بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم

Elected Representatives of the People of Afghanistan,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In the Name of God,

With wishes for prosperity and dignity of the Afghan nation, I inaugurate the first session and the first legislative period of the National Assembly of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

Praise be to God for providing our nation the opportunity to be in control of its own destiny. This gathering represents the assumption of full sovereignty by the great people of Afghanistan and Almighty God’s blessing. Over the course of our long history and during difficult days, the women and men of our country have stood steadfastly for defense of their homeland and religion and have saved their fellow countrymen and their country’s historic destiny. This soil has been inherently stable for thousands of years and will last forever.

Respectable representatives of the People of Afghanistan,

With the establishment of the parliament, the main pillars of the state of Afghanistan as per the Constitution are now in place. It is an opportunity to remember those men and women who have sacrificed their lives to pave the way for this historic event. Hundreds of thousands of men and women of this country have lost their lives for freedom and we cherish their memories and pray for their souls. The enemies of our country’s security resorted to killing the electoral staff, security forces and the candidates during the parliamentary elections. We pray for the souls of these victims of freedom and peace. Afghans will always cherish their memories.

Respectable Senators

Completion of pillars of the State doesn’t mean full execution of the government’s duties; more difficult responsibilities are lying ahead of us. Separation of powers and performance of responsibilities of each of the three powers are among the duties lying ahead. At this historic juncture, the role of parliament as a legislative power and mirror of democracy is highly critical and significant. Political institutions must demonstrate their loyalty to the Government (state) of Afghanistan. So long as the difference of opinions and sound competition among political trends are at the service of the people of Afghanistan, the country will benefit. The principle of loyalty to the Government of Afghanistan, state in the context of people, sovereignty and democracy are the principles that can’t be ignored. Cooperation, competitions and efforts all need to happen but for the service of the people and strengthening the Government. The competition of different visions to adopt best approaches to give the people of Afghanistan the chance for free choice would lead to further safety of the society as well as political system.

I want to assure the people of Afghanistan and their elected representatives that the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is the servant of the nation subject to the law and will fully abide by the decisions of the state.

It is very difficult to strengthen state institutions, ensure the maintenance of law and order, end interference, beat terrorism, fight corruption and reduce poverty unless we improve coordination among state entities and harmonize the national and international resources.

Dear distinguished members of the National Assembly,

When the Interim Administration was established, the state system was in a complete state of disarray. The political, economic, social and cultural infrastructures of the country were totally destroyed. Different parts of the country were ruled by various armed factions and had their own styles of administration. Administration system was dismantled. Roads were in state of disrepair. There were no health services and the status of education system was of most concern. The government treasury was empty and public funds and property had lost its true sense. In such a situation came very worrying the Interim administration taking control of the political leadership.

From the day one, despite all these challenges, we have tried our utmost to implement the Bonn Agreement with full integrity. This Agreement involved two committed sides: Afghanistan to pave the ground and facilitate implementation of the Agreement and the international community to support in military, security, economic and political areas. With support from international community, Afghanistan has had the following achievements in the last four years:

1. Rule of Law

The convention of the Emergency Loya Jirga was the first step towards participation of Afghan citizens in the political life of their country. This Loya Jirga to some extent filled the legal vacuum and kick-started the realization of the Bonn agreement based on the predetermined timeline. The establishment of the Constitution Drafting and Review commissions, the drafting of the constitution and subsequently the convention of the Constitutional Loya Jirga for final approval were part of our concerted efforts towards building a state based on rule of law.

Approval of the constitution based on the wishes of our people legitimized our government. The constitution provides a legal and political framework for our polity and moves our country towards a democratic and sovereign state after years of devastating war.

After the establishment of the Interim Administration, the government passed several laws and issued many legislative decrees to fill the existing legal vacuum. All this was done in an effort to legitimize the working procedures of the government. In accordance with the constitution, all these laws and decrees will shortly be submitted to the National Assembly.

The presidential and parliamentary elections were two other major achievements towards building a democratic state in Afghanistan. Adherence to the principles of participation and election showed that the people of Afghanistan are taking courageous steps towards ensuring democratic rule.

1. Peace and Security

To expand the legitimate control of the central government throughout Afghanistan was a crucial issue in our state-building efforts. In our security policy, the demobilization, disarmament and disintegration of illegal armed groups were very problematic tasks.

