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You Cannot Turn Afghanistan Into Switzerland: Petraeus
[Tolo News] Gen. David Petraeus recently told ABC that Afghanistan cannot be turned into Switzerland in a decade or lessThe Commander of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, Gen. David Petraeus in a recent interview with ABC's "Good Morning America", said that corruption had been a part of Afghanistan's history and culture since the country has existed. Discussing corrpution within the Afghan government, Gen. Petraeus said no one has accused Karzai of enriching himslef, but those around him have been alleged for corruption. "But again, this is Afghanistan. And again, you're not going to turn Afghanistan into Switzerland in a decade or less," he told ABC. On governance legitimacy in Afghanistan, the general said: "The question is really whether, over time governance can be seen by the people as being sufficiently legitimate to gain their support." The interview with ABC is done after the recent disclosures by the WikiLeaks questioned President Karzai's US-backed government's ability to connect with the people if his key officials commit corruption. Gen. Petareus also denied that he had warned to resign after the Afghanistan's Caped President slammed US forces' night raids in an exclusive interview with the Washington Post. He said he has a good relationship with the Afghanistan's Caped President, adding that he had sat down with him after the Washigton Post interview, and was reassured. Gen. Petraeus commented that he is a military commander and Karzai is the leader of a sovereign country, having a political foundation to maintain. "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. Posted by: Fred 2010-12-07 |
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