Remarks by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder

June 30, 2010 | Kabul, Afghanistan

I am very pleased to be in Kabul today and to have had the opportunity to meet with President Karzai, Minister of Justice Ghalib, Attorney General Aloko, and other distinguished Afghan officials.

The United States is committed to succeeding in Afghanistan and breaking the Taliban's momentum.  As we heard President Obama say on June the 23rd, the United States will "persist and persevere." And "we will not tolerate a safehaven for terrorists who want to destroy Afghanistan's security from within and launch attacks against innocent men, women and children in our country and around the world."

Now there is no clearer sign of our commitment to Afghanistan than President Obama's of General David Petraeus appointment as Commander of the International Security Assistance Force.  General Petraeus fully participated in the U.S. policy review last fall and he both supported and helped design the strategy that we have in place today.

We have watched with interest from Washington the positive steps that President Karzai and his Cabinet have taken to help improve governance and enforce the rule of law.  We applaud President Karzai for his actions and encourage him to continue his efforts, as much work remains to be done.

The long-term stability of Afghanistan lies in the hands of the Afghan people.  A key pillar of achieving stability is adherence to the rule of law.  The United States is committed to partnering with Afghanistan to ensure that all Afghan citizens have access to a fair, efficient and transparent judicial system. Rule of law should be an important dimension of the long-term U.S.-Afghan strategic partnership.

The support and commitment of the United States to improving the lives of the Afghan people and establishing the rule of law will really outlast any military presence in this country.  The Strategic Partnership that will signed by our two Presidents by the end of the year will codify this long-term commitment. And I personally commit that we will continue the partnerships that the United States Department of Justice has developed here in Afghanistan.

We have sent some of our most experienced federal prosecutors and law enforcement agents from our Criminal Division, the United States Attorneys' Offices, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the United States Marshals Service to work here with their Afghan law enforcement counterparts.

I'm glad to have had the opportunity to meet with them today and to thank them for their service to the United States and to the people of Afghanistan, as well.  We are proud to be standing with Afghanistan in the fight against corruption, in the fight against narcotics trafficking, and in the fight against terrorism. The law enforcement partnerships that we have established will certainly endure. 

Thank you very much.

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