The demobilization, disarmament and Reintegration (DDR) of armed groups from one side and the building and training of a national army, national police and security forces from the other, were two major tasks that needed to be accomplished.

In the first phase of the DDR program, thirty-six thousand light weapons and ten thousand heavy weapons were collected from a number of 63380 individuals out of which 61533 have been included in the reintegration process. 28157 persons have taken reintegration courses and 23370 have been provided with employment opportunities after graduation. The disarmament process continues under the DAIG program and so far sixteen thousand light and heavy weapons have been collected.

The building of a national army, police and armed forces loyal to the constitution is ongoing and so far around 34591 national army soldiers and more than fifty-thousand police and security forces have received trainings. The human and institutional capacities of the armed forces have expanded and have also been equipped technically. Their leadership and management have improved considerably.

1. Education

We have had visible achievements in the area of education during the past four years. Approximately 6.5 million girls and boys are attending schools and higher education institutions. 35% of these students are girls. During the Taliban regime, even one higher educational institution was not fully functioning but now there are 19 functional institutions in the country out of which 10 are universities.

1. Human rights, women’s rights and civil society

In the last three decades, the human rights of our people especially of the women’s were widely violated. In other words, Afghanistan was the home of prisons, torture and destruction. Rule of law was missing. Pluralism was opposed and the women were marginalized in the society. Now, in accordance with our constitution, the civil and human rights of all our citizens are safeguarded. The Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and thousands of other organizations are assessing human rights issues and freely operate in our country. Today we have a free media. Around 300 papers are published inside the country. There are five TV and more than 20 radio stations. There are dozens of civil society organizations operating in the country. The emergence of civil society is an important sign of political development in our society.

Civil society organizations play an important role in informing citizens of and providing oversight of the government activities. Civil society is an important tenet of democracy in our country.

Major positive steps have been taken to further strengthen the system, ensure participation of the people in the leadership and administration and ensure peaceful resolution of conflicts. Example of such steps is the positive measures taken by the Peace and Reconciliation Commission.

1. In the Areas of Economy, Fiscal Policy and Social Affairs

It is a top priority for the Government of Afghanistan to establish a stable and strong national economy. Transition from a government-controlled economy to a free market economy is a very tricky business. Lack of security for investors and entrepreneurs, bureaucracy and other impediments are discouraging and require the foreign and domestic investors’ patience to invest in Afghanistan. The existing culture of pinning hope on the government reduces the trend for creativity. On the other hand, lack of infrastructures and other essential prerequisites hamper the progress of work in this direction. Road networks, irrigation canals, power stations and other networks of economic significance were destroyed in our country over the past years. Nevertheless, our country has experienced a satisfactory economic growth. Afghanistan had an economic growth of 29% in the year 2002, 18% in 2003 and 8% in 2004 .We hope this country’s economic growth will be 13% this year. I should stress the fact that despite the economic growth, the inflation has reduced. It is very difficult to revive the damaged economy.

We have been able to implement 4057 km highway projects (of which 1743 km have been asphalted). In addition, 6620 km highways have been graveled. Border areas of Afghanistan have been supplied with electricity from neighboring countries and the survey of some water dams is currently underway. We are striving to build the capacity of government institutions to be able to cope with natural disasters and unexpected phenomena and to gain relevant disaster control experience. The development of rural areas within the framework of national solidarity program is a top priority for the government. To date, 13000 villages have benefited from the national solidarity program.

Having controlled the public treasury, putting an end to the account named as “ president’s discretionary” and putting in place a modern budget based on the contemporary scientific principles are other achievements of the government.

Afghanistan did not have a single currency four years ago. Several currencies were in circulation at that time which had different values and people traded in foreign currencies. To end this chaos, printing new currency was decided. The monetary reform program has been the most successful program initiated by the government. The reform of the monetary system and bringing it into circulation are essential elements of the country’s economy. The money Afghanistan is currently using has been one of the stable currencies in the region since its circulation and has so far not had any significant fluctuation in its exchange rate compared to other major world currencies like Euro, and Dollar. The empty treasury that this government inherited is now fortunately containing 1.5 billion Dollars as cash.

