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War, War, War See other War, War, War Articles Title: [Nearly Ten Years for Nothing] Karzai: We receive cash from Iran Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, has said that his office receives cash in bags from Iran. The Afghan leader said on Monday that this method of aid distribution is transparent and helps cover government expenses. He also said that the US makes similar cash payments. The comments came after a report on Sunday that Karzai's chief of staff, Omar Dawoodzai, receives covert bagfuls of money - possibly as much as $6 million in a single payment - sent by neighbouring Iran in a bid to secure influence. Karzai said the money was used for palace expenses, salaries and for "people outside," but gave no further details. The New York Times, citing an unnamed Afghan official, said that millions of dollars in cash channelled from Iran are used to pay Afghan parliamentarians, tribal elders and Taliban commanders. US concern Bill Burton, a White House spokesman, said world leaders should have "every reason to be concerned about Iran trying to have a negative influence on Afghanistan." He added Iran had a responsibility to exert "a positive influence on the formation of a government there, and to ensure that Afghanistan is not a country where terrorists can find safe harbour, or where attacks can be planned on their soil." Karzai said he gets money from several "friendly countries" but named only the US and Iran, the latter contributing almost $1 million twice per year. Karzai said he will continue to ask for Iranian money. "The government of Iran assists (my) office with five or six or seven hundred thousand euros once or twice a year, which is official aid," Karzai told reporters at a joint news conference in Kabul with visiting Tajik President Imomali Rakhmon. "This is transparent, this is something that I have discussed even with President George Bush, nothing is hidden, the United States is doing the same thing." PJ Crowley, US state department spokesman, said Washington did not question Iran's right to provide aid to Afghanistan but that it was skeptical of Tehran's motives "given its history of playing a destabilizing role with its neighbours." Asked about Karzai's assertion that the United States had also in the past provided cash in bags, Crowley said this had happened but was not taking place now. "Going back a number of years, because of the nature of the Afghan financial system, there have been times where assistance has come into Afghanistan in the form of cash," Crowley said. "That's not the form that our assistance takes today." Denial by Iran In Tehran, the semi-official Fars news agency said Iran's embassy in Afghanistan denied the New York Times report. "Such baseless rumours are spread by some Western media with the aim of harming growing relations between the two neighbour and friendly countries," Fars quoted the embassy as saying in a statement. The insurgency raging in Afghanistan is now the bloodiest it has been since the 2001 ouster of the Taliban, despite the presence of 150,000 foreign troops. Iran has wide and growing influence in Afghanistan, especially in the west of the country, where it has important economic ties. US envoy Richard Holbrooke has said the United States recognises that Iran has a role to play in resolving the Afghan conflict. But Tehran denies supporting armed groups in Afghanistan and blames the instability on the presence of Western troops.
Poster Comment: Yankee, Swine Suckers.
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#1. To: buckeroo (#0)
Karzai said the money went for palace expenses? Wait till the bean counters in Tehran hear that one.You have got to give the American/israeli run media credit,the taliban had almost completely stopped the opium trade pre- invasion,and now,almost magically,have thrown out all of their religious fanatical beliefs and turned the opium trade back into high gear to fuel their insurgency.Whoa.. good thing for the US drug traders,they were going broke. So Karzai is NOT getting any of the drug trade money,I feel silly for ever thinking that was where his puppet regime was getting most of its money,now,finally,I know the truth...it was comming from Iran! egads!
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