March 20, 1984
By the President of the United States
of America
A Proclamation
For much of the world spring is now beginning. It is a time of new life, renewal, freshness, and
hope.
For the people of Afghanistan, March 21 is the traditional celebration of the New Year, the
beginning of the cycle of life. It is a period of rejoicing and celebration for life's regeneration as a
gift of God.
But today, for most of the people of Afghanistan, the March 21 New Year brings only the
renewal of fighting, destruction, and death. For more than four years, the armed forces of the
Soviet Union have occupied Afghanistan. More than 100,000 Soviet soldiers now occupy that
beleaguered country. The overwhelming majority of the Afghan people are struggling against the
Soviet occupation troops and the puppet regime headed by Babrak Karmal. It is a regime that is
maintained only by Soviet force.
Afghan resistance to Marxist rule grew dramatically after the Soviet invasion, and it has now
spread throughout the country. A solution to the Afghanistan problem must begin with the
removal of the Soviet troops. A negotiated political settlement can be achieved if the Soviet
Union agrees to withdraw its military forces of occupation.
The goal of United States policy remains clear and consistent. We seek the removal of Soviet
military forces so that the Afghan people can live freely in their own country and are able to
choose their own way of life and government.
Hope, it is said, springs eternal. We continue to hope that a negotiated settlement can be found, a
settlement which fulfills the conditions spelled out five times in resolutions resoundingly endorsed
by the General Assembly of the United Nations.
These resolutions, passed by the overwhelming majority of the world's nations, call for the
immediate withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan; reaffirm the right of the Afghan people
to determine their own form of government and to choose their economic, political, and social
system; reiterate that the preservation of the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political
independence, and nonaligned character of Afghanistan is essential for a peaceful solution of the
problem; and call for the creation of the conditions which would enable the Afghan refugees to
return voluntarily to their homes in safety and honor.
We stand in admiration of the indomitable will and courage of the Afghan people who continue
their resistance to tyranny. All freedom-loving people around the globe should be inspired by the
Afghan people's struggle to be free and the heavy sacrifices they bear for liberty.
Afghanistan Day will serve to recall the fundamental principles involved when a people struggles
for the freedom to determine its own future and the right to be free of foreign interference. Let us
therefore resolve to pay tribute to the brave Afghan people by observing March 21, 1984 as
Afghanistan Day. Let us pledge our continuing admiration for their cause and for their
perseverance, and lend our support to the Afghan refugees in Pakistan.
Let us redouble our determination to help find a negotiated settlement that will enable the Afghan
people to again welcome spring without the suffering brought by war, but with celebration and
joy.
Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby
proclaim March 21, 1984, as Afghanistan Day.
In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 20th day of March, in the year of our Lord
nineteen hundred and eighty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the
two hundred and eighth.
Ronald Reagan
[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 3:02 p.m., March 20, 1984]