Iran began delivering money to Afghan President Hamid Karzai as early as 2003, a former Afghan official says.
“It started in a sort of transparent manner when I was the foreign minister,” Abdullah Abdullah, now Afghanistan’s top opposition leader, said in an interview with editors and reporters of The Washington Times.
“So it was during [Iranian] President [Mohammed] Khatami’s time, and President Khatami mentioned it to President Karzai, that ‘from my own office, I have a budget at my discretion. If you agree with it, I would like to give some money for your office.’ So it started that way.”
Mr. Abdullah, who served as foreign minister from 2001 to 2005, recalled the Iranian offer coming in 2003 or 2004. He said Mr. Karzaibriefed his national security council on it and told him that he had “raised the issue” with U.S. officials.
Abdullah Abdullah, the opposition leader in Afghanistan, says he will run again for the Afghan presidency in 2014. (J.M. Eddins Jr./The Washington Times)
“In the first year, it was twice or three times that this happened — each time, perhaps around $1 million,” Mr. Abdullah said of the Iranian payments to Mr. Karzai. Continue…
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Sorry about the break in the story. I got distracted when I read the part about there being a "loya jirga,” in the works. while one of those annoying flash video pop-ups was jirginup my screen trying to sell me some oil of Olay. This is one of my favorite "loya jirga's":
"loya jirga's" always sound like something that should be more fun. Perhaps if Habu or HuDat is passing thru, we can get his comment on "loya jirga."
