09 May 2003
Despite Iraq, U.S. Will Not Forget Afghanistan, Armitage Says
(Tells Kabul audience "we are able to do two things at the same time")
(1520)
Although the United States has turned much of its attention toward
Iraq, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage has assured the
people of Afghanistan that the Bush administration "is not going to
forget our responsibilities here."
Armitage, speaking in Kabul May 9 at the Afghan National Museum, said
he had been sent to "dramatically illustrate" that "we are able to do
two things at the same time."
The United States, he said, is going to be a worthy partner "in terms
of supporting political development and supporting the economic and
social redevelopment of Afghanistan."
The deputy secretary presented a $100,000 check from the people of the
United States to Afghan Minister of Information and Culture Dr. Sayed
Makhdoum Raheen to help restore the ruined national museum. Armitage
described the check as "a first installment of our investment in the
recapturing of the glories of Afghanistan."
U.S. reconstruction and redevelopment efforts in the country are
continuing "in things large and small," he said, and he mentioned the
installation of a water pumping station in Kabul that has
"dramatically bettered the lives of 406,000 citizens of this city," a
medical facility's women's dormitory, and the Kabul-Kandahar highway
which the Bush administration is trying to finish by the end of 2004
-- six months ahead of schedule.
When asked about the need to extend the International Security Force
for Afghanistan (ISAF) beyond Kabul, Armitage said the United States
preferred having Provincial Reconstruction Teams expand across the
country instead.
"We think this is a very effective way of providing both security and
extending the reach of the central government," he said.
As for U.S. forces, they will be withdrawn "once we are sure that the
government of Afghanistan feels perfectly secure," and "the people of
Afghanistan have found the necessary stability," said Armitage.
Following is the transcript of Deputy Secretary of State Armitage at
the Afghan National Museum in Kabul:
(begin transcript)
DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE RICHARD ARMITAGE'S PRESS AVAILABILITY AT THE
AFGHAN NATIONAL MUSEUM, MAY 9, 2003
Minister of Information and Culture Dr. Sayed Makhdoum Raheen: I want
to say to his excellency, welcome to the destroyed building of Kabul
Museum, this destroyed building has been one of the most important
museums of the world for almost seven decades. Unfortunately, it was
looted, it was burned, it was hit by rockets, and then during the
terrorist Taliban period, its best and most important statues were
destroyed and now we have hundreds of those pieces downstairs ready
for repair but most of them are totally gone. So I welcome you and
many of our friends have promised to help us revive this museum, among
them I can mention UNESCO, SPACH, Japanese, British and Greek friends,
and I have the honor to say our American friends have been very
cooperative in different fields of culture and art and press. And
today, will not be the last time you have helped us. Thank you. And I
know how tired you must be from traveling.
Deputy Secretary Armitage: Thank you, Mr. Minister. Good afternoon,
ladies and gentlemen. President Bush has asked me to come to
Afghanistan, shortly following Secretary Rumsfeld's visit, to
dramatically make the point that the United States, although we may be
occupied at present in Iraq, is not going to forget our
responsibilities here in Afghanistan and that we are able to do two
things at the same time. And I was sent here to rather dramatically
illustrate that, in terms of supporting political development and
supporting the economic and social redevelopment of Afghanistan, that
the United States is going to be a worthy partner. About ten days ago,
in Washington, I had the great opportunity to reinitiate the Fulbright
Scholarship Program with Afghanistan. The important thing about that
scholarship program is that education is inherently a long-term
investment. So too, when we come here to this tragic place now, a
place that with the treasures of the past, before the Taliban, helped
us prepare for the future. We also want to be a part of investing in
this. And I want to present to you today, a check for a $100,000 to
begin our part to help restore this to its former glory. Mr. Minister,
if you would kindly accept this check from the people of the United
States as a first installment of our investment in the recapturing of
the glories of Afghanistan.
Question: (Paul Anderson, Reuters) Mr. Armitage, Afghan government
officials have told us that they are concerned about the Taliban
coming across the Pakistan border and sheltering in Pakistan and even
talk of some Pakistani officials supporting the Taliban remnants. I
wondered if the Afghan government had shared those concerns with you
today and whether you think Pakistan needs to do more to combat the
Taliban?
Mr. Armitage: I had a long discussion with President Karzai and Dr.
Abdullah and their colleagues today, before, during and after lunch.
Among the things we talked about was the situation along the border
with Pakistan. It is a very porous border. The tribal areas are
well-known for their own independence. I think we all have to do more
to make sure that the remnants of the Taliban are gotten rid of for
good.
Question: (John Raedler, CNN) Mr. Brahimi appeared before the United
Nations Security Council this week and advocated yet again the need to
extend ISAF beyond Kabul in accord with steps foreseen in the Bonn
Agreement. What is the US stance on that? How many troops do you think
this would take and will the US get involved in ISAF?
Mr. Armitage: Well, obviously, we took careful note of Ambassador
Brahimi's statement in front of the Security Council. We ourselves
have slightly different views about the most effective way to bring
security, reconstruction, stability to Afghanistan. This is why we
have started the Provincial Reconstruction Teams which are now in
three areas and which will expand shortly to others. We think this is
a very effective way of providing both security and extending the
reach of the central government. But we always welcome Mr. Brahimi's
comments and we keep them closely in mind.
Question: (Todd Pittman, AP) You announced a hundred thousand dollars
in aid for the museum here and I am sure that that is very welcomed
and needed, but as far as the museum in Iraq, do you have any concrete
plans to help that museum which American forces were present when it
was being looted?
Mr. Armitage: I think you might want to check the use of the word
"looting." It seems that it was a very mixed picture about what
happened at the museum in Baghdad and I was informed last night,
through a BBC broadcast so possibly it is not correct, that there were
only 38 or so pieces that were still missing. The United States has
brought the full weight of our law enforcement, including the FBI, to
this. Not to mention our military forces are on the lookout and have
already recovered numerous articles so I don't think you will be too
disappointed with the final results.
Question: (Suhayl Shuaib, Kabul Times) Mr. Armitage, General McNeill
has said that US forces might begin withdrawing from Afghanistan as of
the summer of next year. Do you think that Afghanistan will be ready
for that?
Mr. Armitage: The United States will withdraw its forces once we are
sure that the government of Afghanistan feels perfectly secure. That
the people of Afghanistan have found the necessary stability, whether
we begin to withdraw any one day or another is a question that our
military forces will bring forward to the political leadership but
there is no set date for anything as far as I know yet.
Question: (garbled)
Mr. Armitage: You've asked quite a far ranging question. Let me say
that, on the road, which is a major construction project, President
Bush has ordered us to exert every effort to finish the road, along
with our Japanese partners, by the end of the year which would be six
months ahead of the original projected schedule. I've just come from a
USAID funded water pumping station which seems to me, if I correctly
heard my interlocutors, to have rather dramatically bettered the lives
of 406,000 citizens of this city. On Sunday, our excellent Ambassador
will be cutting the ribbon on a medical facility's women's' dormitory
which will allow women to come from the countryside and take part in
learning to be to then go back and serve the people so my own view is
that in things large and small, that the United States and other
nations are trying to be a part of the reconstruction and
redevelopment of this nation. What Secretary Rumsfeld mentioned was
that we were going to what we call Phase Four stability operations
which inherently are more dedicated to development and reconstruction.
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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