H.E. Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, left for Austria this morning to attend an international conference on Islam and Pluralism, which will be hosted by the Government of Austria in the country’s capital, Vienna, from 14 to 15 November 2005.

The President will address the conference, focusing on pluralism in Islam and the experience of Afghanistan.

The conference aims to develop dialogue and understanding between the Muslim world and other civilizations, which will be attended by heads of the Islamic states, representatives of the Islamic organizations and distinguished personalities from the Muslim world, including the former Iranian President Muhammad Khatami, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, as well as distinguished guests from other religions and cultures.

During this visit, the President will also hold meetings with the Austrian President and Prime Minister and Head of the Austrian Parliament to discuss bilateral relations and the continuation of Austria’s assistance to Afghanistan after the completion of the Bonn process.

The President will hold a meeting with the United Nations Organization for Drug and Crime (UNODC) based in Vienna to discuss Afghanistan’s fight against cultivation, production and trafficking of narcotics.

The next highlight of the President’s trip will be the signing of the “European Union and Afghanistan Joint Declaration” of partnership for which the President and his accompanying delegation will travel to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.

While in Strasbourg, the President will hold meetings with H.E. Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary of Britain (currently holding the presidency of the EU), H.E. Havier Solana, EU’s High Representative for Foreign and Defense Policies and H.E. Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Head of EU’s Foreign Relations Committee and discuss the continuation of EU’s assistance to Afghanistan.

The European Union and Afghanistan Joint Declaration committing to a new EU-Afghan partnership will be released once signed.

The European Union is a major donor for Afghanistan and our country will continue to need EU’s long-term assistance after the completion of the Bonn process.

The President is accompanied on this trip by H.E. Dr. Abdullah, Foreign Minister, H.E. Dr. Sayed Makhdom Rahin, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism and H.E. Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta, Advisor to the President on International Affairs.