109TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. CON. RES. 153
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Welcoming His Excellency Hamid Karzai, the
President of Afghanistan, on the occasion of his
visit to the United States in May 2005 and ex-
pressing support for a strong and enduring stra-
tegic partnership between the United States and
Afghanistan.
109TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. CON. RES. 153
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Whereas Afghanistan, a great nation located at the cross-
roads of many civilizations, has suffered the ravages of
war, foreign intervention, occupation, and oppression;
Whereas the Afghan people courageously resisted the decade-
long occupation of their country by the former Soviet
Union, forcing a Soviet withdrawal in 1989 and thereby
contributing to the end of the Cold War;
•HCON 153 EH
Whereas following the Soviet withdrawal, Afghanistan went
through a period of chaos and conflict, exacerbated by in-
sufficient attention from the international community,
during which time the Taliban militia seized control of
much of the country and provided a base of operations
to Al Qaeda and other terrorist elements;
Whereas following the terrorist attacks of September 11,
2001, the United States launched Operation Enduring
Freedom, liberating the Afghan people from tyranny,
transforming Afghanistan from a haven for terrorists
into a strategic partner in the struggle against inter-
national terrorism, and helping Afghans build a demo-
cratic government;
Whereas the Afghan Constitution, drafted by a broadly rep-
resentative Loya Jirga, or Grand Council, and enacted on
January 4, 2004, provides for equal rights for and full
participation of women, mandates full compliance with
international norms for human and civil rights, estab-
lishes procedures for free and fair elections, creates a sys-
tem of checks and balances between the executive, legisla-
tive and judicial branches, encourages a free market
economy and private enterprise, and obligates the state
to prevent all types of terrorist activity and the produc-
tion and trafficking of narcotics;
Whereas more than 10.5 million Afghan men and women
voted in national presidential elections in October 2004,
demonstrating commitment to democracy, courage in the
face of threats of violence, and a deep sense of civic re-
sponsibility;
Whereas Hamid Karzai, formerly the interim President, was
elected to a five-year term as Afghanistan’s first demo-
cratically-elected President in the country’s history;
•HCON 153 EH
Whereas nationwide parliamentary elections are planned for
September 18, 2005, and further demonstrate the Af-
ghan Government’s commitment to adhere to democratic
norms;
Whereas the Government of Afghanistan has demonstrated a
firm commitment to halting the cultivation and traf-
ficking of narcotics and has cooperated fully with the
United States and its allies on a wide range of counter-
narcotics initiatives;
Whereas in addition to military and law enforcement oper-
ations, President Karzai welcomes the United States and
the international community to assist Afghanistan’s
counter-narcotics campaign by supporting programs to
provide alternative livelihoods for farmers, sustained eco-
nomic development, and governmental and security ca-
pacity building;
Whereas recognizing that long-term political stability requires
sustained economic security, Afghanistan is striving to
create an economic base to provide meaningful livelihoods
for all of its people, and the United States has a coopera-
tive interest in helping Afghanistan achieve this goal;
Whereas section 101(1) of the Afghanistan Freedom Support
Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 7511(1)) declares that the
‘‘United States and the international community should
support efforts that advance the development of demo-
cratic civil authorities and institutions in Afghanistan
and the establishment of a new broad-based, multi-ethnic,
gender-sensitive, and fully representative government in
Afghanistan’’;
Whereas on June 15, 2004, during President Karzai’s visit
to the United States, President George W. Bush stated:
•HCON 153 EH
‘‘Afghanistan’s journey to democracy and peace deserves
the support and respect of every nation. . . . The world
and the United States stand with [the people of Afghani-
stan] as partners in their quest for peace and prosperity
and stability and democracy.’’;
Whereas on June 15, 2004, in his address to a joint meeting
of Congress, President Karzai stated: ‘‘We must build a
partnership that will consolidate our achievements and
enhance stability, prosperity and democracy in Afghani-
stan and in the region. This requires sustaining and ac-
celerating the reconstruction of Afghanistan, through
long-term commitment. . . . We must enhance our stra-
tegic partnership. The security of our two nations are
intertwined.’’;
Whereas on April 13, 2005, while receiving the visiting
United States Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld,
President Karzai, in expressing the desire of the Afghan
people for a long-term strategic partnership with the
United States, stated: ‘‘They want this relationship to be
a wholesome one, including a sustained economic rela-
tionship, a political relationship, and most important of
all, a strategic security relationship that would enable Af-
ghanistan to defend itself, to continue to prosper, to stop
interferences, the possibility of interferences in Afghani-
stan.’’; and
Whereas the people of the United States, and their elected
representatives, are honored to welcome President Karzai
back to the United States in May 2005 on a visit that
will further advance the close partnership between the
United States and Afghanistan: Now, therefore, be it
•HCON 153 EH
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That—
(1) Congress welcomes the first democratically-
elected President of Afghanistan, His Excellency
Hamid Karzai, as an honored guest and valued
friend upon his visit to the United States in May
2005; and
(2) it is the sense of Congress that—
(A) a democratic, stable, and prosperous
Afghanistan is a vital security interest of the
United States; and
(B) a strong and enduring strategic part-
nership between the United States and Afghani-
stan should continue to be a primary objective
of both countries to advance a shared vision of
peace, freedom, security, and broad-based eco-
nomic development between the two countries
and throughout the world.
Passed the House of Representatives May 23, 2005.
Attest:
Clerk.