On September 12, 2002, President Karzai of Afghanistan addressed the United Nations General Assembly. In his well prepared speech, he conveyed to the UN members a concise report of the achievements of his administration. While world politicians listened, Hamid Karzai told them:

"Not very far from here stood two towers that symbolized freedom, prosperity and progress. Half way around the globe stood two magnificent Buddha's that represented a culture of tolerance and a nation with a rich history. These symbols have been linked together through the global scourge of terrorism. Terror may have demolished these physical structures, however it strengthens the willpower of the international community never to let down the spirit and determination with which these icons were built."

He expounded on the fact that terrorism is the enemy of humanity at large. He further tried to drive home the fact that Islamic faith that is followed by the majority of Afghans opposes terrorism, so do the Afghans. As this column has repeatedly voiced in its weekly commentaries, Karzai too, stated that Taleban did not represent Afghanistan and nor do the Al-Qaeda represent Arabs and neither one represents Islam.

In his own home front and achievements of his administration specially in the past eight months, Karzai alluded to the following facts:

"We have formed a Constitutional Commission to undertake the historic task of drafting the country's new Constitution. We have already established a Judicial Commission; to rebuild the Afghan justice system, as well as a Civil Service Commission to reform the entire administration and impose a merit based system, and a Human Rights Commission, to protect human rights, women rights and civil liberties. We have adopted a series of laws and decrees to promote and attract domestic and international investments, safeguard property rights and others pillars of the free market economy; combat narcotics, and protect forest and the environment. "

He also pointed to some of his administration's problems. Security was referred to as one of the main issues that needed national and international attention. He once again pointed to the need, he had repeatedly brought up, for the expansion of size and scope of the International Security and Assistance Force. The Afghan president effectively tried to show to the world that while Afghanistan is still in need of the promised financial help, it has put in action the Afghan government machinery to utilize international help for building up of a peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan. A country that would be at peace with itself and at peace and friendly with its neighbors and the international community as a whole.

The speech merited a high score by observers of the performance of an Afghan leader in recent years. But it was a speech by a politician and there are very few politicians who would expound more on their or their government's problems. Karzai is not an exception. His speech told of the establishment of many commissions for many purposes, some for rather urgent purposes. Observers, however, would have preferred to hear of action for the reconstruction of the country rather than referral of issues and problems to committees and commissions that in developing world work extremely slowly and mostly in ineffective ways. The same observers would have been happier if Karzai had asked for technical help in the form of expert input by the United Nations system in developing and designing of quick yielding projects to jump start the Afghan economy and to benefit the common man. He should have further driven home the fact that as a record number of Afghan refugees return home and proved to the world that this is a nation most loyal to its homeland, they need and require urgent placement and help that goes beyond the initial UN help for their return trips into the country. While he shared the good news that three million children returned back to schools in Afghanistan, he should also have said that many more require classrooms, papers and pencils and educational tools. He should have told the world of the need for improvement and expansion of health services and infrastructure, as health today is an international issue and health status in one country has far reaching effects in others. And for this he should have asked relevant UN agencies to extend more vigorous help. Although he did mention the need for developing of a national army and police force, he failed to explain the enormous difficulties his administration has faced in this regard. He should have also renewed his promise of doing away with warlordism and should have asked the international community to help him in this effort by withdrawing their recognition and assistance directly to warlords.

And finally he did not tell the world that presently warlords still run their fiefdom without full coordination with the central authority in Afghanistan.

But overall, the current Afghan leader scored rather very high to prove himself as a leader who understands the world and the world understands him. 9/14/02