Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
My Profile
Top News
Reuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day.
Subscribe
You are here:
Home
>
News
>
International
>
Article
Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Entertainment
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
Your View
The Great Debate
Blogs
Weather
Reader Feedback
Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
Your View
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
Obama vows Afghan exit; battered Karzai to take oath
Wed Nov 18, 2009 10:02am EST
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
By Peter Graff
KABUL (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama aims to bring the Afghan war to an end before he leaves office, he said on Wednesday, the eve of a swearing-in ceremony Western officials hope can help salvage Hamid Karzai's tattered reputation.
Hillary Clinton arrived in Kabul to attend the re-elected Afghan president's inauguration, her first visit as U.S. secretary of state and the most senior visit by a member of Obama's administration, which has kept Karzai at arm's length.
Karzai takes his oath on Thursday, three months after a vote marred by widespread fraud. The election, intended to bolster the government's legitimacy, had the opposite effect, driving a wedge between Karzai and Western countries whose troops defend him.
Clinton, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner will be among 300 foreign dignitaries to attend the ceremony at Kabul's presidential palace.
In an interview with CNN, Obama said he would soon announce the results of a long-awaited review, which would include an exit strategy to avoid "a multi-year occupation that won't serve the interests of the United States".
"The American people will have a lot of clarity about what we're doing, how we're going to succeed, how much this thing is going to cost, what kind of burden does this place on our young men and women in uniform and, most importantly, what's the end game on this thing," he said.
"My preference would be not to hand off anything to the next president. One of the things I'd like is the next president to be able to come in and say I've got a clean slate."
In eight years of war the Taliban insurgency is now at its deadliest, the Western force protecting Karzai is at its largest, and the Afghan leader's own reputation is at its lowest, wrecked by election fraud, corruption and weak government.
Security for the inauguration in Kabul will be extreme, with roads closed in the capital. The government declared Thursday a holiday and told citizens to stay off the streets. Reporters will be barred from attending the swearing-in ceremony itself.
The centerpiece will be Karzai's inauguration speech, with Western officials hoping to hear a specific program to combat graft, improve performance and limit the influence of warlords.
"We would like some sort of roadmap. We want some clear direction given here," a European diplomat said.
FAKE VOTES
A U.N.-backed probe concluded nearly a third of votes for Karzai in the August 20 poll were fake, meaning he failed to win the 50 percent needed to avoid a second round. He was declared the winner anyway when his opponent quit before the run-off.
"No one can change the fact that Karzai won the election through fake votes and support from notorious warlords in return for ministerial and high-ranking posts," said white-bearded Abdul Shukoor as he entered a Kabul mosque for noon prayers.
"When the government is based on cheating and compromise, I can guarantee you there won't be any improvement for many years." Continued...
View article on single page
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
Yahoo!
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
For victims, lengthy Khmer Rouge trial painful
also on reuters
Full Coverage: Route to Recovery
Video
Video: Lost in translation? Not with these glasses
Full Coverage: Reuters Finance Summit
More World News
North Korea's nuclear plans cloud Obama in Seoul
| Video
Israel dismisses U.S. anger at settlement plan
Seized tanker's captain dies, Alabama attacked again
Iraq VP vetoes election law
Iran detention centre doctor commits suicide: IRNA
More World News...
More News
U.S. wants Karzai to use speech for concrete steps
1:01am EST
Reporters barred from Afghan leader's inauguration
Tuesday, 17 Nov 2009 10:39am EST
Obama says al Qaeda still greatest threat to U.S.
Monday, 16 Nov 2009 05:05pm EST
Afghanistan says to form new anti-corruption unit
Monday, 16 Nov 2009 06:34am EST
Clinton wants tangible Afghan progress from Karzai
Sunday, 15 Nov 2009 11:09am EST
Editor's Choice
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
New Zealand tops Denmark as world's least corrupt nation
Soldiers' mutiny raises concern in Israel
Sex infections still growing in U.S., says CDC
With Playboy sale, an icon bows to changing times
China's Wen seeks to reassure Obama on trade | Video
U.S. Army suicides set to hit new high in 2009
Washington leak machine weighs on Afghan review
First U.S. marijuana cafe opens in Portland
Canada money launderer shows holes in Vegas casinos
French hotel offers guests a night as a hamster | Video
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
Obama's balancing act in China
Gartman: Dollar will shoot skyward
Task force targets financial fraud
Geithner: "rebalancing" means jobs
France's human hamster hotel
The next "Guantanamo Bay?"
U.S.-China leaders talk trade, Iran
Washington atwitter with tweets
Metal monk quits rock
Business Update: Opel await fate
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
Analysis
Iran's Ahmadinejad seen backing nuclear deal
Despite his hardline image, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appears to favor a U.N.-drafted nuclear fuel proposal as a way to shore up his own power and legitimacy five months after his disputed re-election. Full Article
Full Coverage: Iran
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Labs |
Journalism Handbook |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers
International Editions:
Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
Latin America |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
United Kingdom |
United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.