Ex-U.S. Envoy (Zalmay Khalilzad) May Take Key Role in Afghan Government

[sabra]

Source: NY Times

WASHINGTON — Zalmay Khalilzad, who was President George W. Bush’s ambassador to Afghanistan, could assume a powerful, unelected position inside the Afghan government under a plan he is discussing with Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, according to senior American and Afghan officials.

Mr. Khalilzad, an American citizen who was born in Afghanistan, had considered challenging Mr. Karzai for the presidency in elections scheduled for this summer.

But Mr. Khalilzad missed the May 8 filing deadline, and the American and Afghan officials say that he has been talking with Mr. Karzai for several weeks about taking on a job that the two have described as the chief executive officer of Afghanistan.

Such an alliance would benefit Mr. Karzai by co-opting a potential rival. For its part, the White House has made no secret of its growing disenchantment with Mr. Karzai, and some Afghanistan experts said that enlisting Mr. Khalilzad would have the virtue of bringing a strong, competent leader into an increasingly dysfunctional Afghan government.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/19/world/asia/19diplo.ht...

[atreides1]

1. Puppet

Meet your master, he who will pull your strings to make you dance.

[jaxx]

2. This guy was PNAC.

Not to be trusted. Not at all.

[pattmarty]

3. All I can say is; "what the fuck"?????

[Alamuti Lotus]

4. Great American democracy in action

On the bright side, direct involvement on the ground in the failing occupation regime would hasten his dark journey into the ground, so it may not be all bad.