Kabul, June 19: Hamid Karzai was sworn in today as president of Afghanistan`s new transitional administration in a ceremony which marked the end of the nine-day Loya Jirga Grand Assembly. Karzai swore to "protect the independence and territorial integrity of Afghanistan in the name of god".

The newly installed leader then thanked the organisers of the Loya Jirga for their work over the past few months in the build-up to the Grand Assembly. "I thank the (Loya Jirga) commission for all the hard work they have done over the last five months," he said.

Special commemorative medals were awarded to several dignitaries including UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, the outgoing commander of the international security assistance force General John Mccoll and Loya Jirga chairman Mohammad Ismail Qasimyar.
Bureau Report