[Al Arabiya Latest] In his unprecedentedly bitter speech to election officials on Thursday, the Afghan leader accused embassies of perpetrating election fraud in Afghanistan, bribing and threatening election officials and seeking to weaken him and his government."Obviously some of the comments of President Karzai are troubling. They're cause for real and genuine concern," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters, adding the White House was seeking clarification.
Later, Karzai's spokesman said the Afghan leader had spoken to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by telephone.
Officials said Karzai did not specifically apologize during the conversation with Clinton, but expressed "surprise" at the furor over his speech.
"President Karzai said the Afghan people and Afghan government were grateful for the support and sacrifice of the international community for peace in Afghanistan and the world," Karzai's spokesman Waheed Omer said.
Misunderstood
Omer said parts of Karzai's remarks had been misunderstood. "Obviously there is a difference of opinion on certain issues between Afghanistan and its international partners, but the president wanted the international community to pay attention to the concerns of the Afghan people and the Afghan government."
In his speech, Karzai accused foreigners of carrying out "massive fraud" in last year's presidential vote in a deliberate effort to undermine his authority, and said they also wanted to wreck a parliamentary election this year.
"Foreigners will make excuses, they do not want us to have a parliamentary election," Karzai said. "They want parliament to be weakened and battered, and for me to be an ineffective president, and for parliament to be ineffective."
At a news briefing, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley responded: "Suggestions that somehow the international community was responsible for irregularities in the recent election is preposterous."