Afghanistan hits back at U.N. and foreign criticism

[laststeamtrain]

Source: Reuters

Afghanistan hits back at U.N. and foreign criticism
Sat Nov 7, 2009 6:42am EST

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan accused the United Nations on Saturday of intervening in the formation of President Hamid Karzai's next cabinet, less than a week into his new term.

Since being re-elected in a controversial poll in which a fraud investigation rejected more than a million of his votes, Karzai has been under intense pressure from his Western backers to introduce swift anti-corruption reforms.

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that comments made by the top U.N. envoy in Kabul at a news conference on Thursday had "exceeded international norms and his authority."

Kai Eide had said then that "warlords and power-brokers" should not decide the shape of the next government and warned Afghanistan it should not assume that its strategic importance guaranteed it continued international support.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/gc05/idUSTRE5A60MF20091107