so much progress, some could be tempted to think that the hard
work is done. President Bush and I do not share this view. Nor do the
American people. The United States is fully devoted to the long-term
success of Afghanistan. For us, this is a strategic partnership. We
have committed tens of thousands of our troops to help stabilize the
country. We have sacrificed precious American lives. And now, in addition
to our current commitment of nearly $6 billion, today, I am proud to
announce that President Bush will ask our Congress for $1.1 billion
in new assistance to support the Afghan people in the next year.
The Compact that we endorse here today sets out an inspiring vision
for the future of Afghanistan -- a future of liberty and tolerance,
and permanent peace. Today, we renew the purpose of our multilateral
partnership: to empower the Afghan people to guarantee democracy’s
enduring success -- not just as a form of governance, but as a way of
life.
To ensure the security of Afghan democracy, the country’s army
and police must be fully capable to act on their own, to protect the
lives and liberties of their citizens, and to defeat the terrorists
and militants who still threaten democracy’s progress.
To ensure the prosperity of Afghan democracy, the country’s economy
must continue to offer greater opportunities for farmers, and traders,
and entrepreneurs to succeed in the legal free market -- without being
driven into the underground economy or narcotics trade. And Afghanistan
must again find its rightful place in the region's economy and economic
development.
Finally, to ensure the integrity of Afghan democracy, the country’s
constitution, and the laws that its National Assembly will soon pass,
must translate into an effective system of justice for all Afghans.
The transformation of Afghanistan is remarkable but, of course, still
incomplete. And it is essential that we all increase our support for
the Afghan people.
In Afghanistan today, the world is witnessing an unprecedented moment
in the history of freedom. The impatient patriots of Afghanistan are
helping to lead the expansion of liberty throughout the Broader Middle
East. They are affirming -- just as Europeans, and Asians, and Africans,
and indeed Americans themselves did at earlier times -- that the longing
for liberty and self-government is universally desired, and universally
deserved.
This remarkable journey, which many thought impossible only four years
ago, will one day, in retrospect, seem to have been inevitable. So let
us recommit ourselves, let us redouble our efforts, to the future of
Afghanistan, knowing that in a safe and secure and democratic Afghanistan
the world will have a lasting friend and a lasting fighter for peace.
Let us achieve that future together. Thank you.
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