INDEPTH: A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE
Hamid Karzai
CBC News Online | February 19, 2004
Interviewer Peter Mansbridge | Feb. 18, 2004
We met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai today at the presidential palace. Critics have called him Kabul's mayor, suggesting his government doesn't have enough support in the rest of the country to justify the term president.
In a nation of fighters, he's been something of a political guerrilla, fighting first against the Soviet occupation and then the Taliban's rule. Karzai comes from Afghanistan's Pashtun majority. He's pushing for a strong central authority in a diverse country that has been torn by ethnic tension and division, trying to rebuild a nation.
Let's talk about one of your main concerns, and that's the speed of the reconstruction.
What's your current thinking on that? Because you've been on the one hand gracious in talking about the money and the help that has come into Afghanistan, but concerned at the same time that perhaps it's falling off the agenda.
Hamid Karzai (Afghan president):
No, I think we continue to be important to the West for the very fact that the security of the West, and as a matter of fact, the rest of the world in Afghanistan are strongly linked to each other. The United States has given us significant help this year, and we are very much confident that that help will continue for next year and the year after. And we are hoping that the Berlin Conference will also come forward with good amount of assistance for us for at least a year or two. So in terms of attention this year and next year and the year after from the world community and especially from the United States of America, we are in a satisfactory situation. It's not ideal. We would be asking for much more. If they would give that to us, we would be much happier, but what they do right now is something we are happy about, but we cannot complain.
Peter Mansbridge:
So have I been misreading some of your comments then about the concern of the speed of reconstruction?
Hamid Karzai:
That's a different matter. That's a different matter. We have assistance, but if that assistance is enough to have speedy reconstruction activity is something else. This year has been fine with the road projects, and we just announced a few more roads a few days ago, but the kind of reconstruction that Afghans expected from the international community, that kind of massive reconstruction activity is not there. It is improving. It has improved a lot this year. We hope it will improve next year too. If you ask me if I would like more reconstruction, more assistance, of course, but if you say do I complain that the world has not given enough to us, I would not do that. It's not gracious really to complain about somebody else helping you. That help is welcome, and if it is more, we'll be even happier and even more thankful.
Peter Mansbridge:
On the security front, what is your current understanding and your feeling about security in your country? I mean, there's a sense on the part of some that the Taliban and al-Qaeda are re-emerging in this country.
Hamid Karzai:
There was a sense last summer. I think that sense has gone away.
Peter Mansbridge:
Why is that?
Hamid Karzai:
Because they failed. For us, terrorism is not a threat in the sense that it was two years ago, in the sense that it was three years ago, in the sense that it was a year ago. I think there was sharp decline, especially with the reconstruction picking up. Their decline is quite visible and we're seeing changes in Pakistan. We've had some good announcements from the government of Pakistan, if that also is implemented the way they say, Afghanistan will be a much safer place. So I'm not worried about a re-emerging Taliban or terrorism or extremist activity. Yes, terror as bomb blasts, terror as assassinations, terror as attacks against those who are here to help Afghans, cowardly activities will go on like the attacks on the Canadian soldiers and the British troops. Those the Afghan people consider enemies. The council of Afghanistan condemned that as acts against Afghanistan, and people know that, and people condemn that.
Peter Mansbridge:
There's a feeling that the hunt for Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar is more concentrated now in an area between your country and Pakistan, that the Pakistan government is more involved now in that search. What do you know about that? What do you believe to be the case on that?
Hamid Karzai:
Well, I hope they're captured soon. I'll not go into operational details on that. I just hope that they'll be captured soon.
Peter Mansbridge:
Do you have reason to believe that there really is significant progress in that search?
Hamid Karzai:
Well, no fugitive can run away from law forever.
Peter Mansbridge:
You referred at the beginning of our discussion to the stakes really in terms of success in Afghanistan. What happens if it fails?
Hamid Karzai:
Well, I would not say that it wouldn't. It will succeed. But the stakes of failure are going to be... not only for Afghanistan, but for the rest of the world.
Peter Mansbridge:
But why is it this country that's so important?
Hamid Karzai:
Because this country was taken over by terrorism. Because the failure of the Afghan state and the interference in the Afghan state caused that kind of danger to the rest of the world. Do we allow it to go back that way? And affect the rest of the world in that massive manner in which it affected the world? Just think of the Twin Towers. Could you ever imagine that a threat like that could emanate from a country so far away taken over by terrorism to Canada, to France, to Europe or to other countries? No, but that was a reality, it happened. So are we going to allow that to happen again? Never.
Peter Mansbridge:
Mr. President, we really appreciate you taking this time today. Thank you.
Hamid Karzai:
Thank you so much. Thanks so much.
^TOP
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