In a stunning statement made during the course of a News Hour Interview with Margaret Warner, Afghan president Hamid Karzai has suggested that the activities of the United Nations foreign staff in Afghanistan, who have just been withdrawn for security reasons, are of no value. The exchange follows:
MARGARET WARNER: …Now the U.N. did reluctantly withdraw about two-thirds of its foreign staff, at least temporarily, for safety sake. What impact is that likely to have?
HAMID KARZAI: No impact. No impact.
MARGARET WARNER: So you don’t care if they return?
HAMID KARZAI: They may or may not return. Afghanistan won’t notice it. We wish them well wherever they are.
–The News Hour, Margaret Warner Interview with Hamid Karzai, broadcast Nov. 9, 2009
[The full interview is available on the PBS NewHour website, at http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/july-dec09/karzai2_11-09.html]
Comments and discussion are invited.
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