Speeches
Ambassador William Wood With Press, Sharana Paktika Province
May 6, 2007
QUESTION: Two questions. One question, first of all we would like you to tell us about the goal of your visit today to this province. Secondly, the people’s representatives in their talks, most of them asked for multiple targets. During your speech you didn’t refer to [inaudible] specifically about any projects of the assistance to this province. What will be the specific projects and assistance given to this province this?
AMBASSADOR WOOD: I have come to Paktika. This is only the second Governor I have visited since I arrived in Afghanistan, because of the success of the province. The Governor represents both the vision of the national administration here in Paktika but is also the voice of the people and tribes of Paktika back to the central government. We think the Governor is very successful both as a representative of the government here and as a spokesman and organizer of the people and tribes of Paktika. I can assure you that in our private conversations he pressed me even harder on assistance projects than I was pressed in the public session. I told him then, and I’ll tell you now, we are increasing our assistance to Paktika in the coming year.
But I didn’t want to talk about individual projects because I’m not the expert on individual projects. The Governor, Colonel Sweitzer, Commander Fernandez, and our assistance person are the experts. They will be working together to define how we use our assistance here in Paktika this year.
QUESTION: The United States government and Pakistan are two allies in fighting against terrorism, but Pakistan is overtly intefering in the affairs of Afghanistan. You, the United States and partners are not taking rapid action or response against terrorism inside of Afghanistan have created some kind of suspicion. Do you want to say something about it?
AMBASSADOR WOOD: First, Afghanistan can count on the support of the United States as I’ve already said. Second, we are very encouraged by the success of the meeting between President Karzai and President Musharraf in Ankara last week and by the decision reached just a couple of days ago that there would be a bilateral jirga between Afghanistan and Pakistan. We are supporting President Karzai in his battle against terrorism, just as we are supporting Pakistan in its battle against terrorism.
QUESTION: As you know, Paktika Province is located on the long border with Pakistan, and Pakistan has recently announced that they will wire and mine the border area and the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan which has been severely condemned by the people of Paktika Province. What do you say on this strategy of Pakistan and what are your comments?
AMBASSADOR WOOD: I cannot say that I am aware of the announcement by Pakistan. I can say that I have seen no such actions by the government of Pakistan so far. The position of the United States is that Pakistan and Afghanistan need to work together to fight their common enemy.
As you know, the Minister of Interior of Pakistan, Minister Sherpao, was attacked just a few days ago by precisely the same enemies who threaten Afghanistan. So our vision is that one enemy threatens both countries and they should cooperate to defeat that enemy.
QUESTION: As you know the Afghan people or Afghan society needs fundamental and basic work. The important thing that can last long. What do you think, can you tell us how much you could have responded their needs so far?
AMBASSADOR WOOD: First, only Afghans can give Afghanistan the thing that it needs most -- hope and confidence. Hope so that it is willing to take hard decisions in order to construct its own future; and confidence so that it knows that in spite of the difficulties it will succeed. We cannot give that to Afghanistan. I think that President Karzai and leaders like Governor Khpalwak are giving it to Afghanistan.
What we can help with is basic assistance. More than 80 percent of Afghanistan now has access to medical care. Hundreds of thousands of Afghans are now in school who didn’t use to be in school -- both boys and girls. Hundreds of kilometers of roads have been built so that Afghans can bring their products to market and can travel more easily to talk to other Afghans. We are providing technical assistance to both the private sector and to the government. We are assisting the army and the police to provide security so that these other basic improvements can take root.
But in the end, Afghanistan belongs to Afghanistan, and the heroism and determination of the Afghan people will provide the basic material of victory.