*EPF506 05/09/2003
Transcript: Despite Iraq, U.S. Will Not Forget Afghanistan, Says Armitage
(Tells Kabul audience "we are able to do two things at the same time") (1520)

Although the United States has turned much of its attention toward Iraq, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage has assured the people of Afghanistan that the Bush administration "is not going to forget our responsibilities here."

Armitage, speaking in Kabul May 9 at the Afghan National Museum, said he had been sent to "dramatically illustrate" that "we are able to do two things at the same time."

The United States, he said, is going to be a worthy partner "in terms of supporting political development and supporting the economic and social redevelopment of Afghanistan."

The deputy secretary presented a $100,000 check from the people of the United States to Afghan Minister of Information and Culture Dr. Sayed Makhdoum Raheen to help restore the ruined national museum. Armitage described the check as "a first installment of our investment in the recapturing of the glories of Afghanistan."

U.S. reconstruction and redevelopment efforts in the country are continuing "in things large and small," he said, and he mentioned the installation of a water pumping station in Kabul that has "dramatically bettered the lives of 406,000 citizens of this city," a medical facility's women's dormitory, and the Kabul-Kandahar highway which the Bush administration is trying to finish by the end of 2004 -- six months ahead of schedule.

When asked about the need to extend the International Security Force for Afghanistan (ISAF) beyond Kabul, Armitage said the United States preferred having Provincial Reconstruction Teams expand across the country instead.

"We think this is a very effective way of providing both security and extending the reach of the central government," he said.

As for U.S. forces, they will be withdrawn "once we are sure that the government of Afghanistan feels perfectly secure," and "the people of Afghanistan have found the necessary stability," said Armitage.

Following is the transcript of Deputy Secretary of State Armitage at the Afghan National Museum in Kabul:

(begin transcript)

DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE RICHARD ARMITAGE'S PRESS AVAILABILITY AT THE AFGHAN NATIONAL MUSEUM, MAY 9, 2003

Minister of Information and Culture Dr. Sayed Makhdoum Raheen: I want to say to his excellency, welcome to the destroyed building of Kabul Museum, this destroyed building has been one of the most important museums of the world for almost seven decades. Unfortunately, it was looted, it was burned, it was hit by rockets, and then during the terrorist Taliban period, its best and most important statues were destroyed and now we have hundreds of those pieces downstairs ready for repair but most of them are totally gone. So I welcome you and many of our friends have promised to help us revive this museum, among them I can mention UNESCO, SPACH, Japanese, British and Greek friends, and I have the honor to say our American friends have been very cooperative in different fields of culture and art and press. And today, will not be the last time you have helped us. Thank you. And I know how tired you must be from traveling.

Deputy Secretary Armitage: Thank you, Mr. Minister. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. President Bush has asked me to come to Afghanistan, shortly following Secretary Rumsfeld's visit, to dramatically make the point that the United States, although we may be occupied at present in Iraq, is not going to forget our responsibilities here in Afghanistan and that we are able to do two things at the same time. And I was sent here to rather dramatically illustrate that, in terms of supporting political development and supporting the economic and social redevelopment of Afghanistan, that the United States is going to be a worthy partner. About ten days ago, in Washington, I had the great opportunity to reinitiate the Fulbright Scholarship Program with Afghanistan. The important thing about that scholarship program is that education is inherently a long-term investment. So too, when we come here to this tragic place now, a place that with the treasures of the past, before the Taliban, helped us prepare for the future. We also want to be a part of investing in this. And I want to present to you today, a check for a $100,000 to begin our part to help restore this to its former glory. Mr. Minister, if you would kindly accept this check from the people of the United States as a first installment of our investment in the recapturing of the glories of Afghanistan.

Question: (Paul Anderson, Reuters) Mr. Armitage, Afghan government officials have told us that they are concerned about the Taliban coming across the Pakistan border and sheltering in Pakistan and even talk of some Pakistani officials supporting the Taliban remnants. I wondered if the Afghan government had shared those concerns with you today and whether you think Pakistan needs to do more to combat the Taliban?

Mr. Armitage: I had a long discussion with President Karzai and Dr. Abdullah and their colleagues today, before, during and after lunch. Among the things we talked about was the situation along the border with Pakistan. It is a very porous border. The tribal areas are well-known for their own independence. I think we all have to do more to make sure that the remnants of the Taliban are gotten rid of for good.

Question: (John Raedler, CNN) Mr. Brahimi appeared before the United Nations Security Council this week and advocated yet again the need to extend ISAF beyond Kabul in accord with steps foreseen in the Bonn Agreement. What is the US stance on that? How many troops do you think this would take and will the US get involved in ISAF?

Mr. Armitage: Well, obviously, we took careful note of Ambassador Brahimi's statement in front of the Security Council. We ourselves have slightly different views about the most effective way to bring security, reconstruction, stability to Afghanistan. This is why we have started the Provincial Reconstruction Teams which are now in three areas and which will expand shortly to others. We think this is a very effective way of providing both security and extending the reach of the central government. But we always welcome Mr. Brahimi's comments and we keep them closely in mind.

Question: (Todd Pittman, AP) You announced a hundred thousand dollars in aid for the museum here and I am sure that that is very welcomed and needed, but as far as the museum in Iraq, do you have any concrete plans to help that museum which American forces were present when it was being looted?

Mr. Armitage: I think you might want to check the use of the word "looting." It seems that it was a very mixed picture about what happened at the museum in Baghdad and I was informed last night, through a BBC broadcast so possibly it is not correct, that there were only 38 or so pieces that were still missing. The United States has brought the full weight of our law enforcement, including the FBI, to this. Not to mention our military forces are on the lookout and have already recovered numerous articles so I don't think you will be too disappointed with the final results.

Question: (Suhayl Shuaib, Kabul Times) Mr. Armitage, General McNeill has said that US forces might begin withdrawing from Afghanistan as of the summer of next year. Do you think that Afghanistan will be ready for that?

Mr. Armitage: The United States will withdraw its forces once we are sure that the government of Afghanistan feels perfectly secure. That the people of Afghanistan have found the necessary stability, whether we begin to withdraw any one day or another is a question that our military forces will bring forward to the political leadership but there is no set date for anything as far as I know yet.

Question: (garbled)

Mr. Armitage: You've asked quite a far ranging question. Let me say that, on the road, which is a major construction project, President Bush has ordered us to exert every effort to finish the road, along with our Japanese partners, by the end of the year which would be six months ahead of the original projected schedule. I've just come from a USAID funded water pumping station which seems to me, if I correctly heard my interlocutors, to have rather dramatically bettered the lives of 406,000 citizens of this city. On Sunday, our excellent Ambassador will be cutting the ribbon on a medical facility's women's' dormitory which will allow women to come from the countryside and take part in learning to be to then go back and serve the people so my own view is that in things large and small, that the United States and other nations are trying to be a part of the reconstruction and redevelopment of this nation. What Secretary Rumsfeld mentioned was that we were going to what we call Phase Four stability operations which inherently are more dedicated to development and reconstruction.

(end transcript)

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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