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[ 23 May 2005 ]
Afghan President In United States
Hamid Karzai arrived in Boston on 22 May as part of a four-day visit to the United States that will also take him to Washington and Omaha, international agencies reported. Karzai is to meet his U.S. counterpart, George W. Bush, on 23 May as well as other top U.S. officials and leaders from Congress. Karzai will also meet with Paul Wolfowitz, the new World Bank president. The Afghan leader will receive honorary doctorate degrees from Boston University -- where he delivered the commencement address on 22 May -- and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AT
Karzai Outlines His Agenda For Talks In Washington...
In a television address on 21 May, Karzai outlined the issues he will discuss with U.S. leadership, Afghanistan Television reported. Referring to a U.S. military report on the deaths of two Afghan prisoners while in custody at the U.S. military facility in Bagram, Karzai said that he was "saddened" by the report, describing the cases "as a totally inhuman act." Karzai said that he wants the United States to transfer custody of all Afghan prisoners, "whether they are in Bagram, Guantanamo Bay, or other places," to Afghanistan. Secondly, Karzai said that his government wants to "completely" ban operations in which U.S.-led coalition troops enter the homes of Afghans. If the United States wants to arrest someone then the Afghan government should be informed and it would "then take the appropriate measures," Karzai added. AT
...And Describes Partnership He Seeks
Responding to a question from RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan, Karzai said that he wants the U.S. "to promise continuing economic cooperation and to reiterate its commitment to ensuring security and preventing the interference of other countries in Afghan affairs," Afghanistan Television reported. It is expected that Karzai will discuss the details of what he has been describing as a "strategic relationship" with Washington, which may include the basing of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. That issue as well as the entry into private homes by U.S. troops were two of the subjects which demonstrators protested against in violent rallies which began on 11 May and spread to several other Afghan cities (see "RFE/RL Afghanistan Report," 17 May 2005). Karzai told CNN on 22 May that he was "angry" about the death of the two Afghan prisoners. "We want justice. We want the people responsible for this sort of brutal behavior punished and tried and made public," Karzai added. AT
U.S. Memo Criticized Karzai On Counternarcotics Efforts...
A memorandum sent from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul on 13 May faulted President Karzai for unwillingness "to assert strong leadership" of the counternarcotics programs in Afghanistan, "The New York Times" reported on 22 May. Although Karzai had been aware of the difficulties in implementing a ground eradication program in his country, he has "been unwilling" to show effective leadership "even in his own province of Kandahar," noted the memorandum, which was addressed to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. U.S. State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher defended Karzai, saying he is a "strong partner" of the United States and that Washington has "confidence in him." AT
...As He Rejects Charges
President Karzai rejected the U.S. State Department memorandum leaked to "The New York Times" claiming he has not showed effective leadership in the fight against drugs in his country, CNN reported on 22 May. In an interview from Boston, Karzai turned the tables on the international community, asserting that where "international money and the creation of forces for the destruction of poppies was concerned, it [is] ineffective...delayed, and half-hearted." Afghanistan has done its job, now the international community "must do its job, period," Karzai said. AT
Human Rights Group Calls For Action On Afghan Prisoner-Abuse Cases ...
In a news release on 20 May, the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that U.S. forces were involved in "killings, torture, and other abuses" of Afghan prisoners before the Iraq war began in March 2003, however, these crimes have "not still been adequately investigated or prosecuted." HRW's statement added that "at least six detainees in U.S. custody in Afghanistan have been killed since 2002." The statement lists the six cases in its statement (http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/05/20/afghan10992.htm). According to the news release, a previous investigation ordered by the U.S. government "had failed to uncover the scope of abuses" in Afghanistan. John Sifton, an Afghanistan researcher at HRW, called for the appointment of an independent prosecutor since the "U.S. military and CIA have shown that they cannot police themselves." The resurfacing of news about abuses of Afghan detainees in U.S. custody has come at the time when for the first time since the fall of the Taliban regime in late 2001, Afghans have expressed anti-U.S. sentiments. The news also complicates President Karzai's plans for establishing a strategic partnership with the United States. AT
...And Calls For More U.S. Support For Karzai
In a news release on 23 May, HRW called on the United States to provide "concrete assistance" to President Karzai to improve the security situation in his country. Sifton said that during his trip to Washington, the Afghan leader "needs more than a handshake." Comparing Afghanistan to other post-conflict areas, Sifton said that the current troop levels in the country are "a fraction" of what exists elsewhere. He also complained about the shortage of human rights monitors and election observers for Afghanistan's upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled for September. AT
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