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Karzai to take oath, future of Afghan war at stake

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-11-19 10:34

KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai is to be sworn into office for a second full term on Thursday as he struggles to rebuild a tarnished reputation and convince the West he is still a credible partner after eight years of war.

His inauguration comes against the backdrop of a rising Taliban insurgency, doubts over Karzai's legitimacy after an election tainted by fraud and complaints his government is riddled with corruption.

Newly reelected Afghan President Hamid Karzai (L) shakes hands with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari during a meeting at the Presidential palace in Kabul. [Agencies]

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in her first visit to Afghanistan as the top US diplomat, and her British, French and Turkish counterparts are among 300 foreign dignitaries to attend the ceremony at the presidential palace in Kabul.

"There is now a clear window of opportunity for President Karzai and his government to make a new compact with the people of Afghanistan, to demonstrate clearly that you're going to have accountability and tangible results that will improve the lives of the people," Clinton said in the Afghan capital on Wednesday.

US President Barack Obama will announce soon whether he will send up to 40,000 more troops to fight an increasingly unpopular war. He said on Wednesday he aims to bring the conflict to an end before he leaves office.

"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'," he told CNN.

General Stanley McChrystal, the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, wants tens of thousands of additional troops, warning that without them, the war will probably be lost.

Question over troops  

A UN-backed probe found that nearly a third of votes for Karzai in the August 20 election were fake.

While Karzai had been widely expected to win anyway, the extent of the fraud in his favor severely damaged his credibility at home and among Western and other nations with troops fighting to support his government.

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He has since faced tough pressure from Western leaders to clamp down on widespread corruption and replace former guerrilla leaders and cronies with able technocrats in his new government. Obama's troop decision partly depends on whether he can trust Karzai as a credible partner to push ahead with reform.

Reports have emerged that US ambassador to Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry, had warned Obama in leaked memos not to commit more troops unless Karzai's government demonstrates a willingness to aggressively attack corruption and mismanagement.

Attention is focused on Karzai's inauguration speech, which US and Western officials hope he will use to announce concrete steps to fight corruption and govern better.

Obama administration officials have said they were encouraged by steps announced by Karzai so far, including the creation of a major crimes task force and anti-corruption unit.

Roads were closed in Kabul on Wednesday amid heavy security. The government declared Thursday a holiday and told citizens to stay at home. Reporters are barred from attending the ceremony.

Karzai was installed by the United States and its Afghan allies in 2001. He won a full term in the country's first democratic presidential election in 2004.