Hamid Karzai Promises Not To Run For Another Term
Hamid Karzai
The president of Afghanistan announced that he would respect the provision of the constitution which does not allow more than two presidential terms in office and would refuse to run for another term, thus invalidating the fears of opposition who said he was about to run for another term.
The announcement of Karzai comes at a time when the negotiations with the Taliban have been stalled and their presence in Afghanistan is felt, fueling the fear that the country could sink into another age of the warlords soon after the departure of the American troops.
Many people consider that the announcement of the president should not be taken seriously because Karzai has a way of going back on political promises.
Western experts consider that Karzai’s words, three years ahead the next elections, are not meant for the use of the public but rather a gesture of goodwill to the new American ambassador in Kabul, due to arrive shortly.
By 2014, when the next elections will be organized, most of the American troops will be relocated and the American officials are very interested in reaching an arrangement on American military bases.
It is not yet known whether the Taliban and the government will reach an understanding by then and who will rule the country, or whether they will all agree to receive American bases in their regions.
The Taliban withdrew from the peace talks as soon as the news about them was leaked to the press. Experts consider that the peace agreements are crucial for the future of the country.
The wave of assassinations is seen by the analysts as a way to assert power in order to be at the table that decides the rulers of Afghanistan in a post-war era.
Afghan Presidential Palace
The Taliban refuse to make public that they are engaged in talks with the other political factions in the country for fear of causing troops to lose battlefield morale.
Their morale should be pretty high after shooting down an American helicopter that was carrying members of the Navy SEALs 6, the unit that killed Osama bin Laden. Seven American soldiers were killed during the last two days, five of them being victims of a land mine.11
