H.E. Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, expressed his sorrow at the tragic death and wounding of hundreds of people in a stampede of pilgrims in northern Baghdad.

According to reports, more than 600 people were killed and hundreds wounded when a stampede broke out during a religious pilgrimage in Baghdad. 

The President, on behalf of the people of Afghanistan and the Government, expressed his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and the people of Iraq.

H.E. Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, today welcomed the 21% decrease of poppy cultivation shown in the 2005 Annual Opium Poppy Survey for Afghanistan carried out jointly by United Nations Office for Drugs & Crime and the Ministry of Counter Narcotics.

There has been a decrease of over one fifth in opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan this year compared to last, according to the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Antonio Maria Costa.

Mr. Costa was speaking at a press conference at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, following a meeting today (Monday) with the President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai. Mr. Costa has come to Kabul to present the preliminary findings of the UNODC’s 2005 Opium Survey for Afghanistan to the Afghan Government, which is due to be published in about one month’s time. President Karzai has repeatedly stressed to the people of Afghanistan about the shame the narcotics industry brings to the country.

1.      At the invitation of His Excellency  Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, His Excellency Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, is currently paying a state visit to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (28-29 August, 2005)

2.      During the visit, the two leaders held talks on a broad range of bilateral issues as well as regional and international issues of common concern. They expressed satisfaction at the progress in bilateral relations since President Hamid Karzai’s visit to India (23-25 February, 2005) and agreed to take this relationship into a new stage of partnership. They affirmed that India and Afghanistan enjoy a warm and friendly relationship underpinned by historical ties and cultural links. The time tested friendship between the people of the two countries has survived many challenges and is today based on a shared commitment to the ideals of democracy, peace and security.

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

Your Excellency Prime Minister Manmohan Singh!

Your Majesty Father of the Nation!

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen!

It is a great honour for me to welcome the Prime Minister of the Republic of India at this heart of Afghanistan. You are most welcome!

I have studied and lived many years of my life in India, as such I am well aware of the great Indian culture, its great democracy, its developments in sciences and technology and the greatness of India as a nation.  

I am not the only Afghan who has studied in India. Thousands of Afghans like me have studied in Indian schools and modern higher education institutions where they have acquired knowledge.

at the Invitation of H.E Hamid Karzai, the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, H.E Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India, will arrive in Afghanistan for a two day state visit on Sunday, 28th of August 2005.

The Prime Minister of India is accompanied by a high level delegation including the Minister of External Affairs, H.E Natwar Singh and the National Security Adviser, Mr. M. K. Narayanan, Mr. Shyam Saran, Foreign Secretary and Mr. Rahul Gandhi, Member of Parliament and son of the late Indian Prime Minister, H.E Rajeev Gandhi.

The President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, H.E Hamid Karzai and H.E Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India will hold Talks on further expansion of friendly relations and will review different dimensions of India’s assistance programs to Afghanistan. The two sides will also hold talks on ways to strengthen regional economic cooperation.

During the visit of H.E Manmohan Singh, the two countries will sign an agreement on cooperation in the fields of healthcare and medical science, a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in the agricultural research and education sector and a Memorandum of Understanding on grant assistance for the implementation of small developmental projects.

The President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, H.E Hamid Karzai and H.E Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India will attend the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of Afghanistan Parliament Building which will be laid by H.M Mohammad Zahir, Baba-e-Millat. The Leaders of the two countries will also jointly inaugurate Habibia High School in Kabul.

India is currently among the leading countries assisting Afghanistan. It has made considerable donations in the transportation and aviation, power and telecommunication, education and health sectors.

Islamabad , Pakistan - The Tripartite Commission, comprised of senior military and diplomatic representatives from Afghanistan , Pakistan and the United States , held its 12th meeting in Rawalpindi , Pakistan today.

This meeting was the first in which Afghanistan and Pakistan were represented at the four-star general level. Delegates included Gen. Bismullah Khan, Chief of the General Staff of the Afghan National Army; Gen. Ahsan Saleem Hyat, Vice-Chief of the Army Staff of the Pakistan Army; and Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry, Commander, Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan.

