Karzai

Apparently sure of victory, the commanders said the Taliban would not negotiate with Mr Karzai.

It had been a hard day for Karzai; suicide bombers and gunmen had attacked an Indian guesthouse in Kabul, killing dozens.

President Karzai also said he hopes to reduce years of tension with Pakistan.

Wali Karzai served as the head of the provincial council and was one of the most powerful leaders in southern Afghanistan.

In a television interview, Mr Karzai said he would send a fact-finding mission to Pakistan in the next two days to investigate.

What was President Hamid Karzai thinking in trying to schedule a snap election?

But Mr Karzai does not want to be presiding over a half-formed government when he meets foreign leaders in London on January 28th.

He said the only solution would be a clean second-round contest or some sort of conciliatory deal between Abdullah and Karzai.

For all that it regrets breeding him, the coalition depends on Ahmed Wali Karzai too much to cut him loose.

Mr. Karzai also requested from his two counterparts that outside parties be allowed to participate in future tri-partite summits.

S. commander in Afghanistan for tens of thousands of more troops -- called Mr. Karzai to congratulate him on his 'constructive' action.

"We congratulate President Karzai on his victory in this historic election and look forward to working with him, " it said in a statement.

Civilian casualties resulting from NATO operations have been a major source of tension between President Karzai and members of the alliance.

In a Washington Post interview last week, Karzai said the United States must reduce its military operations in Afghanistan.

Even some of Karzai's strongest supporters said the president was badly damaged.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai told donors his country needs $50 billion over the next five years to help turn around the shattered economy.

When he proposed drawing up a set of regulations to govern private property, Mr. Ghani said, he was told by President Karzai to stop.

White House spokesman said Washington condemned the killing of Ahmad Wali Karzai, who was shot dead by his long-serving head of security.

A White House spokesman said the US was taking President Karzai's concerns very seriously.

But he said that does not mean there will not be times when he and President Karzai disagree on how to proceed.

Karzai came to power with the support and backing of the international leaders he seems to be defying with his latest comments.

He said the plan, proposed by Afghan President Hamid Karzai, was endorsed by NATO partners.

General McChrystal was one of the relatively few American officials to develop a good relationship with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

I base what I said on my personal observations and interactions with President Karzai.

A spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the escape was a "disaster" which should never have happened.

Mr Karzai seems to have stopped lambasting Pakistan for tolerating sanctuaries within its borders for Taliban insurgents.

Mr. Karzai said he wants to press ahead with the vote, which would finally give him a clear majority, even if he runs unopposed.

President Hamid Karzai's term is up in May, yet the commission has ruled that no election is possible before August.

At least some members of Hamid Karzai's government seem to be taking these problems seriously.

Karzai condemned the air strike, which he said happened Thursday in the province of Takhar.

She added she expected Karzai to win: "I think one can conclude that the likelihood of him winning a second round is probably pretty high. "

Less than a week after bowing to pressure to accept a second round, President Karzai said that not holding one round would insult democracy.

Karzai said it is now up to the youth of Afghanistan to take over the responsibility for security in the country.

His bluntness played badly in Kabul, where Hamid Karzai sometimes refused to talk or eat with him.

Conventional wisdom does not give Dr Abdullah much of a chance of beating Mr Karzai in any circumstances, on ethnic grounds .

A Downing Street spokesman said Gordon Brown had telephoned Karzai to congratulate him on his victory.

Mr. Obama said he believes President Karzai is committed to making improvements that give his government greater legitimacy.

A spokesman for President Karzai later said the Afghan leader's remarks regarding the country's allies were misinterpreted by journalists.

The announcement that Hamid Karzai had been declared president without a second round of voting raised many more than three questions.

Most oddly, Mahmoud Karzai bought his 7% share of the bank with a $5m loan that the bank itself provided.

"Fraud - if it is committed - it has to be investigated, but investigated fairly and without prejudice, " Karzai said.

President Karzai did not directly refer to reconciliation talks with the Taliban during a speech in Kabul Wednesday.

