Afghanistan's president said Saturday that the new US strategy for the worsening conflict in his country is “better than we were expecting” and provides the right solutions for the problems afflicting the region. President Hamid Karzai praised US plans to strengthen Afghanistan's army and police and provide greater civilian aid to help rebuild the country. He also welcomed President Barack Obama's focus on countering militant sanctuaries in neighboring Pakistan, which has been a point of tension between Afghan and Pakistani officials. “This is better than we were expecting as a matter of fact. We back it,” Karzai told a news conference Saturday, a day after Obama announced the details of the new US strategy. “It is exactly what the Afghan people were hoping for and we were seeking.” The plan also supports reaching out to more moderate members of the Taleban with the hope of persuading them to lay down their weapons. Karzai praised this aspect as the most important. Calling elders over poll dispute ahead of May 21, when Karzai's presidency officially ends, the Afghan president said he would call a national council of elders to resolve a row over whether he can stay in office until the Aug. 20 elections. The constitution states the Karzai's term ends on May 21, after elections but opposition leaders now agree the polls cannot be held till the date set by the election commission on Aug. 20. But the question remains of whether Karzai can remain in office after May 21, and if he does not, who should replace him and on what legal basis. “I hope parliament and other judicial institutions will pass on their views and I hope we shouldn't need to call for a loya jirga,” said Karzai, referring to a grand national assembly of elders, the traditional Afghan way of resolving disputes. “But if we see there are problems and there is no general agreement, then we have to call the loya jirga to decide, it is not the job of the president and his cabinet,” he said.
