Karzai wants to ‘correct’ US-Afghan ties

AFGHANISTAN: President Hamid Karzai on Thursday said he wanted to “correct” rather than damage US-Afghan relations, after a storm of protest over his recent anti-US remarks.

Karzai, who on Sunday suggested that the US was working in concert with Taliban militants, acknowledged there were serious bilateral strains as the NATO-led military coalition starts to withdraw from Afghanistan.

“The President called the United States a friend and strategic partner of Afghanistan and said his recent comments... had been to correct rather than damage this relationship,” a statement from his office said. “The President said that both countries are in a critical stage of relations, therefore it is natural that each side tries to stand for and focus on its national interests.”

AFP