Europe urges better Afghan governance

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Europe urges better Afghan governance
By Kevin Dougherty, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Wednesday, November 4, 2009

European leaders are telling re-elected Afghan President Hamid Karzai in subtle and not-so-subtle ways that he needs to govern better.

"It is now of utmost importance that he lives up to our expectations" by putting together an honest, productive and inclusive government, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Tuesday during a news conference at the organization’s headquarters in Brussels.

He later said that a prerequisite of continued international involvement in the war and reconstruction efforts was "that the government in Kabul strengthen the fight against corruption and deliver basic services to the Afghan people."

The international community, but particularly those nations with troops in Afghanistan, "hope to see an Afghan government emerge that responds to the will of the people, that reaches out to all parts of Afghan society, and that is ready to take strong action to meet the challenges that Afghanistan faces," said British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Sunday after Karzai rival Abdullah Abdullah pulled out of the presidential runoff.

Similar aspirations have been expressed in other European cities, from Madrid to The Hague, Netherlands.


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