October 15, 2002	Tuesday	Sha'aban 8, 1423

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ISTANBUL, Oct 14: President Hamid Karzai declared on Monday that Afghanistan was open to business and has sought higher degree of assistance from the ECO partners in the priority areas of transportation, communication, energy, gas and power generation.

Speaking at the one-day seventh summit of the head of states of the 10-member Economic Co-operation Organization at Hotel Ciragan, he called upon the member states to accelerate their efforts in the successful execution of mutually beneficial projects particularly in the area of hyrdocarbon resources, building pipelines, roads and interconnection of power grids.

The consolidation of peace and stability depends on regional cooperation and the international community’s sustained engagements in the reconstruction of Afghanistan, he said.

Rebuilding highways, creating transport and transit arteries and road networks in Afghanistan is an important undertaking with significant economic and political impact for Afghanistan and the region.

We will soon start the project of rebuilding our highways with the generous assistance of USA, Japan, the European Union, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Iran, Karzai said.

The completion of this vital project will significantly enhance transit and transport facilities among members of ECO, he said.

He said we have already established Judicial Commission to rebuild the Afghan judicial 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.

President Karzai said the people of Afghanistan truly believe in the teachings of Islam and reject any misuse of the holy name of Islam by the extremist groups to justify violence, death and destruction.

We want to be a model of tolerance and prosperity rooted in the rich heritage of Islamic civilisation, he told the august house.—APP