Within all these efforts, the government has addressed the social problems of people as well. Return of 4 and half million immigrants is promising but their accommodation, medical and educational facilities and meeting all their expectations is demanding task. The government has begun distributing lands to half million refugee families and so far 25,000 families in 28 provinces have been provided with plots of land. In the last four years, not only the forced internal displacement has been stopped but also due to social and security improvements, the IDP’s have returned to their own places of living.

In the year 2004 only 9% of the population was covered with medical facilities, while today it is increased up to 77 %. During these years 4325 health faculties , 661 basic health centers, 413 general medical centers, 66 district hospitals , 33 provincial hospitals and 13 zone and specialized hospitals have been constructed.

1. Foreign Policy and international relations

The main step in this area was to take Afghanistan out of the international isolation. We had an isolated country with no international relations. Establishment of Afghanistan’s diplomatic relations with countries of the world and return of Afghanistan into the international political arena were among the significant issues that we had to initially deal with. After three decades of war, this country not only had to establish independent relations but also had to promote them. Having an active and positive foreign policy as a peaceful country, with reliance on the Charter of the United Nations and other international norms was among our basic foreign policy achievements.

We have good relations with our neighboring countries. The Afghan people greatly appreciate the support and assistance of the neighboring countries in the reconstruction of Afghanistan and the fight against terrorism.

The people of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan provided unprecedented support to our country during years of Jihad. We will never forget the hospitality that our Pakistani brothers and sisters provided to Afghan refugees and will always value it. The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is involved in our reconstruction efforts. Both countries have things in common in combating terrorism and it is obvious that each country alone is not able to achieve victory over this threat.

Trade between our countries has increased to an unprecedented level. Now Pakistan’s annual exports to Afghanistan are valued more than 1.2 billion dollars. We believe in expanding relations between the two countries on the basis of equality, mutual respect, principle of non-interfering in each others internal affairs.

Our relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran are based on the principle of good neighborly relations, non-interference in the internal affairs of each other and cooperation in economic and cultural areas. We appreciate Iran’s support of Afghanistan reconstruction and fight against terrorism. Meanwhile, I appreciate this country’s hospitality towards Afghan refugees both now and in the past and its support to Afghanistan for its fight against foreign aggressions.

Our relations with the United States are based on the principles of friendship, cooperation and mutual respect; the relations are strategic and have special significance for us. Our relations expand within the framework of our common war against international terrorism and in transferring Afghanistan into a strategic place of peace in the region. Afghanistan and the United States share common views in combating terrorism, creation of a free market economy in Afghanistan, promotion of democracy, respect of human rights as well as views on many major political regional and global issues. The Declaration on Long-term Strategic Partnership between Afghanistan and United Stated shows how significant the bilateral relations between the two countries are.

Our relations with the European countries and Japan are cordial and deep. These countries have supported our efforts in state building, creation of a national economy, ensuring security and our efforts in many other areas. We greatly appreciate the support and assistance these countries are providing. Afghanistan believes that the signing of the Declaration of Strategic Cooperation with the European Union, signing of the Declaration of Long-term Cooperation with the United Kingdom and the on-going efforts for a broader strategic partnership with NATO are of special significance for the long-term security and economic expansion of our country. Afghanistan will make efforts to expand these relations considering the values recognized in these declarations and in accordance to the internationally accepted norms..

We have cordial and good relations with the countries of the region. The Republic of India is a historic friend of Afghanistan. Even though India is not among the prime donor countries, its generous assistance of 550 million dollars to Afghanistan’s reconstruction and development attest of the unwavering friendship between the two countries. A significant number of Afghan students using India’s scholarships to Afghanistan will soon be studying in India. Our countries have traditional friendship and we want to expand our relations where possible with this big country of Asia and the largest democracy of the world.

Afghanistan enjoys historic friendship with the People’s Republic of China. This country has provided significant amount of support to our reconstruction and development processes. We want to further expand our mutual relations. The People’s Republic of China is a major Asian power with clear prospects for growth and development. Strengthening of our relations with this country is of special importance for us.

We have enjoy good relations with our neighboring countries of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Expansion of economic cooperation and cultural exchanges with these countries are on the top of our foreign policy. We continue to further the deep-rooted historical relation with Turkey, and we are pleased with Turkey’s valuable assistance in our efforts of reconstruction and peace-building.