The session began with a series of briefings focused on enhancing regional stability and furthering security measures taken by Afghanistan , Pakistan and the Coalition in advance of the Afghan National Assembly and Provincial Council Elections on Sept. 18, 2005. The parties noted recent improvements in cooperation and information-sharing and reaffirmed their commitment to enduring operations against Al-Qaeda and associated militants.

During the plenary session, the parties agreed that the participation of Generals Bismullah Khan and Ahsan Saleem Hyat signified an important step toward enhancing strategic dialogue and understanding between Afghanistan and Pakistan . Gen. Bismullah Khan, Gen. Ahsan Saleem Hyat, and Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry met separately following the conclusion of the plenary session.

The delegates examined ways to deepen their level of military-to-military relationship in the interest of long-term regional stability. All parties noted the significance of the first bilateral Afghan-Pakistani staff exchanges, which took place July 14, 2005, in Kabul and Aug. 9, 2005, in Islamabad.

This plenary session was also significant in that representatives of NATO's International Security Assistance Force attended the session as observers. All parties welcomed the NATO/ISAF observers and look forward to their participation in the future meetings given ISAF/NATO's expanding role in Afghanistan.

The Tripartite Commission will meet again in October 2005.

H.E. Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is saddened by the tragic death of seventeen Spanish soldiers in a helicopter crash caused by a sandstorm in Herat.

The President said “the people of Afghanistan will remember the services of these brave soldiers who have made sacrifices so that the people of Afghanistan could live in peace and rebuild their war-ravaged country”.

The President, on behalf of the people of Afghanistan and the Government, expressed his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and the people of Spain.

H.E. Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, expressed his regret at the death of 121 people on board a Cyprus plane which crashed into a mountainside in suburban Athens on Sunday, 14 August 2005.

The President, on behalf of the people of Afghanistan and the Government, expressed his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and the people of Greece and Cyprus.

The following is a Joint Statement by the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the United States:

During their May 2005 meetings, President Bush and President Karzai expressed a strong desire to return Afghan detainees to Afghanistan as part of the U.S.-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership.

Today, in beginning to implement the Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership, Afghanistan and the United States reached an understanding that will allow for the gradual transfer of Afghan detainees to the exclusive custody and control of the Afghan Government.

The Government of Afghanistan will accept responsibility for the returning Afghan citizens and will work to ensure that they do not pose a continuing threat to Afghanistan, the Coalition, or the international community as a whole. The United States is prepared to assist Afghanistan in capacity building, including infrastructure, and to provide training, as appropriate.

H.E Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, congratulates H.E. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the new President of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the official endorsement he received today as the head of state.

The President said, “The Afghan people join me today in congratulating you and the brotherly nation of Iran for your inauguration as the new President of Iran.”

The President wishes President Ahmadinejad every success in his endeavours, and plans to visit him in Tehran in the near future.

H.E. Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, returned from Saudi Arabia this afternoon after attending the funeral ceremony of late King Fahd. During the trip, the President also congratulated King Abdullah for being inaugurated as successor to the late King of Saudi Arabia.

The President was accompanied during this trip by former Presidents Prof. Ustad Burhanuddin Rabbani and Prof. Sebghatullah Mujaddadi, Dr. Abdullah, Foreign Minister of Afghanistan, Dr Zalmay Rasul, National Security Advisor, and Jihadi leaders Ayatullah Sheikh Mohammad Asif Mohseni and Pir Sayed Ahmad Gilani.

H.E. Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is saddened by the death of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia.

The President was notified of this news during the Cabinet meeting this morning and together with the Cabinet members prayed for his soul. The President praised his strong personality and admired his invaluable services to the Muslim world. The President said “King Fahd is the only king who has been able to earn the title of the servant of the two holy sites in Saudi Arabia.” 

“The people of Afghanistan will continue to remember his lasting friendship with the people of Afghanistan as well as his unstinting support during the years of Jehad (holy war) against the Soviets,” the President added.

The President ordered that Afghanistan’s flag be flown at half-mast across the country and around the world where Afghanistan is represented, and called upon the people of Afghanistan to pray for his soul.