Date of Release: 17 September 2006

Arg, Kabul – H.E. Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, left for the United States of America this morning to attend the 61st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York and to pay official visits to Ottawa, Canada, and Washington DC.

The President is accompanied on this trip by H.E. Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta, Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Dr. Zalmay Rasoul, National Security Advisor, H.E. Hanif Atmar, Minister of Education, H.E. Ehsan Zia, Minister of Rural Development, H.E. Hosn Banu Ghazanfar, Minister of Women’s Affairs, H.E. Dr. Najibullah Mojaddedi, Advisor to the President on Health Affairs and H.E. Jawed Ludin, Chief of Staff to the President.

For further information, please contact:

Office of the Spokesman to the President

Tel.:  00 93 799 33 77 55

        00 93 799 90 94 29

Released by the Office of the Spokesman to the President