U.S. Consulate Herat Officially Opens

Deputy Secretary William J. Burns delivered the remarks at today's ceremony to open the new U.S. Consulate in Herat, Afghanistan:

And so we are here to celebrate the opening of the consulate -- this remarkable refurbished facility, leased from the Municipality of Herat. This was truly a community effort – we purchased local products to use in the refurbishment, some of which you can see on display in the waiting room next door. World-class quality, Chesht-e-Sharif marble now graces some of the floors. Every week, on average, more than 70 Afghans contributed their time and skills to the consulate’s construction. One expert carpenter turned plain packing crates into beautifully carved room dividers. And artwork produced by students from Herat University is displayed on the walls of the consulate.

That "remarkable refurbished facility" is not bad. Kudos to OBO.

As for the other remarkable refurbished facility in Afghanistan, the less said, the better.

DIY Home Renovation Opportunity in Mazar-e-Sharif

Thanks to Diplopundit for pointing out U.S. Embassy Kabul's announcement of the State Department's newest property acquisition in Mazar-e-Sharif.

The announcement made the property sound nice, "the historic Mazar Hotel owned by the Ministry of Information, Culture, Sports and Tourism," but caveat emptor, as a realtor might say.
















The Mazar Hotel is a bit of a fixer-upper, but $26 million in U.S. taxpayer's money ought to do wonders for the place.

















The hotel's pool is a big selling point. Full disclosure: the pool has no filter or purification system, so the water has to be changed every few days.