Ottawa – “On this Holy day for many around the world, and on the eve of the Vimy Ridge victory commemorations, I express our deepest condolences to the families and colleagues of the brave Canadians who have fallen in the line of duty today in Southern Afghanistan as their vehicle was hit by an explosive device,” said Afghan Ambassador to Canada, Omar Samad.

He added, “their untimely deaths are yet another indication that the forces of brutality will use any means to prevent the Afghan people and their international supporters from stabilizing Afghanistan and hamper our efforts at rebuilding our country and our people’s lives.”

“However, the multi-faceted international mission to help Afghanistan will stay the course as acts of terror will not deter the Afghans and their partners from fulfilling their aspirations for peace, freedom and prosperity for a nation that has undergone traumatic experiences for too long.”

He added, “I want to tell the families and friends of those who made the ultimate sacrifice that we share in your time of grief in the same way that we grieve for the young Afghan journalist, Ajmal Naqshbandi, who is alleged to have been executed by the Taliban today, as well as the seven-person mine-clearing team also killed today.”

The Afghan reporter, who also worked as a guide, was abducted last month by Taliban gunmen with an Italian journalist and a driver. The Italian journalist was freed upon release of five Taliban prisoners, but the driver and now the young journalist, were killed by these brutal acts of terror.

(From left) Dr. Karim Qayumi; Christiana Flessner, Executive Director Wheelchair Foundation Canada; South Surrey-White Rock-Cloverdale MP and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence, Russ Hiebert; Ambassador of Afghanistan to Canada, Omar Samad and a representative of BC's Knights of Columbus. Ambassador Samad is presented with a wheelchair; the chair was symbolic of a larger delivery of 280 brand new wheelchairs (valued at over $168,000) to be delivered to disabled Afghan citizens in Afghanistan.

Ottawa: In recognition of the second annual UN International Day of Mine Awareness Ambassador Omar Samad was invited by the Wheelchair Foundation Canada to attend an event in Vancouver Wednesday where 280 new wheelchairs were donated to Afghanistan.

The wheelchairs (valued at over $168,000) will be delivered to disabled citizens and victims of landmines in Afghanistan.

Ambassador Christopher Alexander, Deputy Special representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations to Afghanistan, Dr. Tom Kessinger, General Manager of the Aga Khan Development Network and Afghan Ambassador Omar Samad spoke to a group composed of members of parliament, Canadian government officials, the diplomatic community, Canadian and Afghan-Canadian business leaders, and civil society and NGO representatives.

خواهران و برادران گرامی

افتخار دارم تا به نمایندگی از ج. ا. افغانستان، از جانب خود و همکارانم فرارسیدن سال نو 1386 خورشیدی را به همۀ شما تبریک و شادباش عرض نمایم. ـ

Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Hellmut Königshaus, Liberal Party (FDP), Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee. They were accompanied by German Ambassador to Canada, H.E. Matthias Höpfner and Dr. Almut Wieland-Karimi, Director Friedrich Ebert Foundation. The delegation visited Washington and Ottawa as part of the “ Transatlantic Dialogue on Afghanistan: Achieving Peace and Stability in a War-Torn Country.”

Russian Ambassador Georgiy Mamedov says success in the Central Asian nation will be a long, tough fight, and recommends getting Iran and China on NATO's side.

Canada and its allies have a much greater chance of achieving success in Afghanistan than the Russians did 20 years ago, but the mission will take longer than two years and will likely involve a "helluva fight," Russia's ambassador to Canada said last week.

Response on next page…..

Comparing the Soviet experience in Afghanistan with NATO and Canada's current roles in post-conflict peace-building and reconstruction activities lacks symmetry, even though it may sound attractive to a small group of political and historical revisionists (Re: Afghanistan an 'Almost Impossible Mission" March 14). While there may be some cosmetic resemblances, the historical context, military logic and geo-political motivation behind the two interventions are in contradiction. The divide is even greater when you ask how the Afghan people perceive and compare the two.

Afghan envoy values ties with Canada

NEW YORK, Mar 19 (Pajhwok Afghan News): Afghanistan ambassador to Canada Omar Samad has said that the role of Canada in restoration of peace and stability in Afghanistan has grown over the previous five years and hoped the assistance would continue in the future.

In an interview with Pajhwok Afghan News, the envoy said Canada had been part of the international community's efforts to help restore stability and security to Afghanistan.

