Afghan chief eyes balance in inaugural
By DEB RIECHMANN and KATHY GANNON - The Associated Press
KABUL – Under intense pressure to fix his corrupt government, Afghan President Hamid Karzai sought to strike a balance in his second inaugural speech Thursday: answer international demands for reform while appeasing his political allies who returned him to power.
Karzai begins a second term facing an increasingly violent insurgency, an administration crippled by corruption, high unemployment, and an impoverished population frustrated by eight years of war and few, if any, improvements to their daily lives.
An official familiar with a draft of the speech said Karzai would not pepper his address with rhetoric criticizing the international community. Still, Karzai is likely to wag his finger at foreign donors, as he has done before, for allowing millions of dollars to be skimmed from aid contracts before Afghans ever see the assistance. The official, who requested anonymity to avoid upstaging the president, said Karzai would repeat his demand for assistance to be funneled through the Afghan government as opposed to international organizations.
