Obama urges 'new Afghan chapter'
US President Barack Obama said he urged Afghan President Hamid Karzai to take advantage of the international interest in his country and press for reforms internally.
Script:
With Afghan President Hamid Karzai set for another term after
his key rival pulled out of the November 7 run-off, the White House
on Monday declared Karzai the legitimate leader of Afghanistan.
President Obama spoke of what he expects of Karzai while meeting
with Sweden's Prime Minister at the White House.
SOUNDBITE: U.S. President Barack Obama saying (English):
"This has to be a point in time in which we begin to write a new
chapter based on improved governance and a much more serious effort
to eradicate corruption."
But the problems that President Obama faces there are far from
over. In recent weeks, U.S. officials have had conversations with
Karzai about what he must do to tackle corruption, reform his
government, and keep the backing of the White House.
But those efforts carry risk, says Andrew Bacevich, a foreign
policy scholar at Boston University, who opposes a deeper US role
in Afghanistan.
SOUNDBITE: Andrew Bacevich, professor - international
relations- Boston University, saying (English):
"That very effort to employ leverage against him is simply going
to increase the already existing perception that this is basically
an imperial venture- that President Karzai is a puppet of the
United States."
The White House said Monday that a decision from President Obama
regarding a possible increase of up to 40,000 U.S. troops to
Afghanistan is still weeks away. But even with the headache of a
run-off election now removed, analysts say the president still has
a difficult task of formulating his Afghan war policy.
Making matters even more difficult for President Karzai and
President Obama -- is that Karzai faces a resurgent Taliban, who
have taken advantage of the post-election turmoil to launch
increasingly bold attacks -- against Afghan citizens, U.N.
personnel and members of the U.S. military.
Jon Decker, Reuters.