[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 20]
[Senate]
[Pages 27252-27253]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              AFGHANISTAN

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, freedom continues to advance in 
Afghanistan. Of course, they are a great ally in the war on terror. In 
fact, I recall visiting Afghanistan just a little over 2 years ago with 
the current occupant of the Chair, and we had an opportunity to see 
firsthand the progress they had made at that time, not to mention how 
far they have come since.
  A few days ago the results of that country's historic parliamentary 
elections, held in mid-September, were officially certified. At the 
time that Senator Burns and I were there, they had not yet had the 
election of the President, not officially. They have since had that 
election. Now they have had a parliamentary election. Those results are 
now certified. A joint Afghan and United Nations election commission 
has declared the winners in races for 249 seats in the lower 
parliamentary house, as well as members of 34 provincial councils 
around the country.
  Afghanistan's continued progress toward democracy is obviously a 
victory in the war on terror. Four years ago, the ruthless Taliban 
regime ruled Afghanistan with an unyielding, murderous intolerance, and 
they laid down that country's welcome mat to all the terrorists to 
``come on in.'' I would like to remind my colleagues that 4 short years 
ago Afghanistan was ruled by a regime so intolerant that as part of an 
effort to erase any trace of Afghanistan's history before the rise of 
Islam

[[Page 27253]]

in the seventh century, the Taliban destroyed two priceless Buddhist 
statues. These statues had been carved into the face of a cliff outside 
the Afghan city of Bamiyan. These ancient wonders that had endured for 
centuries were instantly turned into dust. The Taliban was literally 
trying to erase history. But now the Taliban itself is history.
  America's quick defeat of the Taliban, the rescue of the Afghan 
people out from under their wicked thumb and the quick transformation 
of Afghanistan into a burgeoning democracy in just 4 years is nothing 
short of amazing.
  Today, a democratically elected parliament and a democratically 
elected, President Hamid Karzai, are charting a new course for their 
country. I am proud to say that a new day has dawned in Afghanistan. 
Where there was repression, now there is liberty.
  For instance, reports indicate that 68 of the new legislators are 
women. Four years ago little girls weren't allowed to go to school, and 
women had no rights whatsoever. Four years ago women were second-class 
citizens, blocked from jobs and educational opportunities by the 
Taliban. These 68 women legislators make up over a quarter of their 
chamber. That is significantly higher than the proportion of women in 
our Congress in the United States.
  Afghanistan will continue to make progress toward freedom and 
democracy. The provincial councils are now in the process of selecting 
68 members of the House of Elders, which is the upper parliamentary 
house. Those selections will be completed soon. Then with President 
Karzai's selection of an additional 34 members to the upper house, the 
full Afghan Parliament is scheduled to convene for the first time in 
the third week of December.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in saluting the people of Afghanistan 
as they move forward toward freedom and democracy. I ask all of us to 
join in pledging the full support of the United States as the people of 
Afghanistan continue to fight the last vestiges of an extreme terrorist 
element, and as they continue to stand with the grand coalition of free 
nations who are waging the war on terror.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Missouri.

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