Office of Global Communications
July 9, 2003

The Rights and the Aspirations of the People of Afghanistan

"Freedom is taking hold in Afghanistan and Iraq...[a]nd our nation has special responsibilities to these countries, responsibilities we will keep. In Afghanistan, America and our allies are helping to build roads and train police and rebuild schools. This summer, at town hall meetings across the country, Afghans will discuss the working draft of a new constitution. And in the fall, a national assembly will convene to ratify the constitution of a free and democratic Afghanistan."
President Bush Presses for Peace in the Middle East
Remarks in Commencement Address at the University of South Carolina
May 9, 2003

"The Afghan people face continued struggles in rebuilding their government and the nation. But the days when women were beaten in the streets and executed on soccer fields are over."
President Bush Presses for Peace in the Middle East
Remarks in Commencement Address at the University of South Carolina
May 9, 2003

"In Afghanistan, we helped to liberate an oppressed people. And we will continue helping them secure their country, rebuild their society, and educate all their children, boys and girls."
President Bush Delivers the State of the Union
January 28, 2003

"We've seen in Afghanistan that the road to freedom can be hard; it's a hard struggle. We've also seen in Afghanistan that the road to freedom is the only one worth traveling. Any nation that sacrifices to build a future of liberty will have the respect, the support, and the friendship of the United States of America."
President Bush Remarks on Humanitarian Efforts in Afghanistan
October 11, 2002

"Our commitment to a stable and free and peaceful Afghanistan is a long- term commitment."
President Bush Statement with Afghanistan's President Karzai
September 12, 2002

"Our governments have acted as leaders in the international community to address the humanitarian needs of Afghanistan, including repatriation and resettlement of refugees and the internally displaced. While these challenges continue, it is now time for the international community to take strong, visible steps to begin Afghanistan's physical reconstruction."
President Bush Joint Statement with Japan's Prime Minister and Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister
September 12, 2002

"In Afghanistan, the Taliban used violence and fear to deny Afghan women access to education, health care, mobility, and the right to vote. Our coalition has liberated Afghanistan and restored fundamental human rights and freedoms to Afghan women, and all the people of Afghanistan. Young girls in Afghanistan are able to attend schools for the first time."
President Bush Proclamation 7584,Women's Equality Day, 2002
August 23, 2002

"And thanks to our United States military and thanks to a coalition we put together -- and thanks to the coalition we have put together, we have freed the people of Afghanistan from one of the most repressive regimes in the history of mankind. Not only are we steadfast in our desire to defend that which we believe, we also are willing to commit resources to free a nation."
President Bush Remarks at the Knoxville, Tennessee, Civic Center
April 8, 2002

"[T]hat cause was to liberate the Afghan people from terrorist occupation, and we did so. Next week, the schools reopen in Afghanistan. They will be open to all -- and many young girls will go to school for the first time in their young lives. Afghanistan has many difficult challenges ahead -- and, yet, we've averted mass starvation, begun clearing mine fields, rebuilding roads and improving health care. In Kabul, a friendly government is now an essential member of the coalition against terror."
President Bush Remarks on the World Coalition for Anti-Terrorism Effort
March 11, 2002

"All fathers and mothers, in all societies, want their children to be educated, and live free from poverty and violence. No people on Earth yearn to be oppressed, or aspire to servitude, or eagerly await the midnight knock of the secret police. If anyone doubts this, let them look to Afghanistan, where the Islamic 'street' greeted the fall of tyranny with song and celebration."
President Bush Delivers the State of the Union January 29, 2002