Afghan Director Karzai Seeks Change, U.s. Confidence, Kerry Says
Kerry, who spoke to Karzai by telephone yesterday morning and had lunch with CIA Director Leon Panetta on Oct. 29, said he doesnt believe the presidents brother has a “direct relationship” with the CIA, as reported earlier this week in the New York Times.
Kerry expressed confidence in Karzais ability to recover from allegations that his government is corrupt and engaged in fraud in the first round of elections Aug. 20.
“I think he is prepared to embrace reforms,” Kerry, 65, said in an interview for Bloomberg Televisions “Political Capital With Al Hunt,” airing this weekend. Hours after the interview, CNN reported yesterday that talks between Karzai and his election opponent had broken down, citing a Western person close to the Afghan leadership. Karzais rival may boycott the race, CNN said.
Kerry, in the interview, also distanced himself from Secretary of State Hillary Clintons public questioning of whether some Pakistani officials know the whereabouts of al- Qaeda during her visit to the country this week.
President Barack Obama is weighing strategy on Afghanistan and whether to send as many as 40,000 more troops that his top commander there, General Stanley McChrystal, has requested. The Obama administration has said a central question is whether the Afghan government can be a capable partner to take over the countrys security and manage its development after eight years of war.
Too Far, Too Fast
Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, said he didnt know what Obama would decide and couldnt confirm whether the decision might veer close to the senators position. In addition to linking U.S. aid to the Afghan governments performance, Kerry has left open the possibility of sending more U.S. troops while saying McChrystals approach “reaches too far, too fast.”
Kerry, the 2004 Democratic nominee for the U.S. presidency and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he doesnt know when Obama will announce his decision on the strategy. Obama is scheduled to leave for a trip to Asia within days after Afghan voters go to the polls Nov. 7 for a presidential runoff election.
Kerry helped persuade Karzai to agree to the rematch during a visit to Afghanistan last week, and the president is favored to defeat his challenger, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah.
CNN Report
CNN, in its report, quoted former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad as saying that Abdullah may not stay in the race and that the country may be governed by a power-sharing arrangement.
“I suspect he will make the decision sometime very soon,” Kerry said. “Whats important to us is that we get legitimacy out of this election at the highest level, and then we can work downwards and deal with the issues of individual governors or individual relationships.”
Karzais Brother
Kerry cited “serious questions” about links between Karzais brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai, and the Central Intelligence Agency. The New York Times reported this week that he has received regular payments from the agency for much of the past eight years in exchange for services including helping recruit an Afghan paramilitary force.
Ahmed Wali Karzai said that, while he cooperated with American civilian and military officials, he didnt receive payments from the CIA. He also denied allegations that he was involved in the drug trade.
“Were asking questions,” Kerry said, citing his lunch with Panetta and a group of other senators. “Im not at liberty to talk about it, but I dont believe there is a direct relationship” with the CIA.
Hamid Karzai will confront “reasonable” issues where evidence indicates joint efforts to stabilize Afghanistan are at risk, Kerry said. Still, Karzai questioned whether the news reports related to his brother indicate an effort in Washington to undermine him, the senator said.
“President Karzai is prepared to engage in a fair and reasonable and trusted process” of engagement “in a respectful way as partners,” Kerry said.