Karzai urges continued cooperation between Afghanistan and United States

Afghanistan Interim Government President Hamid Karzai advocated continued cooperation between Afghanistan and the international community in a speech addressed to the University community this morning, citing extremism and terrorism as common enemies of both Afghanistan and the United States.

"Of our experience in Afghanistan the past two years, I have come face to face with the cooperation of civilizations," Karzai said at Richardson Auditorium. "For me it is a surety that people in the world are threatened by the same thing. If we go and help they will receive that help, and for a common objective people will join hands just as Afghanistan has joined hands with the rest of the world to fight terrorism."

Karzai, a powerful Pashtun tribal leader and a leader of the resistance against the Taliban in Afghanistan, took charge of the country's interim government in December 2001 and was endorsed as head of state by Afghanistan's grand council this past June.

He came to campus this morning to sign a charter for Afghanistan's first independent school, an idea that took root at Princeton and is being developed by Students Providing Aid, Relief and Kind Services International — a worldwide service organization that began in Canada and spread to the University about four years ago.

During his address, Karzai focused on the ideals of peace and democracy that are shared by Afghan and American citizens and emphasized that cultural differences, particularly religious ones, are not barriers to further cooperation between Afghanistan, the United States and the rest of the world.

"Many people associate Islam with terrorism, but that is absolutely wrong," Karzai said. "Those in Afghanistan who help me and help themselves are deeply Islamic believers. We drove out those who used our religion to justify murder and destruction. What they did was violence against our religion and against yours here, violence against our country and against yours here."

Terrorism relates to no value system, he said, calling Islam a religion that teaches "compassion, tolerance, and most importantly, the rule of law."

Despite the elimination of the Taliban from much of the country and improved social conditions for women, Afghanistan remains a country with serious security and development issues. Armed gangs are dominant throughout much of the country and the recent arrival of extremist groups from other countries has further underscored the need to continue fighting terrorism in Afghanistan, Karzai said.

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Afghanistan is working toward full democracy and the country's first democratic elections are scheduled for June 2004.

"Islam speaks for a just society, and how can you have justice if you don't have people voting and choosing their system of government?" Karzai said. "We may have a different value system than the United States but that doesn't contradict the basic right of mankind to be able to determine his or her future in terms of government and the like."

The lecture was well attended, with all 600 tickets available to members of the University community sold out before the event.

Between 50 and 70 security officials from nine different organizations were on campus to orchestrate Karzai's visit, said Barry Weiser, Public Safety crime prevention specialist.

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Security personnel guarded each entrance and directed attendees through magnetometers before the lecture began. Doors opened at 10 a.m. and the area surrounding Alexander Hall was blocked off from traffic.

"Security for the event was very well organized and well done," Weiser said. "It was a cooperative effort between many groups and everyone did an excellent job."

Karzai was introduced by Anne-Marie Slaughter '80, dean of the Wilson School and President Shirley Tilghman served as presiding officer. Closing remarks were given by Ashirul Amin, one of the co-chairs of SPARKS.

The event was sponsored by the Wilson School, the Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination and SPARKS at Princeton.