Karzai would just as soon allow the bank to collapse.

The same day, the ambassador delivered a blunt message to the front-runner, President Hamid Karzai: "Don't declare victory. "

Now in his second and final term in the Arg, the fortress that was home to Afghan kings, Mr Karzai must choose his place in history.

Obama spoke to Afghan President Hamid Karzai overnight for the first time since he took office in Washington a month ago.

So there is a lot to talk about when President Karzai comes, and we are all looking forward to having him in the U. S.

Mr Karzai said his government had repeatedly asked the United States not to carry out air raids that risk killing Afghan civilians.

It's a gush of battle details from the front lines - from a reported assassination attempt on Hamid Karzai to raids gone wrong.

Such comments are, on the face of it, nothing new for Mr Karzai, who previously invited the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, to talks in Kabul.

Tolo plans two more presidential debates, and Thursday night's host said he hoped Karzai would participate.

Sunday's statement from President Karzai's office did not say if the two discussed the criticisms.

But we also know that much of what Karzai says may also be the fantasies he uses to justify the growing power of the small elite around him.

Mr Karzai himself is among the biggest obstacles that stand between America and a dignified withdrawal.

There has been a willingness; I gather that Karzai's brother met with either Mullah [Mohammed] Omar or his close aides in Saudi Arabia.

Representatives for the two leading candidates, President Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, have already claimed to be in the lead.

During Wednesday's news conference with the U. N. secretary-general, Mr. Karzai again called for an end to civilian casualties.

Getting Karzai's people to work on Abdullah and get him to come into the government is too obvious for people not to be considering it.

Yet Mr Karzai looks well enough placed for the final results to be unaffected by rigging, which supporters of many candidates may attempt.

He called Karzai yesterday to congratulate him on winning a second term.

After the meeting Afghan President Hamid Karzai said just fighting the Taliban is no longer an option.

Mahmoud Karzai, speaking from Dubai, said the situation at the ailing bank was improving.

In his campaign Mr Karzai mortgaged his future government several times over for the support of a rogue's gallery of former warlords.

One of Mr Karzai's ministers said that, so long as the Taliban were "winning" , reconciliation would be "an empty phrase" .

If Mr Karzai does win, many in the relatively peaceful north of the country, where voters turned out in large numbers, may feel cheated.

At a conference convened by the U. N. , a provisional government was established under President Hamid Karzai.

Karzai is scheduled to travel soon to Pakistan for a two-day visit to discuss regional talks aimed at a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

Mr Karzai has appointed a body known as the High Peace Council, charged with opening negotiations with the Taliban at every level.

Mr. Karzai said terrorism, like the Taleban movement in his country, is a product of negligence.

But Mr. Karzai has dismissed this demand, saying the presence of international troops is in the interest of his country.

The re-election of Mr Karzai, a clear favourite in this week's vote, would in part be an expression of that desire.

Mr. Karzai said Daudzai had been accepting the money on the Afghan leader's instructions.

However much Mr Karzai may wish to end the war, the other side is not interested in talking.

But Mr Karzai accepted none of that in front of the television cameras this week.

Abdullah said that in the northern provinces, where he did not allege widespread fraud, he was ahead of Karzai in about 16 provinces.

Mr Karzai's officials said that the Taliban would be invited to attend the gathering, to be held in the coming months.

Last week , President Karzai offered peace talks to Taliban militants who are prepared to renounce violence .

One way around this would be for Afghanistan to reintroduce conscription, as Hamid Karzai suggested this month at a conference in Munich.

President Karzai says, "So that Afghanistan is no longer a burden on the shoulder of our friends in the international community. "

So far, Mr Karzai has praised the IEC, reserving his criticism for the foreigners who made a fuss about fraud.

A spokesman for the Afghan President Hamid Karzai has described the escape from prison of many Taliban militants as 'a disaster'.

Many of the Taliban's new leaders are being courted by Al Qaeda and other extremists who do not support making a deal with President Karzai.

The United States And Our Allies Will Help President Karzai Increase The Size And Capabilities Of The Afghan Security Forces.

