KABUL (Agencies)
Afghan President Hamid Karzai was sworn in for a second term on Thursday, vowing to combat corruption and reaching out to his political rivals under Western pressure to restore legitimacy.
Karzai took the oath of office as the U.S.-led war stretches into a ninth year, leaving record numbers of soldiers and civilians dead and with Taliban control extending deeper into the country after an election mired in fraud.
" We have to learn from our mistakes and shortcomings of the last eight years " Afghan President Hamid Karzai Delivering an inaugural address before visiting foreign ministers, including U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Karzai addressed each of the huge challenges facing his government but the West has demanded actions, not words.
"We have to learn from our mistakes and shortcomings of the last eight years," he said in a speech designed to win over his detractors.
He said his country's security forces should be ready to take over responsibility of unstable areas in three years and called for a "loya jirga," a traditional grand assembly, which under Afghanistan's constitution can take precedence over all government institutions including the presidency itself. |
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Insurgency and corruption " We are asking that they follow through on much of what they have previously said, including putting together a credible anti-corruption governmental entity " US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Karzai's inauguration came against the backdrop of a rising Taliban insurgency, doubts over his legitimacy after an election tainted by fraud, and complaints his government is riddled with corruption and mismanagement.
"Afghanistan wants to lead operations in non-secure areas in the next three years," Karzai said. Corruption, he said, is a "very dangerous issue, we must strongly pursue it."
"Ministers must be competent, professional and in service to the nation," Karzai said as hundreds of Afghan and foreign dignitaries watched.
Karzai's swearing-in came as he faced renewed criticism from Washington over corruption.
Clinton said Washington would support the new government but expected serious results in combating corruption and building an "accountable, transparent government."
"Well, we are asking that they follow through on much of what they have previously said, including putting together a credible anti-corruption governmental entity," Clinton told reporters en route to Kabul.
"They've done some work on that, but in our view, not nearly enough to demonstrate a seriousness of purpose to tackle corruption," she said.
Kabul announced the creation this week of a major crimes task force and anti-graft unit.
A decision by U.S. President Barack Obama on whether to send tens of thousands of extra troops to combat the Taliban partly depends on whether he can trust Karzai to press ahead seriously with reforms.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, the most prominent foreign leader at the ceremony, watched Karzai's inauguration with foreign ministers from Britain, France and Turkey. |
