US House speaker calls Karzai “unworthy partner”
Updated: Friday, November 20, 2009
19:30GMT—2:30PM/EST
Washington, 20 November (WashingtonTV)—US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Friday that Afghan President Hamid Karzai is an “unworthy partner” who does not deserve thousands of more American troops or a boost in civilian aid.
In an interview with National Public Radio [NPR], the California Democrat also said that there was not strong support among Democratic lawmakers for “any big ramp-up of troops” to the Afghan war front.
“How can we ask the American people to pay a big price in lives and limbs and also in dollars if we don’t have a connection to a reliable partner,” she told NPR.
Pelosi’s comments came one day after Karzai was sworn in for a second five-year terms. The embattled leader has face tough pressure from Western leaders to crack down on rampant corruption.
Obama is weighing whether to send tens of thousands of more US troops to Afghanistan to oppose resurgent Taliban fighters.
The president is expected to announce his decision within weeks.
Source: National Public Radio website
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