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April 07, 2010
Karzai Stands By Vote Fraud Claims Against West and Threatens To Join Taliban
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Karzai stands by vote fraud claims against West
President Hamid Karzai said on Monday he stood behind accusations that the West was responsible for election fraud in Afghanistan, despite having incurred the White House's anger over the comments.
His remarks appeared to intensify the quarrel, by directly blaming Washington for what he has described as "massive fraud" aimed at weakening him and his government.
"What I said about the election was all true, I won't repeat it, but it was all true," Karzai told Britain's BBC television.
"That the U.S. carried out the fraud?" the BBC correspondent asked.
"That's exactly what happened; I mentioned the elements who did it," Karzai said. He added: "We have partnership, we want to continue this alliance and partnership with the United States and the rest of the world, in the interest of both of us. But this has to be understood by all that Afghanistan is a sovereign country."
Karzai levelled the accusations that the West was behind election fraud in a speech on Thursday, prompting the White House to demand an explanation and the U.S. State Department to call the claims "preposterous".
In his speech on Thursday, Karzai said foreigners had bribed and threatened election workers to carry out fraud in last year's presidential election. He singled out the former deputy head of the U.N. mission in Kabul -- American diplomat Peter Galbraith -- as well as the French head of a European Union monitoring team.
While he did not single out the United States explicitly in his comments last week, he said: "The votes of the Afghan nation were in the control of an embassy."
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White House Slams Karzai for Latest Anti-American Outburst
The Obama administration once again is troubled and frustrated by Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who reportedly is threatening to align with the Taliban while accusing the United States of meddling in his country's affairs.
Obama's top spokesman suggested the trouble with Karzai could endanger U.S. military operations in the country. He was reacting to comments Karzai made Saturday during a private meeting with Afghan lawmakers. They came after Karzai and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tried to patch things up Friday following a similar outburst earlier in the week in which he accused Western governments of sabotaging his election.
"I said it was troubling on Friday. Obviously, it didn't get any better," Gibbs said.
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Lawmakers: Afghan leader threatens to join Taliban
Afghan President Hamid Karzai threatened over the weekend to quit the political process and join the Taliban if he continued to come under outside pressure to reform, several members of parliament said Monday.
Karzai made the unusual statement at a closed-door meeting Saturday with selected lawmakers—just days after kicking up a diplomatic controversy with remarks alleging foreigners were behind fraud in last year's disputed elections.
Lawmakers dismissed the latest comment as hyperbole, but it will add to the impression the president—who relies on tens of thousands of U.S. and NATO forces to fight the insurgency and prop up his government—is growing increasingly erratic and unable to exert authority without attacking his foreign backers.
"He said that 'if I come under foreign pressure, I might join the Taliban'," said Farooq Marenai, who represents the eastern province of Nangarhar.
"He said rebelling would change to resistance," Marenai said—apparently suggesting that the militant movement would then be redefined as one of resistance against a foreign occupation rather than a rebellion against an elected government.
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White House Refuses to Say If Karzai is U.S. Ally
by Jack Tapper
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs today continued his criticism of the comments by Afghan President Hamid Karzai -- and when pressed, Gibbs refused to say if Karzai was an ally of the U.S.
Speaking to Afghan lawmakers over the weekend, Karzai suggested he might have to join the Taliban himself if the United States does not stop “meddling.” Gibbs called Karzai's most recent comments "troubling," "confusing," and "untruthful."
So ABC News asked: "Is Karzai our ally?"
Gibbs' response: "Karzai is the democratically elected leader of Afghanistan."
"That’s not what I asked," ABC News noted. "Is he our ally?"
Said Gibbs: "There are times in which the actions that he takes are constructive to governance. I would say that the remarks he’s made I can’t imagine that anyone in this country found them anything other than troubling.
"So our position on this, Jake, is that when the Afghan leaders take steps to improve governance and root out corruption, then the president will say kind words," Gibbs said. "When leaders need to hear stern language from this administration about the consequences of not acting, we’ll do that as well."
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Wild Thing's comment........
Obama is community orgainzing the hell out of the mideast!
"White House Slams Karzai for Latest Anti-American Outburst"..... UM well maybe this would be Karazai responds "I was just following your lead Mr. President." I mean what does Obama expect when he travels the world telling everyone how awful America is and how we are the enemy of the world.
All of this is putting our troops in even more danger.
....Thank you Mark for sending this to me.
Mark
3rd Mar.Div. 1st Battalion 9th Marine Regiment
1/9 Marines aka The Walking Dead
VN 66-67
Posted by Wild Thing at April 7, 2010 06:49 AM
Comments
Maybe it's time we realize that not everybody wants a democratic form of government like in the US. There's no Muslim country, that I can think of, that has a democratic form of government. The ones that do are the ones we invaded and it'll revert to a dictatorship theocracy as soon as we leave. These people have lived under Sharia Law for centuries and that's all they know and want.
Posted by: BobF at April 7, 2010 07:24 AM
This man is a fruit loop! (oh wait, that gives the cereal a bad name). We go in there because they cry for help and then their leader pulls a stupid stunt like this and claims we pulled fraud? He sounds just like Obamanation.
Posted by: Lynn at April 7, 2010 08:10 AM
Afghan leader threatens to join Taliban. If this dork really wants to do this fine. Remove all the rules of engagement and let our troops clean this mess up once and for all
Posted by: Ben Ray Atkinson at April 7, 2010 08:40 AM
This guy wouldn't know which side his bread was buttered on if you paid him to (which, essentially, is what we're doing).
Posted by: Anonymous at April 7, 2010 10:45 AM
Well Gibbs wouldn't answer the simple question if Karzai is our ally ? The obama administration tried to rig the Afghan election but they even screwed that up.
Now one of our last allies, as weak as he is, is threating to leave. This moron in the white house doesn't seem to realize this. He has pissed off all of our traditional allies, now he trying to get the rest of them to fall on his sword.
The election obama interferred with in Afghanistan is the reason Karzai is so pissed. And rightly so.
This is classic, obama is doing such a "great" job on foreign policy, our allies are threatening to join the enemy. If this wasn't so serious it would be a hilarious joke.
Posted by: Mark at April 7, 2010 11:24 AM
Mark has it. Given the Obamunist penchant for back stabbing allies, I can't blame Karzai for trying to make terms with the enemy--after all, the Obamunists are doing just that.
Posted by: Curmudgeon at April 7, 2010 12:42 PM
Thank you everyone,sooo much.
Good one Mark, that sure is what has happened.
Posted by: Wild Thing at April 8, 2010 03:00 AM
