Kouchner calls Afghan leader 'corrupt'

Thu Nov 5, 2009

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has called Afghan President Hamid Karzai 'corrupt' after he was named leader of the country for a second term.

"Karzai is corrupt, OK," he said in an interview with the New York Times on Thursday. "We have to legitimize him."

His remarks came after the Independent Election Commission (IEC) called off Afghan presidential run-off and declared Karzai the winner.

The commission made the decision a day after former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah decided to quit the race.

The IEC decision comes as Afghanistan's constitution does not list a clear article for a time when a candidate withdraws from a run-off.

Kouchner also slammed US President Barack Obama for not consulting with his European allies within NATO for the eight-year-old conflict in Afghanistan, the paper said.

"What is the goal? What is the road? And in the name of what?" the French foreign minister asked.

"Where are the Americans? It begins to be a problem ... We need to talk to each other as allies," he added.

Kouchner said the allies had no choice but to work with Karzai in order to get the mission in Afghanistan back on track and start building a state capable of protecting its people and holding off the Taliban.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/110506.html.