Karzai: Deem neighborhood with China an honor

Hamid Karzai, President of the Afghan transitional government accepts an interview by PD Online

At local time 5pm, July 14 Hamid Karzai, President of the Afghan transitional government, accepted an interview by People's Daily Online. He expatiated on questions about Afghanistan that attract people's attention such as elections, reconstruction, international assistance, China-Afghanistan relations and the situation of anti-terrorism. In particular he extended his deep apology for the recent event of Chinese workers killed in Afghanistan. He said murderers must be brought to justice soon and hopes to conduct active collaboration with China in the area of anti-terrorism and make joint efforts to maintain peace and stability in the two countries and even the world.

He said very seriously: "China is not only our friendly neighbor for generations but it is also a great nation in the world. Afghanistan and China have a profound traditional friendship. We have always deemed this an honor. During the past two and half years China has made great contributions to the reconstruction of Afghanistan. We are very grateful for this".

In 2002 as Karzai just took the office the first country he visited was China. When asked why he chose China as the first country he visited he said with emotion: "China's influence in the world is known by everyone. We are a near neighbor of China and both countries share a long-standing friendship. Changes that are taking place in China during recent years catch the attention of the world. So I decided to first have a look at this great nation with a 1.3 billion population.

He said he likes Chinese tea very much. After the tea was served he said with a low and deep voice: "Please let me once more, through you, express my deepest apology to the Chinese people for the death of the Chinese workers in Kunduz. We were deeply shocked by this attack event and feel agonized. I wish I could share the pains you feel. We are still conducting investigations about the whole event of the attack. We will find out the truth no matter how and we will make timely contact with China".

When asked about the collaboration areas and prospects between China and Afghanistan Karzai said China and Afghanistan need to cooperate in many areas. Now a very important aspect is the anti-terrorism. He analyzed that the No.1 problem that Afghanistan faces in reconstruction is the question of security. It has impeded the progress of reconstruction and also influences the preparation work for the presidential election. He expressed his determination to eradicate terrorism and the willingness to keep close cooperation with China in this area.

He said earnestly: "We have promised to China that no activities aimed at overthrowing the Chinese government will be allowed in Afghanistan, whether they are the activities of Taliban or al-Qaeda. We will never allow terrorist activities in the frontier areas contiguous with our country. Afghan people have been deeply hurt by terrorism. We know what terrorism brings to the society and the people. Therefore we are the best partner of China in anti-terrorist areas".

Hamid Karzai, President of the Afghan transitional government, and PD Online correspondent pose for picture

Then he introduced in details about the preparation work in the Afghan presidential election. He said there were 6.7 million voters registered for the election three days ago, today there are more than 7 million. Many of them are women, who account for more than 40 percent of the registered voters. Some of them are even from provinces deeply shadowed by the Taliban. This is more than we had anticipated. It is a great victory of the Afghan people. For Afghanistan the people are making continued progress.

When talking about the role that international community plays in the Afghan reconstruction Karzai first extended his gratitude to the international community including China for their assistance. Then he expressed the hope for the international community to enhance assistance. He said Afghanistan faces many problems in reconstruction. A basic problem is the shortage of resources. On the one hand there is a shortage of human resources, on the other there is not enough supply of financial resources. We thank the international community for promising in Berlin to provide a $0.85 billion aid to Afghanistan. However these funds are far from satisfying the need of the Afghan reconstruction.

Also he said narcotics is an imperative problem in Afghanistan. Narcotics provide economic assistance to the growth of terrorism and this is really a problem that has impact on national security and economy. We hope that the international community could all join in the banning of narcotics.

Regarding the question of children education Karzai said education is a matter of great importance to the future development of a nation. It is particularly true in our country. As you know our country is very poor and backward, but education is still very important. If these children received a good education they would have a bright future when they grow up instead of always thinking about war. Gradually they would grow out of the shadow of war.

Hamid Karzai, President of the Afghan transitional government at his presidential residence

According to statistics by the Afghan customs the bilateral trade volume between China and Afghanistan approached $0.6 billion last year. Afghanistan, however, runs a huge trade deficit with China. In regard of this President Karzai aired his view. He said nearly 100 Afghan businessmen went to China last year. I believe this figure will continue to grow this year. I hope the bilateral trade can further expand. If the bilateral trade expands it will be helpful to the economic growth of Afghanistan. The economic growth of Afghanistan depends more on the trade with China. Perhaps China doesn't need Afghan goods, but we need Chinese goods very much. If you want to make a country richer you must work hard and actively develop the trade with neighboring countries, while China is the largest country among our six neighbors. I look forward to the largest trade with China. If relevant sides have arrangements regarding trade my government will sign corresponding agreements.

Karzai renounced the pen and joined the army in 1982. He has been in charge of the press department and appointed Deputy Foreign Minister. In his hometown Kandahar he once took part in the Taliban movement, but later parted company because of his disapproval of Taliban's extreme policies. He helped the Americans attack Taliban and gradually moved up to today's position. For provisional President Karzai, who was born in 1957, the next crucial juncture is the presidential election scheduled October this year. Now Afghanistan is also the arena of interests of great powers. Faced with various problems, both domestic and international, one can imagine the pressure on this provisional President.

By People's Daily Online