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
Environment
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
U.N. says fears of unfair Afghan poll well-founded
Fri Mar 20, 2009 1:11am EDT
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
By Louis Charbonneau
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Opposition fears of an unfair election in Afghanistan this year are well-founded, and a rigged poll would fuel political instability and undermine support for democracy, a top U.N. envoy has warned.
The warning came as Afghan President Hamid Karzai said he welcomed a U.S. deployment of 17,000 extra troops to Afghanistan but efforts to stabilize the country are "seven years too late."
Afghanistan has been experiencing a surge of Taliban-led violence taking it to the highest levels since the Islamist militants were ousted as the country's government in 2001 in a U.S.-led invasion.
The embattled country is due to have a presidential election in August with Karzai expected to be one of several candidates. Analysts worry a vote that lacks legitimacy will be further grist for Taliban efforts to undermine popular support for the government and its foreign allies.
"All involved -- the government, the opposition, and the international community -- must understand the costs of a flawed and unfair election process," Kai Eide, the U.N. Special Envoy to Afghanistan, told the Security Council on Thursday.
"The result (of a rigged poll) would be prolonged political instability when stability is more than ever required (and) would create doubt in the minds of many Afghans about the value of democratic processes when confidence is needed," he said, urging the Kabul government to address opposition concerns on the issue.
Eide did see areas of improvement -- a push to reform the police, reduce corruption and improve agriculture. He also said
opium poppy cultivation was expected to decline sharply this year in Afghanistan, the world's top heroin producer.
DONOR CONFUSION
Eide spoke of confusion over donations to Afghanistan. He said as much as an estimated $1 billion has been donated without going through the government, making it difficult to monitor how the money is spent.
"Afghan authorities do not know, and we do not know, how much is spent ... and for what purpose," he said. However, he told reporters the U.N. estimate was a reliable one.
Eide declined to say which countries and organizations were behind the donations, but said "few show readiness to adjust the practices which have brought us into the fragmentation and confusion we are in."
Separately, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told Reuters in an interview he wanted Karzai to "strengthen the relation with the neighboring countries, particularly Pakistan."
He said he was encouraged by Karzai's "strong cooperative relationship" with Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari.
U.S. and other military forces in Afghanistan see the elimination of militant support in lawless northwestern Pakistan as essential to winning the war in Afghanistan. Continued...
View article on single page
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
Yahoo!
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
U.N. rights envoy sees Israeli war crimes in Gaza
also on reuters
Blog: Android co-founder in Google Ventures?
Video
Video: Drink coffee, charge battery
Slideshow
Slideshow: Protests over the economy are spreading
More International News
Sarkozy under pressure as French protests hit streets
| Video
U.N. rights envoy sees Israeli war crimes in Gaza
| Video
Fritzl gets life in prison for incest-rape, murder
| Video
Ecuador army plane hits buildings, six dead
U.S. commanders say ready for N.Korea missile
More International News...
Related News
France proposes European gendarmes for Afghanistan
1:11am EDT
Editor's Choice
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
U.N. panel says world should ditch dollar | Video
NBC boss: Jon Stewart's criticism absurd, unfair
$750 billion "green" investment could revive economy: U.N.
China's last eunuch spills sex secrets
Liam Neeson puts next career steps on hold
House votes to recoup bonuses from bailed-out firms | Video
California prison releases Charles Manson picture
Citigroup share trading halted
U.S. teen birth rate up again, fewer pre-term babies
Tributes pour in for Richardson after skiing death | Video
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
French workers strike over economy
Natasha Richardson mourned
Natasha Richardson dies after fall
Selling a recovery
Housing complex hoovers up trash
Natasha Richardson dies
Ditch the dollar?
Six years after the invasion
Pope 'condom' row rages on
Africa aid flights axed to save cash
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
Reuters Deals
The global destination for corporate leaders, deal-makers and innovators
Knowledge to Act
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Interactive TV |
Labs |
Reuters in Second Life |
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.