Kabul: International pressure was mounting on Saturday on Afghanistan's political rivals to broker a deal to end the country's election crisis, as results were due from a fraud investigation that could determine whether President Hamid Karzai must face a runoff.
The Aug 20 vote was marred by charges of ballot-stuffing
and voter coercion, mostly to Karzai's benefit. Both he and
top challenger Abdullah Abdullah say the results of the fraud
probe are in their favour. They deny they are negotiating the
formation of a coalition government to avert would could prove
a divisive and costly second round of voting.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, US Secretary of State
Hillary Rodham Clinton and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown
called the candidates yesterday as concerns grow over who will
lead the country, and when. The political crisis, and rising
US casualties in the war against insurgents, have prompted the
Obama administration to review its entire Afghanistan war
strategy.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, US Democratic
Sen John Kerry and veteran US ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay
Khalilzad were in Kabul today. Khalilzad held talks with both
candidates this week and said he pressed them to reach a
solution quickly, noting that US support was not a guarantee
if Afghanistan is seen as a hopeless case.
Bureau Report
First Published: Saturday, October 17, 2009, 15:50