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US Attorney General in Afghanistan for Corruption Talks

VOA News 30 June 2010

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder says Afghan leaders must do more to improve governance and enforce the rule of law in Afghanistan as its government tries to curtail corruption.

Holder met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and other top officials while on a visit to Kabul Wednesday, the first trip to Afghanistan by a U.S. attorney general.

Holder said the United States is committed to working with Afghanistan to achieve long-term stability by following the rule of law. He said fighting corruption was a top priority for the Obama administration. Holder also said all Afghans should have access to a fair, efficient and transparent judicial system.

On Monday, U.S. Representative Nita Lowey, the chair of the House subcommittee for foreign aid, said she was blocking nearly $4 billion dollars in funding for Afghanistan following media reports that large amounts of U.S. aid were being diverted by Afghan officials and taken out of the country.

Afghan Finance Minister Mohammad Omar Zakhailwal rejected the allegations Wednesday and instead blamed corruption on foreign contractors.

On Tuesday, Afghanistan's attorney general accused U.S. ambassador Karl Eikenberry of threatening to have him removed from his job if he did not take action against an Afghan banker allegedly involved in fraud.

Also Tuesday, the Senate Armed Services Committee approved General David Petraeus's nomination as the new commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. The committee approved Petraeus as the next commander of around 140,000 U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan on Tuesday. The full Senate is expected to vote on his nomination as early as Wednesday.

During his confirmation hearing Tuesday, Petraeus warned that fighting in Afghanistan may get more intense in the coming months. But he said he believes efforts to improve the Afghan army and police forces can succeed.

Petraeus would replace General Stanley McChrystal, who resigned last week after he and his aides made disparaging remarks about Obama administration officials.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.