Skip to main content

Karzai may lose West support, Brown warns

Friday, November 06, 2009 LONDON: The West could withdraw support for Afghan President Hamid Karzai if he fails to live up to its expectations during his second term, Prime Minister Gordon Brown warned on Friday.While defending Britain's Afghanistan mission against waning public support, Brown admitted Karzai's government had become a "by-word for corruption" -- and also pressed for more Afghan troops to bear the brunt of frontline action.He said he had spoken to Karzai, whose re-election was confirmed this week, several times in recent days and urged progress on the key issues of security, governance, reconciliation, economic development and regional relations."If the government fails to meet these five tests, it will not only have failed its own people, it will have forfeited its right to international support," Brown said in a speech in London.He said he had proposed Karzai draw up a new anti-corruption law, with a new commission advised by a high-profile international figure to investigate and prosecute graft, and new rules for the transparent awarding of contracts.He also gave a warning on Karzai's government appointments, saying: "Cronies and warlords should have no place in the future of a democratic Afghanistan.""Sadly, the government of Afghanistan has become a by-word for corruption. And I am not prepared to put the lives of British men and women in harm's way for a government that does not stand up against corruption," Brown said.It has been a bloody week for British troops in Afghanistan. Seven soldiers have been killed since last Saturday, five shot by a rogue Afghan policeman, bringing to 230 the number killed since the US-led invasion in October 2001.Brown repeated that the mission was to stop Al-Qaeda from using Afghanistan as a base for attacks on Britain and elsewhere, and said it "must not fail"."We cannot, must not and will not walk away," he said.However, he said more Afghan troops were needed, adding: "The first priority of any government is to provide security for its people. It is not sustainable to subcontract that task indefinitely to the international community."So the expansion and training of the Afghan army and police must be the new government?s first priority."About 500 British troops are involved in mentoring Afghan soldiers and policemen to help them take over security from international forces, but this role was thrown into question by the shooting on Tuesday.An Afghan policeman opened fire at a checkpoint in southern Helmand province -- where the vast majority of Britain's nearly 9,000 troops are based -- leaving five British soldiers dead.Brown expressed his sorrow at the loss but insisted: "We will not give up this strategy of mentoring. Because it is what distinguishes a liberating army from an army of occupation."The killings have added to public unease about the Afghan mission.A YouGov/Channel 4 News survey Thursday found 57 percent of people thought British troops were not winning their fight against Taliban insurgents, and "victory is not possible," an increase from 48 percent just two weeks ago.Thirty-three percent think the war is being won, or that victory is possible eventually. Yet just 20 percent think troops should stay until the job is done.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

India's swine flu death rate is increasing

Friday, August 14, 2009 MUMBAI: A 26-year-old woman died Thursday of H1N1 swine flu in the southern city of Bangalore, raising India's death toll from the virus to 20, authorities said.The death was the first reported in India's information technology capital, the Press Trust of India reported.Meanwhile in Pune, the worst-affected in India, two more victims of the virus died Thursday, raising the death toll in that western city near Mumbai to 12, the report said. The victims were an 11-month-old boy and a 75-year-old old woman.US media reported movie halls, schools and colleges were ordered closed Thursday for three days to a week in Mumbai, the commercial and financial capital of the country, as fear of the pandemic spread.Prajakata Lavangare, a spokeswoman for the government of Maharashtra state of which Mumbai is the capital, said similar orders were issued in Pune, which is also located in the state.The woman who died in Bangalore was identified only as Roopa, a teacher in...

Snake bite deaths

Monday, July 06, 2009 COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan government recorded some 33,000 snake bites in 2008, with most of the victims coming from remote villages.The Department of Government Information said in a statement that most of the snake bite cases could be fatal if neglected.The statement said snake bites are often neglected in Sri Lanka as victims do not seek treatment at hospitals where advanced medication is available. Instead, the victims rush to traditional type of treatment which could be a risk, reports Xinhua.Snake bites death at domestic level, outside hospitals, go unrecorded, said the statement.Most victims of snake bite are from the rural and remote villages where there is no electricity after dusk.Statistics show that Sri Lanka has over 90 species of snake with around 10 species possessing venom capable of killing a human being.In Sri Lanka the annual death rate due to snake bite envenoming is one of the highest in the world being 6 in 100,000 population.

Cuba's world-famous cigar festival closes in Havana

Sunday, February 28, 2010 HAVANA: Hundreds of wealthy merchants and cigar aficionados from all parts of the world gathered in Havana this week to bid high stakes for humidors full of premium cigars. Cuba's annual Habanos festival ended on Friday night with an auction of ornate humidors of cedar and mahogany stacked with hand-rolled stogies that raised 800,000 euros ($1.09 million dollars). Habanos S.A. executives this month said cigar sales fell 8 percent to $360 million in 2009, so they have created the Julieta, a smaller, milder version of the Romeo y Julieta cigar, aimed specifically at female smokers. Women now make up only 5 to 10 percent of customers for Habanos. But even with the creation of the Julieta, Garcia said Habanos has only modest hopes for 2010 sales, due largely to a weak economy in Spain, the biggest market for Cuban cigars. The flavor of premium tobacco relies on the soil and climate in which it is grown. The western province of Pinar Del Rio, famous fo...