We are an inseparable part of the Islamic World. Enhancing our political relations with all Islamic and Arab countries is another core priority of our foreign policy. Efforts have been made for this purpose. We are glad that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other Islamic countries support our efforts of reconstruction, security and peace building.

Afghanistan favors relations based on friendship and goodwill with the Russian Federation. Every new beginning requires to bravely deal with problems of the past. The Afghan nation tremendously suffered and gave countless victims during the course of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. We would like cordial dialogue between the two countries and hope the Russian federation participate in Afghanistan reconstruction process.

Today, Afghanistan holds a prestigious position within the international organizations. We have maintained our rightful stand in the United Nations and Organization of Islamic Conferences. Meanwhile; Afghanistan is a member of the Regional Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), a member of the Central Asian Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) and we are pleased to have recently become a member of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

Esteemed representatives of the nation!

With all the success and strides, we have a long road ahead. We need to put even more efforts forward in building a stable and self-reliant Afghanistan. We must be ready to give sacrifices to protect our freedom, independence and territorial integrity. I would like to say to the nation’s representatives that in spite of the success achieved in the past four years, we have not been able to fulfill all of the legitimate demands of our people.

Allow me to explain to you issues which are at the spotlight of the government’s future working policy for accomplishment of which are required strong efforts.

• Defending cultural values, promoting political and civil freedoms

Defending the cherished values of the sacred religion of Islam and promoting our culture are the prime objectives. We strongly believe in promoting culture of tolerance in accordance with cherished values of Islam and accepted moral principles. Adequate attention should be paid to rebuilding of mosques and religious centers, to promoting cultural values, and to appropriately utilizing of religious allocated properties. Our cultural policy recommends safeguarding of historical sites and relics as well as prevention of illegal excavation of historical sites.

• Campaign against terrorism:

 

Terrorism is still a problem to our country. To eliminate this menace, we have to address the roots and prime sources of this menace. The root of terrorism in Afghanistan has originated from outside. Those, who carry out destructive efforts and kill our religious scholars, elders, school teachers and road workers and other innocent people, and destroy our hospitals, and set ablaze schools, should keep in mind that the Afghan people are determined and united against them.

Afghanistan will not be place of terrorists, and with the grace of Allah, the Almighty, it will be safe from foreign invasion.

Two days ago in southern province of Helmand, the terrorists killed a student and a janitor of a school. These inhumane and anti-Islamic acts can well reveal the ill intentions of the terrorists.

• Counter-Narcotics

To fight against cultivation, production and trafficking of narcotics is of vital importance to Afghanistan. Our farmers gain the minimum benefit of production of narcotics while utmost benefit of narcotic-trade goes to international traffickers. The main victims of narcotics are our own youths. The drug-economy is deemed to be crime and it greatly impedes economic growth. The fund, which comes out of drug economy, disburses to help training of our enemies. Narcotic swell moral and social corruptions. Where there is tradition of narcotics, it has no place within the international community and will stay isolated.

We have pledged to our people and the international community that we will seriously fight this menace [narcotics]. Because; our religion orders fighting narcotics, so we will continue our fight for the sake of prosperity of future generations. We will continue to conduct a comprehensive program against this social threat; provision of alternative livelihood would be a part of this program.

I urge all government officials to take active part in the process of our combat for elimination of this menace.

• Administrative capacity building and fighting corruption

 

One of the principles of a government, as the servant of the nation, is the presence of a legitimate, transparent and obedient administration. Unfortunately, over the years of turmoil in the country, administrative corruption reached its climax. There are several kinds of corruption: bribery, misuse, seizure of public property, abuse of state authority, nepotism, preferring ethnic and tribal inclinations, etc. Ignoring responsibility, escapes from law, cronyism, preferring relations over rule are all factors which prevent creation of efficient administration. If people who are engaged in combating corruption come to commit corruption themselves, the campaign would obviously not yield ideal results.

In the past four years, the government was not very successful in its combat against corruption; we were not able to rip apart the circle of corrupt people. We did not have positive result in our efforts of administrative reform and transparency.

Distinguished representatives!

Administration reform and combat against terrorism cannot be achieved easily and in shorter time, but rather requires enough time. It needs cooperation and endeavors by the public and all government powers (legislative, judicial, executive). If people assisted government honestly, there is a ray of hope that our country will get rid of this menace.

