Obama Congratulates Karzai : Proof ‘Is Not Going To Be in Words. It’s Going To Be in Deeds’
United States President, Barack Hussein Obama, telephoned Afghan President Hamid Karzai this afternoon to congratulate Karzai on his newly announced ‘victory‘ in Afghanistan’s Presidential election.
It will be interesting to see what kinds of pressure the United States can put up Karzai this time around, as it has been widely stated that Obama views Karzai as an ineffective leader.
“I did emphasize to President Karzai that the American people and the international community as a whole want to continue to partner with him and his government in achieving prosperity and security in Afghanistan. But I emphasized that this has to be a point in time in which we begin to write a new chapter based on improved governance, a much more serious effort to eradicate corruption, joint efforts to accelerate the training of Afghan security forces so that the Afghan people can provide for their own security. That kind of coordination and a sense on the part of President Karzai that after some difficult years in which there’s been some drift, that in fact he’s going to move boldly and forcefully forward…the proof is not going to be in words. It‘s going to be in deeds.”
Obama: I Congratulated Karzai — And Told Him It‘s Time To Get Serious About Improving Afghanistan [Talking Points Memo]