Hamid Karzai Vows Inclusive Govt

KABUL: Hamid Karzai Vows Inclusive Government, Re-elected Afghan President Hamid Karzai vowed to form an inclusive government on Tuesday after stern warnings from Western supporters he would have to work harder to root out corruption. Afghan election officials on Monday canceled a needless presidential run-off vote after Karzai’s only rival, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, withdrew citing serious concerns about the election

KABUL: Hamid Karzai Vows Inclusive Government, Re-elected Afghan President Hamid Karzai vowed to form an inclusive government on Tuesday after stern warnings from Western supporters he would have to work harder to root out corruption.

Afghan election officials on Monday canceled a needless presidential run-off vote after Karzai’s only rival, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, withdrew citing serious concerns about the election.

The outcome leaves Washington and other Western supporters to work with a partner whose legitimacy has been questioned, while Karzai himself faces the prospect of having to work with a newly strengthened opposition.

Karzai’s return removes at least one obstacle as President Barack Obama weighs whether to send up to 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan, where violence this year reached its worst levels since the Taliban were in 2001.

The Taliban termed Karzai’s return a farce and vowed to continue its fight to drive foreign forces out of Afghanistan.

Faced with stern warnings from Obama, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and other Western leaders, Karzai vowed to form an inclusive government.

“Our government will be the mirror of Afghanistan so everyone can see themselves in the mirror,” Karzai said in a nationally televised victory speech.

“There will be crucial changes in our future government. Afghanistan has been defamed from the view point of administrative corruption … under whatever means, we will get rid off this blemish,” he said.

Obama congratulated Karzai, but told him in a telephone call on Monday he had to get serious in cracking down on corruption and better serving his people.