• Promoting national economy, employment and combating poverty:

Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries of the world. People have low income, a majority of people are unemployed, and even the employed people have a low income. The government must concentrate to root out poverty. It is worth mentioning that foreign aid can provide job opportunities, but cannot make our country wealthy, while foreign and domestic investment could render employment and brings wealth to this country.

We want government not to be the only source of employment, but we intend to provide further job opportunities for the people by encouraging investments in the country. The government must eliminate legal obstacles and seriously fight corruption. We shouldn’t miss the opportunity and put a lot of efforts to convince foreign and domestic investment, in particular, the local industry of Afghanistan has to be expanded and convinced.

We must continue our effort in order to channel the assistance of international community through government and prevent squander and waste of funds and finally utilize the aids in useful projects. Afghanistan enjoys tremendous possibility to improve agriculture. To promote agriculture, we plan to take drastic and significant steps forward.

The issue of building power stations is of high importance for us in or to improve living standard of people. We deem it very important to adopt a policy for using water for production of energy and improvement of agriculture sector.

• Emigrants’ problems and their settlement:

Emigrants returning to the country may have different capacities, some have capital to invest, while others have professional skills, yet some others may have learned different skills during emigration. Therefore, the return of emigrants will provide the country with some opportunities. We must pay full attention to the issue of respectful voluntary return of emigrants to their homeland, and must provide them with basic facilities.

Many of our young people have obtained higher education during tough times of emigration. These young people should be encouraged to return to the country. Their return will solve a major part of the country’s human resource problems.

I strongly ask our young people living abroad to return and take part in building their county.

We will enhance efforts to ensure emigrants in host countries have their rights given according to international standards. Our countrymen who cannot return for social considerations should have support of the state consulates according to international laws.

The country’s diplomatic missions have the responsibility to ensure the rights of Afghan migrants abroad in line with the international laws. In today’s world, migrant workers are considered constructive resource. We must use the opportunity for our economic growth, and must adopt a proper policy to that end.

• Capacity building, Education

 

The experience of the developed world has proved that the development and advancement can only be achieved through a well educated society.

The economical and technical advancement we see in the south Asian countries like India and Malaysia are the result of effective educational policies. Education should be evenly provided to all parts of the country. And Afghanistan should be able to meet its requirements through its educated citizens. For materializing this dream, we will intensify the effort on improving educational system and will go to all length for the betterment of the teachers' living conditions. The efforts are being made for devising and adopting a very advanced curriculum that is intended to be in line with international educational standards and requirements of this age.

Beside our emphasis on the fair distribution of educational opportunities and facilities across the country, we are committed to disinterestedly allot the foreign scholarships among all provinces of the country. We also plan to educate the students of both the secondary and higher education in a manner that entitles them for employment within the private sector immediately after their graduation.

Taking into consideration our economical needs, the technical and vocational education must receive a significant amount of our attention. Afghanistan now is in dire need for the skilled work force. We have enough amount of ordinary human capacity, but the number of our experts and professionals is significantly low.

The spread of literacy and combat against illiteracy is of critical importance to our country. Women should be encouraged to have a larger representation in campaigns against illiteracy and in the educational institutions as a whole.

• Defense and Security Policy

Security is not merely a military issue. True security can only be achieved when our people are protected against terror and violence and when they are provided with at least minimum social security. We consider security as integral parts of both our defense and social policy. Only pursuing military objectives is not rational. The policy of consolidating peace in our country should be maintained. This policy is an opportunity for those of our compatriots who are ready to abandon violence. We should not deprive our compatriots of the opportunity to return to a peaceful life. Availing this opportunity, I renew my invitation to those who love the religion and culture of our people and Afghanistan to join the peace process so that they are no longer victimized by the whims of the foreign enemies.

Peace and security cannot be achieved in this chaotic world with mere statements of morality. Afghanistan should be able to possess such a strong army equipped with patriotic aspirations so that our bitter history is not repeated. Having strong armed forces is not enough, defense and security forces should realize that they are the soldiers of this Republic and the defenders of this soil. The tradition of sacrifice and devotion of our people should always be alive and sustained by our armed forces.

Preferring national interests over partisan, ethnic and regional interests and other divisive aims should become the real belief and aspiration of Afghanistan army. The sad experiences of the last thirty years and the planned downfall of Afghanistan army by foreign countries were made possible by those who lacked such a national aspiration.

