Kerry pushes Karzai on corruption

KABUL, Afghanistan - The Obama administration Tuesday delivered what might be its toughest warning yet to President Hamid Karzai over corruption in his government, but chose a messenger who in the past has managed to forge a rapport with the mercurial Afghan leader in times of tension.

Sen. John Kerry (D., Mass.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, flew in for a one-day visit to the Afghan capital that included two sessions with Karzai, whose relations with the United States have plunged to a low not seen since last summer's fraud-riddled presidential election.

Karzai and the West are in the midst of a confrontation over his efforts to assert control over two Afghan groups set up with U.S. backing to combat graft and fraud in the government. The dispute burst into the open last month after a senior aide to Karzai was targeted in a bribery probe.

Karzai has stopped short of trying to shut down or significantly restrict the activities of the Major Crimes Task Force and the Sensitive Investigative Unit. But he has hinted he may seek to do so, a prospect that has caused deep concern among his Western patrons.

Before a meeting, Kerry told reporters he would lay down specific benchmarks that Karzai must meet to demonstrate that he is making good-faith efforts to combat corruption. Kerry also suggested that Karzai would receive a blunt message about congressional restiveness over the war.

"I think President Karzai understands that this is an important moment," he said. "It is going to be vital that the president lead, over these next months, a very public, tangible, accountable effort to be providing the best governance to the people."

But Kerry also indicated a willingness to listen to the Afghan leader's grievances, which could help provide a face-saving way out of the impasse.

Last October, Kerry averted a crisis when Karzai balked at accepting the findings of a U.N.-backed panel that stripped him of one-third of his votes in the presidential election, depriving him of the majority he would have needed to win the election. In marathon meetings, Kerry talked Karzai into agreeing to a runoff with his nearest rival, Abdullah Abdullah.

Karzai has responded to the latest problem by seeking to deflect attention away from corruption. Over the weekend, he urged President Obama to conduct a strategic review of how the war is being conducted, citing rising civilian casualties.

On Monday, Karzai caught Western officials by surprise with an announcement that private security companies operating in Afghanistan would be shut down within four months.

On Tuesday, Karzai issued a formal decree to that effect, though it granted an exemption for private security firms that work on the premises of international installations, such as embassies and nongovernmental organizations.

The order said that external security for embassies and nongovernmental organizations would be handled by the Interior Ministry and that security for convoys would be handled by the Afghan military. Security employees can decide to join the Interior Ministry, which supervises the police, the order said.

If Karzai follows through with the compressed timeline to close the security companies, it could create significant new risks for NATO supply routes into Afghanistan.

The U.S. Embassy publicly questioned the wisdom of moving too quickly to shut the companies.

"Private security companies are currently filling a gap to allow us to deliver reconstruction and development assistance that, at the end of the day, focuses on improving the lives of the Afghan people," U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said.