KABUL — Seeking to smooth over a key point of contention in advance of President Hamid Karzai’s inauguration this week, senior Afghan officials Monday unveiled what they described as tough new anti-corruption measures.
With the Afghan leader poised to be sworn in Thursday for a second five-year term, the West has been putting pressure on Karzai to institute swift reforms or face a loss of international support.
Recent days have brought criticism from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, both of whom suggested that future aid to Karzai’s government could be tied to his efforts to move decisively against corruption.
Afghanistan’s chief justice, interior minister, justice minister, security chief and attorney general appeared at a news conference to announce the launch of a major-crime task force and a new anti-corruption unit.
The ambassadors to Britain and the United States also attended the briefing, in what appeared to be a gesture aimed at demonstrating solidarity in the anti-corruption fight but also providing an implicit warning to the Karzai camp of the consequences of failure to act.
Tellingly, the Afghan ministers laid emphasis on the success of anti-corruption efforts already in place, while the U.S. and British envoys stressed their support for what they characterized as still-nascent plans to confront malfeasance at high levels.
