Afghanistan: Tensions Rise Between Karzai & US Envoy Holbrooke

In the aftermath of the Afghan elections, Richard Holbrooke and Hamid Karzai had a lunch meeting on the day after the elections. The meeting was described  by the US embassy in Kabul as testy and filled with sharp exchanges. Veteran diplomat Holbrooke is know for his bluntness, and apparently he made sure to let Karzai know that Washington’s impatience towards him was rapidly growing.

The US and other international observers, initially praised the elections as a success. However, wide spread fraud allegations, which are currently under investigation, and a record low turnout of only 30 to 35 percent have led many people to question the election’s credibility. Abdullah Abdullah, Karzai’s main contender is accusing Karzai of massive fraud and ballot stuffing.

An aggravating factor for Karzai was to declare victory only hours after the poll closed, and well before any official results were communicated. According to some US & EU diplomats, the premature announcement of victory by Karzai undermined the legitimacy of both Karzai the candidate and of the election process itself.

During the meeting, Holbrooke pressed Karzai on the issue of vote rigging. While the meeting was characterized as tense, the spokeswoman of the US embassy in Kabul, Caitlin Hayden, said: “There was no shouting, and nobody stormed out.”