president’s visit

Karzai visits Brief profile of President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai was born on Dec. the Soviets. In December 2001, Karzai was named 24, 1957, in the Karz area of Kandahar in Following the withdrawal of the USSR, chairman of the Afghan Interim southern Afghanistan. He is an ethnic Karzai served as deputy foreign minister Administration, which was formed under Japan for key Pashtun of the Popalzai tribe. from 1992 to 1994 in the government of the Dec. 5, 2001, Bonn Agreement in Karzai’s father, uncle and grandfather Burhanuddin Rabbani. Germany. served as leading politicians under the last When the Taliban emerged in the mid- In June 2002, Karzai was appointed as king of Afghanistan, Mohammad Zahir 1990s, Karzai initially recognized them as a president of the Afghan Transitional global summit Shah, who reigned from 1933 to 1973. legitimate government, but later he refused Administration. Karzai studied political science at to serve as the Taliban’s ambassador In the October 2004 presidential election, Himachal Pradesh University in India from because of the relations between the Karzai received 55 percent of the vote and Through July 10, Hamid Karzai, ing a meeting in Kabul. 1979 to 1983, before going on to further Taliban and . He lived in Pakistan became the first democratically elected president of the Islamic Republic On July 3, Karzai was inter- study in France and the United States. among other Afghanistan refugees. leader of Afghanistan. He was re-elected of afghanistan, is on a working viewed by members of Japanese During the invasion of Afghanistan by Supported by the U.S., Karzai and his for a second five-year term in November visit to Japan on the invitation of media outlets in Kabul. He ex- the USSR in the 1980s, Karzai was a group of fighters entered Afghanistan in 2009. the Japanese government. pressed his hope that an infor- fundraiser for the mujahedeen to help fight October 2001. Karzai is married and has a son. During his stay in Japan, Kar- mal meeting in Kyoto at the end zai will attend today’s Tokyo of June attended by representa- Conference on afghanistan, tives of the Taliban and his gov- hosted by Japan and afghani- ernment would lead to formal stan. The president is also sched- peace talks and spoke about his uled to hold a meeting with expectations for the July 8 con- Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda. ference in Tokyo. Prior to Karzai’s visit to Japan, His first visit to Japan was on Foreign Minister Koichiro Gen- the occasion of the International ba visited afghanistan, meeting Conference on Reconstruction with Karzai and afghanistan Assistance to afghanistan in Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul January 2002. He participated in in January. the conference as the chairman On June 26, Sadako Ogata, of the afghan Interim admin- former president of the Japan In- istration. Then he visited Japan ternational Cooperation Agency in February 2003 as president who now serves as an adviser on of the afghan Transitional ad- diplomatic policy to Genba, vis- ministration. Since he was first ited Afghanistan and exchanged elected Hopes and expectations: Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai views on the Tokyo Conference in December 2004, he has visited speaks to Japanese media outlets in Kabul on July 3. Kyodo on Afghanistan with Karzai dur- Japan in July 2006 and June 2010. Afghanistan conference looks beyond 2014

Today, the international Tokyo The conference will be Conference on afghanistan will chaired by Foreign Minister be held. Koichiro Genba, afghanistan Since the Sept. 11, 2001, ter- Foreign Minister Zalmai Ras- rorist attacks in the united soul and afghanistan Finance States, the international commu- Minister Omar Zakhilwal. Other nity has continued its military, participants come from approxi- humanitarian and development mately 70 countries and relevant support to Afghanistan to ensure international organizations. its security. The conference aims for sev- Against this backdrop, the eral achievements, such as the government of Japan has played reaffirming of the partnership a leading role in supporting between the international com- Afghanistan’s development munity and the Afghan govern- through enhancing its indepen- ment until 2014 and during the dence, so as not to let the coun- Transformation decade and try return to being a hotbed of clarifying the problems and terrorism again by implementing challenges for afghanistan and such measures as the announce- the international community for ment of the Ogata Initiative — a sustainable development strat- which includes seamless sup- egy of Afghanistan and affirming port from humanitarian assis- long-term mutual commitments. tance to that of restoration and World issue: (Front row, left to right) German Foreign Minister All the plenary sessions at the reconstruction — and a com- Guido Westerwelle, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai and conference can be viewed live prehensive development plan Afghanistan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul take part in the through the website of the Min- focusing on priority areas. Other International Afghanistan Conference in Bonn, Germany, on istry of Foreign Affairs. measures include the hosting Dec. 5. AP of the International Conference Information provided by the on Reconstruction Assistance to pleted (from 2015 to 2024) was way to the sustainable develop- Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For Afghanistan (Tokyo Conference) defined as the Transformation ment of Afghanistan, taking into more information, visit in 2002; efforts for disarmament, Decade, and the international account what the situation may www.mofa.go.jp. demobilization, and reintegra- community committed to offer be after 2014. tion (DDR) of former soldiers; financial contributions toward the disbandment to illegal armed economic development and se- groups (DIAG) and the reintegra- curity costs. tion of former Taliban soldiers; At the Meeting on afghani- education and basic medical stan held on the occasion of the treatment; development of farms NATO Chicago Summit in May, and infrastructural preparation. the international community re- At the International afghani- affirmed its intention to continue stan Conference in Bonn, Ger- to assist the Afghan National Se- many, held in december 2011, curity Forces (ANSF) beyond the 10-year period during which 2014 for the sustainable stability the transition from the Interna- of Afghanistan. tional Security assistance Force Based on the outcomes of (ISAF) to the government of Af- the previous international con- ghanistan in order to maintain ferences, the Tokyo Conference peace and security will be com- on Afghanistan aims to pave the

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