| Posted by fluffy ® , Oct 07,2003,08:58 | MetroBlab |
Karzai Faces Revolt In Fragile Coalition
Northern Alliance May Back Another for President
By Pamela Constable
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, October 6, 2003; Page A12
KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 5 -- Hamid Karzai, the interim Afghan leader who announced his candidacy for president Wednesday during a high-profile speaking tour of the United States and Britain, has returned home to confront an open political revolt by powerful rivals in his fragile coalition government.
Leaders of the Northern Alliance, the predominantly ethnic Tajik Islamic militia movement that includes the defense minister and a half-dozen regional militia bosses, held an unusual meeting here last week during Karzai's absence. Over the past three days, several spokesmen said the group has decided not to support Karzai's run for the presidency and to field its own candidate instead.
The threatened internal defection from Karzai comes at a critical time for Afghanistan's troubled transition to democracy, already a source of concern to the Bush administration, which strongly backs Karzai.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47787-2003Oct5.html