Grateful Afghan leader pleads for U.S. to stay involved

BY BOB GLISSMANN
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Afghan President Hamid Karzai talked Wednesday evening about some things for which he is grateful.

He said he is grateful to the University of Nebraska at Omaha for awarding him an honorary doctorate of letters and for being such a good friend to his country for so many years through its Center for Afghanistan Studies.

He said he is grateful to cattleman Harry Knobbe of West Point, Neb., who welcomed him as a guest to his feedlots earlier in the day.

And he said he is grateful for the help that America and the world have given Afghanistan, which had struggled during the Soviet invasion and, later, under Taliban rule.

"Afghanistan today, fortunately, is a better place to be," Karzai told about 450 people at UNO's Strauss Performing Arts Center.

The country is becoming more stable, has a constitution in place and will have parliamentary elections in three months, Karzai said.

That does not mean, however, that everything is rosy, he said. Afghanistan has laid the foundations for success, he said, but it remains far from becoming self-sufficient.

"Therefore," he said, "my plea today - to this university, to this august assembly and to the rest of the world - to remain in Afghanistan, to be steady and friendly with Afghanistan, till Afghanistan is able to stand on its own feet, till Afghanistan can protect itself, till Afghanistan can provide for itself . . ."

Before UNO Chancellor Nancy Belck presented the honorary doctorate to Karzai, the 47-year-old was hailed for laying a foundation of political and economic prosperity in his country and for his strength and wisdom by speakers such as Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy; Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey; University of Nebraska Board of Regents Chairman Howard Hawks; and NU President J.B. Milliken.

Karzai also had offered his appreciation to Americans in a morning speech to about 300 troops at Offutt Air Force Base, where he and his entourage had spent the night.

The United States not only has provided military clout, he said, but also has helped rebuild Afghan irrigation canals and bridges.

Lt. Col. Jay Strickler, who has flown combat operations over Afghanistan and Iraq, said it was nice to hear Karzai speak and thank the Americans. "It's not needed, but it puts a face to our mission, basically," Strickler said.

After the brief ceremony at Offutt on Wednesday morning, Karzai and members of his delegation spent about five minutes shaking hands.

Following the evening ceremony at UNO, Karzai and the Afghan officials who accompanied him returned to Offutt, where they boarded a plane to return to Afghanistan. The plane left about 8:20 p.m.

World-Herald staff writer Rick Ruggles contributed to this report.

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