In other cables American diplomats describe Hamid Karzai and his relatives in less than approbatory language.

Mr. Salangi's salary is unknown; that of Mr. Karzai, the president, is about $600 a month.

Asked about Mr. Ghani's account on Thursday, Humayun Hamidzada, a spokesman for Mr. Karzai, said he could not immediately comment.

As Karzai walked across the tarmac alone, a stunned Tajik warlord asked where all his men were.

Karzai should begin his new presidency with a clear signal to women that his will be a government that wants to advance equality.

It was once a few feet away from President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan at his palace in Kabul.

The result makes it almost impossible that any probe can overturn the outcome. Only a miracle for his opponents can prevent Karzai winning.

The incumbent, Hamid Karzai, has 55% of the votes on a preliminary count. But the level of fraud was such that this is seen as a joke.

We read President Karzai's interview as a call for an Afghanistan that eventually is stable, fully sovereign and self-reliant.

Mr. Mohammed was allowed to walk into Mr. Karzai's fortified Kandahar residence without being checked by security.

By then, it is hoped, Hamid Karzai, the president and likely winner, can be more credibly presented as a legitimate partner for outsiders.

The Strategic Partnership Agreement that President Karzai and I signed in Kabul ensures that as Afghans stand up they will not stand alone.

Thousands attended Karzai's rally in Kabul Thursday in which he claimed credit for opening girls' schools.

Mr Zardari is to be applauded for making President Hamid Karzai the guest of honour at his inauguration.

What happens when Mr. Karzai's term is up in May is not clear.

As Dr. Singh and Mr. Karzai made it clear, the pact would not be directed against any state or a group of states.

But Obama also has criticized President Karzai for not doing enough to rebuild Afghanistan's institutions.

Clinton spoke Wednesday at the State Department, in a meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.

The United States And Our Allies Will Help President Karzai Improve Provincial Governance And Develop Afghanistan's Rural Economy.

And the diplomatic corps must deal with the daily frustrations of doing business with a government led by Hamid Karzai.

Mr. Karzai is wrapping up a visit aimed at mending strained relations with the United States.

Indeed, Mr Karzai's most important aides seem to favour conditions that will allow fraud to blossom further.

About two hours later, he made the 60-kilometer trip to Kabul to meet with Mr. Karzai.

The general wanted to add a fifth pillar, governance, but was overruled by President Hamid Karzai.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai says militants who use those bases to launch attacks across the border are his country's most serious threat.

Mr Karzai made no secret of his loathing for the meddling foreign commissioners and has cut their number to two.

Q: Afghan President Karzai reportedly said days ago that the Afghan Government had a smooth dialogue with the Taliban.

He arrived before dawn at Bagram air force base, and is due to hold talks with President Hamid Karzai.

The campaigns of both incumbent President Hamid Karzai and his top challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, are both declaring a first-round victory.

He also thanked President Karzai for his "hard work" on the agreement and noted the suffering and resilience of the Afghan people.

Karzai seems tired of the war's carnage and uncertain of the international community's staying power.

The Shia Family Planning law was signed last March by President Hamid Karzai in an attempt, many believe, to appease powerful mullahs.

President Karzai condemned the killing in a statement, saying shooting a civilian bus violates NATO's commitment to safeguard civilian life.

How can they gamble so much on the corrupt, enfeebled and barely legitimate government of President Karzai?

Ever more Westerners understandably ask why their compatriots must keep dying to prop up the inept and corrupt Mr Karzai.

A common belief that the election commission is in league with Mr Karzai reinforces fears of the latter.

And its members, announced by Mr Karzai, include many longtime enemies of the Taliban with whom they may refuse to parley.

President Obama has been quick to put his administration's weight behind Hamid Karzai, but with qualifications.

Tension between Karzai and the U. S. was running high even before Obama made his first presidential visit to Afghanistan.

Mr. Karzai said ending strikes on civilians is essential to maintaining public support for the war.

Police in Afghanistan say a senior adviser to President Hamid Karzai has been killed in an attack on his home in the capital Kabul.

