[Al Arabiya Latest] Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai on Sunday defended his nominees for ministerial posts and promised that all members of his cabinet will be accountable as he fights to eradicate corruption.Karzai is facing extreme pressure from his Western backers to tackle graft, which observers say fuels a Taliban-led insurgency and is a major reason for the government's unpopularity.
Amid threats from backers, including the United States and NATO allies with more than 100,000 troops deployed to fight the insurgency, Karzai used the cabinet list as evidence of his commitment to fighting corruption.
| The poor man is being required to produce fine porcelain dishes out of common riverbank clay. |
"Of the new cabinet we presented to the parliament, almost 50 percent of them are new," he told a press conference with visiting Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme.
"I can say with confidence that the new ministers, as well as those from the last cabinet, will be accountable for anything relating to corruption," he said, adding: "I will be accountable."
The nominees are individuals "who can work, serve the people and achieve goals we have for the people of Afghanistan," Karzai said.