This role, he said, had grown over the past five years to the point where Afghanistan is Canada's largest ever aid recipient, and the largest number of Canadian military and non-military personnel have served in Afghanistan since World War II.

About the relationship between the two countries, the ambassador said while Canada had provided small-scale humanitarian aid to Afghanistan since the 1970s, its commitments increased in the post 9/11 period.

About the coming into power of Conservative government in Canada, Samad said both the previous Liberal and current Conservative governments have had a strong commitment to Afghanistan since 2001. However, in 2006, Prime Minister Harper government had extended the Canadian military mission in the south till 2009 as well as increased the aid from 600 million Canadian dollars in 2005 to almost 1.2 billion in 2006.

Asked about reservations expressed by some circles in Canada about the presence of their country's troops in Afghanistan, the ambassador said most Canadians were now realising that the Afghan mission was a UN mandated operation and geared towards creating a better future for the Afghan people. The recent polls in Canada showed a majority support for the mission, said the envoy.

Regarding the stay of Canadian troops in Afghanistan beyond 2009, he said that was a Canadian decision. "This decision will depend on conditions on the ground in Afghanistan. It will depend on how successful we are to check the Taliban attempt to derail Afghanistan's revival and rebuilding."

He believed the increasing visits of Canadian officials to Afghanistan were the pointer to the growing relations between the two countries. About the Afghan population in Canada, he said there were an estimated 100,000 Afghans in that country. The Afghan government thinks that the professionals, especially young professionals among them, can play an important role in reconstruction of their country.

About the formation of the Canada Afghanistan Business Council, he said it was comprised of Afghan Canadian businesses, traders and investors. Their goal is to promote business opportunities between the two countries and expand the possibilities for trade and investment. Lalit K. Jha

Ottawa – Afghanistan’s Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr. Wahidullah Shahrani, met with Mr. Robert Greenhill, President of the Canadian International Development Agency Friday, and briefed the CIDA chief on the financial and fiscal issues facing the Afghan government.

Accompanied by Afghan Ambassador Omar Samad, Mr. Shahrani, who is also an economic advisor to H.E. President Hamid Karzai, thanked Canada for the new aid announcements to be channeled through the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust fund and other funding mechanisms, and stressed on the importance of aid effectiveness to boost the Afghan economy, enhance Afghan government capacities and improve livelihoods.

Ottawa - In honour of March 8th, International Women's Day, l'Université de Montréal in collaboration with the Embassy of Afghanistan hosted the Montreal launch of Voices on the Rise: Afghan Women Making the News.

The exhibition highlights the link between Afghan women's participation in media and politics and the reconstruction of their country. Voices on the Rise: Afghan Women Making the News offers a glimpse into the lives of Afghan women journalists, producers, media managers, writers, photographers, filmmakers, human rights activists and parliamentarians. Their lives are challenging, fascinating and often harrowing as they juggle newfound freedoms with traditional responsibilities amid the constraints and ravages of life in country that underwent many years of conflict and destruction. The exhibition features the work of Afghan, Canadian and international photographers.

When I first met Asma, I was struck by her heavily lined face, her sunken cheeks, and her eyes that showed deep sorrow and fear.

Though in her early 40s, she appeared much older from years of hunger and stress. She had come looking for work, and I hired her as our housekeeper in Kabul. She wasn't very good at first, and I showed her how to use the cleaners and organize each room. After a while she got the hang of it, and the look of discomfort disappeared from her face.

Ottawa – During a visit to Ottawa on Wednesday, Afghan Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation (www.caa-af.org), H.E. Niamatullah E. Jawid, called on The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, and thanked Canada for its commitments to help Afghanistan.

Min. Jawid, accompanied by Ambassador Omar Samad and Mr. Yahya Mir, Afghan representative to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), presented a brief overview of his ministry’s attempts to rehabilitate and rebuild the various components of Afghanistan’s destroyed transport and civil aviation sectors.

He stressed on Afghanistan’s needs in building up technical and managerial capacities within its institutions, and asked that Canada assess the possibilities of providing assistance in areas of need, including in the civil aviation sector.

Min. Jawid will also participate at a NATO-sponsored Clearinghouse meeting in Montreal on March 8, discussing the possibility of increased overflights in Afghanistan’s airspace.

Embassy of Afghanistan