There will be a press conference with Karzai and Clinton following what is expected to be a substantial bilateral session.

'The Afghan constitution and laws are strengthened by President Karzai's decision, which is in the best interests of the Afghan people. '

He delivered a pointed message to Hamid Karzai , the president of Afghanistan, saying, "The days of providing a blank check are over. "

Hamid Karzai was declared winner in the presidential election following cancellation of a runoff vote.

A senior UN official warned there would be "no real legitimacy if Karzai claims to have won on the first round" .

But, after letting off one of Mr Karzai's top aides who was caught red-handed soliciting a bribe, he inspires little confidence.

Though under pressure, Mr Karzai is still firm favourite to win, if perhaps without an outright majority.

Hamid Karzai was declared re-elected as president of Afghanistan when a second-round run-off ballot was cancelled.

He wasted no time injecting himself into the final hours of the presidential campaign, throwing his support behind President Karzai.

But Mr Karzai might not settle for anything less than a political fix: ignoring the results and keeping the current MPs.

Much depends on whether Hamid Karzai, the president, has a credible plan for governing the country better.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai, NATO and the British government all condemned the assault.

Doing deals with his enemies is a bold approach, but as President Karzai enters his second term of office he knows he must get an agreement.

"The Afghan people can no longer tolerate these attacks, " Karzai told reporters at the presidential palace.

But she will also benefit from the considerable political capital invested by President Karzai.

Because, as he himself writes later in the book, he wasn't at Karzai's inauguration.

His comments were welcomed by Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who has long advocated reconciliation with moderate elements of the Taliban.

And the New York Times reported that the CIA makes regular payments to Ahmed Wali Karzai, the president's brother.

When meeting with Karzai, Li congratulated on the obvious improvement of the Afghan political, security and economic situations.

President Karzai told reporters in Kabul Monday that Iran has given his office up to $975, 000 for government expenses.

This week Mr Karzai promised to remove the "stigma" of corruption and form an inclusive government that will be a "mirror of Afghanistan" .

Mr Karzai had been adamant he had won outright victory against Abdullah Abdullah, his main rival.

She will attend the Kabul conference aimed at shoring up the Afghan government of President Hamid Karzai.

Campaign teams for President Hamid Karzai and his chief opponent Abdullah Abdullah positioned themselves as winners.

Full, preliminary results show the incumbent, Hamid Karzai, capturing enough votes to avoid a runoff with his closest challenger.

President Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karzai are wrapping up the two-day meeting at Camp David.

But Karzai's Precinct 8 office happens to be headed up by a woman.

As well as US lack of confidence in Karzai, there is disappointment that European forces have been reluctant to send reinforcements.

Mr Karzai would thus remain only as an interim leader, and Mr Abdullah could claim victory for promoting political reform.

President Karzai has so far allowed only limited destruction by hand or with tractors.

Mr. Karzai will need more than 50 percent of the total to avoid a run-off election next month.

Cheney was staying at the base after his Monday meeting in Kabul with Afghan President Hamid Karzai was postponed due to bad weather.

There is media speculation in Washington that Obama may divert from his Asian trip to Kabul to confront Karzai.

Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, hopes to win Western support for reconciliation and reintegration of fighters at the London conference.

A recent opinion poll found Karzai enjoying only a 33% approval rate, but that was still miles ahead of all of his competitors.

Meanwhile, Hamid Karzai confirmed a report in the New York Times that his chief of staff had received cash from Iran, handed over in bags.

Mr. Karzai said such differences are a sign of a "mature" relationship.

Mr Karzai depends on international support for his survival, so is he going completely mad? Rumour in Kabul suggests that yes, he might be.

Karzai strongly condemned the attack, and appealed to the NATO force to exercise more care not to injure and kill civilians.

President Hamid Karzai has lost popularity, and the quality of most of the police and district officials is woeful.

At a conference convened by the UN, a provisional government was established under President Hamid Karzai.

Mr Karzai has called for a peace jirga, or tribal assembly, to promote reconciliation with insurgents.

