ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA - (January 24, 2003) On January 15, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) hosted a business briefing on the oil and gas sector in Afghanistan at its headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. The briefing was part of a USTDA-funded orientation visit (OV) to the United States, which concluded today, by Afghan Minister of Mines and Industries Joma M. Mohamadi and was attended by U.S. firms who may be potential investors, developers, and suppliers in the oil and gas sector in Afghanistan.

In welcoming the participants to the briefing, USTDA Regional Director for Eurasia Daniel D. Stein stated, "The U.S. Government is committed to assisting Afghanistan in its reconstruction efforts. We at USTDA recognize the importance of the oil and gas sector to Afghanistan's economic development. I hope that this briefing will facilitate U.S. investment in this vital sector of the country's infrastructure."

"Developing Afghanistan's vast oil and gas resources is a high priority for my government," said Minister Mohamadi in presenting plans for the development of the country's oil and gas sector. "This sector is capable of generating the capital and jobs that can serve as a catalyst in Afghanistan's reconstruction and development. We appreciate the strong interest that the U.S. Government and U.S. firms have shown in partnering with us in this effort."

Commenting further at the conclusion of the OV, Minister Mohamadi added, "This USTDA orientation visit gave me an important opportunity to meet with U.S. officials to discuss possible areas of assistance and brief U.S. firms on our plans in this sector. I also worked to firm up arrangements for starting an oil and gas resource assessment in the next few months, as well as promote those oil and gas fields that have proven reserves to the U.S. private sector. In addition, the visit gave me an opportunity to discuss arrangements for the speedy assessment and development of Afghanistan's vast mineral resources." During the OV, Minister Mohamadi spent two days with the U.S. Geological Survey discussing a possible oil and gas resource assessment and met with officials at the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce and Energy, as well as the World Bank.

USTDA has been active in Afghanistan since early in 2002. In the oil and gas sector, USTDA is funding a $1.1 million feasibility study on the construction of a pipeline from the gas fields in Northern Afghanistan to Kabul and the construction of a gas-fired power plant near Kabul. USTDA has current or planned activities in a number of other key sectors in Afghanistan, including power, hotel development, education, and aviation, and various other capacity-building initiatives.

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency advances economic development and U.S. commercial interests in developing and middle-income countries. The agency funds various forms of technical assistance, feasibility studies, training, orientation visits and business workshops that support the development of a modern infrastructure and a fair and open trading environment. USTDA's strategic use of foreign assistance funds to support sound investment policy and decision-making in host countries creates an enabling environment for trade, investment and sustainable economic development. In carrying out its mission, USTDA gives emphasis to economic sectors that may benefit from U.S. exports of goods and services.

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