Petraeus defends Karzai on corruption questions

6 December 2010 - 03H23

US commander in Afghanistan General David Petraeus (C) has defended Afghan President Hamid Karzai against charges that corruption was undermining his government, telling an interviewer that expectations needed to be lowered.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai (R) and commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan US General David Petraeus (L) talk during a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Kabul in July. The general, who commands all US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said corruption had been a part of Afghanistan's history and culture "for however long this country has been in existence."

File photo of a US military camp in a desert in Kandahar province, in southern Afghanistan. US General David Petraeus has denied a report that he had threatened to resign after Afghan President Hamid Karzai had criticized stepped up night raids by US forces in a recent interview with The Washington Post.

AFP - General David Petraeus defended Afghan President Hamid Karzai against charges that corruption was undermining his government, telling an interviewer that expectations needed to be lowered.

In an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America," Petraeus said no one had accused Karzai of enriching himself, but acknowledged the allegations of corruption by those around him.

"But again, this is Afghanistan. And again, you're not going to turn Afghanistan into Switzerland in a decade or less," Petraeus said, according to excerpts released Sunday. The interview was scheduled to air Monday.

The general, who commands all US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said corruption had been a part of Afghanistan's history and culture "for however long this country has been in existence."

"The question is really whether, over time governance can be seen by the people as being sufficiently legitimate to gain their support," he said.

His comments came against the backdrop of leaked diplomatic cables portraying Karzai as weak and paranoid, and questioning how his US-backed government could connect with the people if key officials were corrupt.

Among the disclosures in the cables was that Karzai's former first vice president, Ahmad Zia Massoud, was caught entering the United Arab Emirates carrying 52 million dollars.

Asked about it, Petraeus said he didn't know enough about the case to confirm or deny it.

"That was well before my time," he said. "And I'd literally have to go back and pull that out."

Petraeus also denied a report that he had threatened to resign after Karzai had criticized stepped up night raids by US forces in a recent interview with The Washington Post.

"It was a surprise," Petraeus said of Karzai's criticism. "And actually, when I sat down with him a couple of days later, he said, 'Hey look, what's the big deal? I've raised these issues repeatedly.'"

The general said he was reassured by Karzai's comments, and said his relationship with the Afghan president was "good."

"I'm a military commander. I've got a military mission. He is the leader of a sovereign country. He has a political foundation that he has to maintain," Petraeus said.

"And we do need occasionally, I think, to walk a mile or a kilometer in his shoes and in these mountains to understand the challenge that he has," he said.