This past December, an ecstatic minister of mines announced the deal. Petraeus congratulated President Karzai on the news.

For months, President Karzai has complained of foreign troops inflicting a heavy death toll on Afghan non-combatants.

But Mr Karzai's government rebuffs such proposals with a prickly defence of Afghan sovereignty.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates made a personal apology for the incident after an angry condemnation by Mr. Karzai.

Ambassador Holbrooke endorsed the August election timetable without commenting on the controversy over Mr. Karzai's presidential term.

Mr Karzai's clear desire to avoid a second round suggests he is worried. So is NATO.

President Karzai as well as the other candidates, I think, have shown they have the interests of the Afghan people at heart.

It reported that the UN and US summoned Karzai to an emergency meeting to object to the count of "knowingly" fraudulent votes.

The Afghan Embassy said Karzai "expressed his deepest sympathy and condolences" to Obama and the families of those killed in the crash.

Mr Singh said his discussions with Mr Karzai were another example of the strong and broad-based partnership between India and Afghanistan.

On the campaign trail, both Karzai and candidate Ashraf Ghani have reached out to women voters with special women's rallies.

Clinton co-accused with Karzai in Afghanistan, the Pakistani government to attack terrorist organizations to provide shelter.

On the campaign trail, President Hamid Karzai has appealed to his enemies to make peace.

A controversial but still powerful former Afghan warlord has flown back to the country from exile to campaign for President Hamid Karzai.

Some of President Karzai's relatives, including a brother, are among those named in connection with the scandal.

An election that was meant to refresh the decaying leadership of Mr Karzai has made him appear even more rotten.

Karzai's decision to steal an election certainly helped convince Obama that it wasn't the place to double down.

But as Eikenberry's influence with Karzai dwindled, there was little leadership on other questions.

If Karzai's vote is suppressed in the south he may not get more than half the votes, requiring a second round in early October.

McChrystal personally apologized to Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai for those killings and ordered an investigation.

The conference fell in with Mr Karzai's peace agenda, though few delegates thought Mr Karzai would get far with his reconciliation process.

"Under Hamid Karzai, not one murderer has been executed in public! " exclaimed the more senior man in wide-eyed amazement.

"In seven years, Karzai has given us no jobs, no factories and outside Kabul there is no security, " said Abdul Raouf, a Tajik carpenter.

That leaves Mr. Karzai casting about for new ways to prove that he is not, as the Taliban insist, "America's chief puppet. "

A Karzai rally in a hotel ballroom kept the women sitting on the left and the men on the right.

America now proposes a "compact" with Mr Karzai that would set unspecified "benchmarks" for better performance.

Mr Karzai was flanked at yesterday's announcement by Mr Kerry, the US and UK ambassadors, and the United Nations envoy to Afghanistan.

In June, Afghan President Hamid Karzai established a peace council tasked with exploring negotiations with the Taliban.

Mr Karzai has started calling insurgent leaders "dear brothers" , and has announced the release of important Taliban prisoners.

Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit called Mr. Karzai's remarks "incomprehensible. "

Snubbed by Mr Karzai and egged on by furious supporters, Dr Abdullah said that the IEC ruling had "no legal basis" .

Voters have several dozen presidential candidates to choose among, including the favorite and incumbent, Mr. Hamid Karzai.

They struck as President Hamid Karzai was swearing in members of his cabinet.

President Karzai told religious leaders in Kabul that if Afghanistan wanted to pursue peace talks, its only dialogue partner was Pakistan.

That Mr Karzai's government is welcoming investment from India makes a bad situation almost intolerable.

The UN spokeswoman said Ban Ki-moon urged Hamid Karzai to respect the constitutional process and the Afghan president promised to do so.

President Bush concludes his time in New York Wednesday with a meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

This excludes most votes in the turbulent south, which diplomats think will carry Mr Karzai over the 50% mark to avoid a run-off.

America's envoy in Kabul wrote to the president opposing a troop surge, until Mr Karzai can prove he has tackled corruption.

