[Al Ahram] US Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you knowKerry
Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a
lucky hat,conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State...
began a difficult mission to mediate an end to the political crisis in Afghanistan Friday, warning that a bitter dispute over presidential polls threatened the country's future.
"Obviously we are at a very critical moment for Afghanistan," Kerry said as he met the head of the UN assistance mission in the country, Jan Kubis.
"The election legitimacy hangs in the balance. The future potential of the transition hangs in the balance, so we have a lot of work to do."
The top US diplomat also met outgoing President Hamid
Maybe I'll join the TalibanKarzai
... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a
Pashtunface on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use...
, and then former World Bank economist Ashraf Ghani, who is well ahead in the preliminary results of last month's second round run-off.
In a swift boost for Kerry's diplomacy, Ghani threw his backing behind US calls for a wide audit of the elections, amid accusations by his rival Abdullah Abdullah
... the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against Karzai. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun...
of massive fraud.
"Our commitment is to ensure that the election process enjoys the integrity and the legitimacy of the people of Afghanistan and the world," Ghani told news hounds as he was welcomed to the heavily fortified US embassy in Kabul.
"Therefore we believe in the most intensive and extensive audit possible to restore faith."
Ghani said he and his supporters were committed to "an inclusive government. A government that could represent all of Afghans, and serve every Afghan citizen in the manner that every Afghan deserves according to the constitution".
Kerry, who will meet Abdullah later on Friday, stressed "no-one is declaring victory at this time. The results are yet to be finalised".