Orrin Hatch: “As the loya jirga process moves forward in Afghanistan, all of us must realize that U.S. security depends on a political…”

“As the loya jirga process moves forward in Afghanistan, all of us must realize that U.S. security depends on a political solution in that far-away country that truly creates functioning stability there. All of us know what the costs of an unstable Afghanistan have been--those costs were delivered to us on September 11. A political solution in Afghanistan, in my opinion, cannot rely solely on the Northern Alliance leaders who control many aspects of the government today. While we have had numerous military successes in Afghanistan, we must be as serious about our commitment to a truly multi-ethnic political resolution to the country's current ingovernability. Last week, Dr. Marin Strmecki, a scholar on Afghanistan for the past 20 years, a fine intellectual who served on my staff many years ago, wrote an excellent analysis in the National Review. I have much respect for Dr. Strmecki's analysis and would urge my colleagues to read it.”