12 October 2001
Fact Sheet: U.S. Policy Statements on Post-Taliban Afghanistan
(Issued by State's Office of International Information Programs) (580)
(begin fact sheet)
The U.S. and its allies are looking ahead to a post-Taliban
Afghanistan.
For over twenty years, Afghanistan has been wracked by armed conflict.
While the competing factions have fought each other, the Afghan people
have suffered enormously.
The U.S. recognizes no faction as the rulers of Afghanistan. The U.S.
is not engaged in "nation building." The U.S. is, however, clearing
the way for Afghans to do their own nation building. Only Afghans can
build their nation, and establish a broad-based government. Only
Afghans can bring their country back into the community of nations and
rebuild their future. The U.S. purpose is to help make it possible for
them to do that.
The U.S. has said that Afghanistan needs a broad-based government, and
that when they form such a government, the U.S. will help with the
process of reconstruction and development.
Here is what U.S. officials have said in recent days about a
post-Taliban Afghanistan.
President Bush (October 11, 2001):
"One of the things we've got to make sure of is that all parties, all
interested parties, have an opportunity to be part of a new
government.... We shouldn't play favorites between one group or
another within Afghanistan."
"Secondly we've got to work for a stable Afghanistan so that her
neighbors don't fear terrorist activity again coming out of that
country. Third, it would be helpful, of course, to eradicate
narco-trafficking out of Afghanistan, as well."
"I believe that the United Nations would - could provide the framework
necessary to help meet those conditions. It would be a useful function
for the United Nations to take over the so-called 'nation-building,' -
I would call it the stabilization of a future government - after our
military mission is complete."
Secretary of State Colin Powell (Oct. 10, 2001):
"We want to see eventually arise in Afghanistan a government that
represents all the people of Afghanistan, that is prepared to take
care of the needs of its people, not to repress its people. And so we
are in touch with all of the different factions to start to see how
such a government could arise if the Taliban were to collapse and go
out of power.... We are also working closely with the United Nations.
The United Nations might well have to play a very, very important role
in a post-Taliban world."
"We are keeping in touch with all the parties to make sure we have
them all moving in the right direction and beginning to cooperate with
each other more than they have in the past."
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (October 11, 2001):
"We're in the business of rooting out terrorists and creating a very
high cost for those who decide they think it's in their interest to
harbor terrorists. The Afghan people are going to have to sort out
which among the opposition groups will have what role in a
post-Taliban Afghanistan."
State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher (October 11, 2001):
"We do believe that Afghanistan needs a broad-based government. We
have been working for many years with the UN and others on that. We
have been keeping in touch with all the various parties. And we have
made quite clear that were there to be such a broad-based government
in Afghanistan, we would intend to help that government with
reconstruction, with developing the country."
(end fact sheet)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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