Kabul, October 22: The White House signalled last night that Hamid Karzai’s decision to accept a run-off vote in Afghanistan could expedite a verdict on whether to increase US troop numbers there.
But as Barack Obama’s spokesman, Robert Gibbs, told reporters that it was “certainly possible” the crucial answer on troop levels would come before the November ballot, election experts in Kabul warned too little is being done to ensure the run-off is any more credible than the first, fraud-ridden round.
Separately, US officials emphasised that a power-sharing agreement remained a strong possibility as a way of resolving the crisis without a return to the ballot box. In an NBC TV interview last night the President appeared to acknowledge that the situation remains fluid. “I think we’re still… finding out how this whole process in Afghanistan is going to unfold,” he said.
–Agencies