And he could get Mr Karzai and Pakistan to show that they mean to make Afghanistan governable.

Q: The initial results of the Afghan presidential election show that President Hamid Karzai won over half of the votes.

Major shareholders include brothers of President Karzai and First Vice President Muhammad Fahim, U. S. and Afghan officials say.

With justification, they also slammed the failure of President Hamid Karzai's government to control Afghanistan's runaway crime.

Mr Karzai has also enlisted as an adviser Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, an Islamist militant who welcomed Osama bin Laden to Afghanistan in 1996.

The agreement is aimed at reducing civilian casualties, which have become a source of contention between Mr. Karzai and foreign troops.

In March, Karzai signed a marriage law bill for Afghanistan's Shiite minority that critics said essentially legalized marital rape.

Mr. Karzai's main challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, a former foreign minister, speaks of "massive state-sponsored fraud" .

President Hamid Karzai was returned to power this week after an election process widely seen as corrupt.

Hamid Karzai's flowing cape and hat combo has remained unchanged since he was installed as president of Afghanistan nearly a decade ago.

In practice then the West, alas, has little alternative other than to try to make Mr Karzai a better ruler.

But heeding Western concerns about their behaviour does not come naturally to Mr Karzai.

BBC News with Ally Micue. President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan has increased his lead over his main rival in the presidential election.

Demonstrators chanted "Death to America" and called for the downfall of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

President Karzai's inauguration speech sent the right message about moving in a new direction.

At the session, President Karzai called on the Taliban to use the opportunity to join in bringing peace to Afghanistan.

Afghans are alienated and disgusted by the Karzai government's corruption and incompetence.

There is a still a major disagreement over night raids by the American military. President Karzai wants to end them.

Latest results in Afghanistan's presidential election showed the incumbent Hamid Karzai has established a clear lead.

Barack Obama held talks over lunch with President Hamid Karzai at the heavily guarded presidential palace.

Mr. bin Laden has supposedly ordered a suicide attack against the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai.

Karzai said Iran "asked for good relations in return and for lots of other things in return. "

Original plan, Obama's visit, and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, video conferencing, speech to U. S. troops in Afghanistan.

His predecessor, Pervez Musharraf, and Mr Karzai scarcely bothered to conceal their mutual antipathy .

Taliban insurgents claimed responsibility for carrying the attack, saying Mr. Karzai was their target.

Afghanistan's president, Hamid Karzai, visited China, and signed agreements on trade and economic co-operation.

But a weakened President Hamid Karzai, facing re-election in 2009, is unlikely to embark on radical reform.

His article in the Washington Post went even further with its claim that a third of Karzai's votes were fraudulent.

In accepting a second round, Mr Karzai was widely praised as a statesman.

The pushback, both from the international community and Afghan women, forced Karzai to suspend enforcement.

Rasmussen said after the announcement Karzai, NATO and Afghanistan will take measures to implement the transition plan.

Mr Karzai's supposedly corrupt half-brother was meant to go, but he remains in charge in Kandahar.

But there are questions about how loyal these local tribal leaders are to carrying out the agenda of the Karzai government.

Ahmed Wali Karzai, the president's half-brother, is the city's main power-broker.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has survived an assault by Taliban militants on a military parade in Kabul.

Mahmoud Karzai, a brother of the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, is a prominent figure there.

President Karzai has a convincing lead, but now begins a task of waiting on fraudulent votes, a process that will take weeks.

Prime Minister Gilani's trip to Kabul included meetings with Hamid Karzai and Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak.

Diplomats said Mr Karzai had been putting pressure on them to reject the ECC's order.

The killing comes as a major setback to President Hamid Karzai, who lost his brother last week.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai was sworn into office for a second 5-year term Thursday.

Afghan President Karzai was also interviewed by Meet the Press following the talks.

Later this week, Hamid Karzai will be sworn in to his second term as Afghan president.

President Karzai spoke at a joint news conference in Kabul with U. S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Karzai seemed to rely heavily on his finance minister, a former World Bank official named Ashraf Ghani.