The establishment of ground and air defense forces able to defend our borders is indispensable. The Islamic Republic will do everything possible in this direction. The establishment of a professional army is not contradictory to the objective of recruitment of the youth of the country for defense and social services. The government of Afghanistan will seriously consider recruiting youth to serve under Afghanistan flag. The Afghan army and other security forces should be equipped with modern weaponry. Police and the border forces as well as other security forces should realize that they are the servants of this country and the guardians of their borders. Ensuring security and defending the liberties of our people are the prime tasks of our security forces. Security forces should not mistreat people. People are the owner of the state and the real source of political power. Combating violence, torture and mistreatment of the citizens is one of the main reasons for the legitimacy of our government and state.

• Foreign Policy

Our foreign policy is based upon the principle of non-interference, peaceful resolution of disputes, acceptance of national sovereignty and national integrity of countries. Afghanistan is committed to the Charter of the United Nations, International Declaration of Human Rights, and all other international bilateral and multilateral treaties. Our policy of friendship and cooperation with all countries is based on respect to our national sovereignty and integrity. The reality of this new world is that it is shrinking day by day. In such a world, time and place take on a different meaning. Cultures are coming closer. In such a world, the foreign and domestic policies of the countries should be based on existing realities. We do not want to live in an isolated civilization and consider other cultures as foreign and enemy. Rather, we would like to consciously find our place in this globalizing process.

Today, Afghanistan is a country where countries of different cultures and beliefs are cooperating with each other in its reconstruction. From my perspective, this is the cooperation of the civilizations. The collaboration of international community in the peace-building and reconstruction process in our country is a magnificent experience for strengthening co-existence and understanding among us all. This is a historic opportunity for us to compile lessons of this experience and present them to the global community.

Our foreign policy is founded based on the following three principles: formidable loyalty to the family of Islamic countries, strategic cooperation with the Western countries, loyalty to continued friendship and belief in vital common interests with the countries of the region.

The convention of the London conference with the objective of continuation of international assistances as the Bonn process is over is of paramount importance to our country. Afghanistan has the determining role in setting the agenda and discussions in this conference.

We will endeavor to expand further economic cooperation in our region. The Regional Economic Cooperation conference which was organized on third and fourth December in Kabul with the vast participation of countries of the region and G-8 countries was indeed the first successful step towards this goal.

Understanding fully its international responsibilities, Afghanistan will endeavor to pursue its active foreign policy towards proximity of world communities and consolidation of peace. The return of Afghanistan to international political arena and getting Afghanistan out of a passive status is one of the biggest achievements of our freedom-loving people in the last four years.

Afghanistan believes that institutionalization of transnational economic cooperation in the region, is the best effective mechanism for proximity of the countries of the region. Economic and cultural preconditions, combating common existing threats, and the need for keeping up with the globalization process are all issues that obligate us to take courageous strides in this direction. I believe that our region should take steps towards economic integration. I hope that one day our future generations will coexist in one unified region.

Distinguished parliamentarians and representatives of the people,

The success of the Afghan people in the last few years is the output of sacrifices and aspirations of our people for a country based on peace and international support. Our people honestly and sincerely began to defend their country’s reconstruction, national government and strengthening stability for which the international community offered cordial support. I take the opportunity to express my gratitude and thankfulness to all the countries and organizations which have always stood by our people in such difficult situations.

Distinguished members of the National Assembly,

We want to guide our country towards the contemporary world civility. We want to found a progressive country based on the wishes of our people. To have a strong secure and peaceful Afghanistan with vibrant economy is the historic task that we have undertaken in the court of God, history and our people. To discharge this noble duty, we need honesty, sacrifice and concerted efforts. We will not be able to do our duty if we do not consider the love of our country and religion superior to anything else. We aspire that our black, red and green flag will always be fluttering throughout Afghanistan. We aspire that our people with full abandonment of ethnic and regional prejudice will remain united as the citizens of this Republic in the reconstruction and development of this great land.

We Afghans have the right to stand with full dignity and self-confidence in front of the people of the world and say that this immortal phoenix, this beloved Afghanistan, once again rose from the ashes of invasion and subjugation; we have the right to declare to all those who aspire the destruction of our soil, that this country will never vanquish.

May God bless you all.