(Archived Content)
Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and Secretary of State Colin Powell encouraged donor countries to make good on their financial commitments to help Afghanistan at the opening of the Afghanistan Reconstruction Steering Group Meeting this morning. Success in Afghanistan requires that we fulfill our pledges and that we are hard-nosed in insisting on results, said Secretary O'Neill. Secretary O'Neill highlighted the progress a road construction joint venture between the U.S., Japan, and Saudi Arabia that will bring back into service most of the ancient ring road that connects Kabul to Kandahar to Herat – a stretch of about 965 kilometers. Beyond linking three important cities, facilitating vital commerce and communication, the road will contribute to the national unity that the Afghan government and the Afghan people so desperately need.