EU congratulates Karzai on re-election (Roundup)

Nov 3, 2009, 14:16 GMT

Brussels - The European Union on Tuesday congratulated Hamid Karzai on his re-election as president of Afghanistan, and urged him to form a 'credible' government that promotes national unity.

The new Afghan government should move on issues including 'governance, the fight against corruption and security,' Sweden, the holder of the rotating EU presidency, said in a statement.

The 27-nation bloc said there was need to review and improve the electoral process before the next elections.

Earlier, the EU's top diplomat Javier Solana also congratulated Karzai on his re-election.

'I am confident that President Karzai will form as soon as possible a government that (...) adequately reflects the outcome of the electoral process,' Solana said in a statement.

EU member states had hoped that this August's presidential election in Afghanistan would give the government new legitimacy in the face of a rising challenge from Taliban-linked militias.

But massive fraud during the poll, and the subsequent decision of Karzai's main challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, to pull out of the run-off round, have left that legitimacy under question.

Nonetheless, the EU 'will remain committed and continue to work with the Afghan government in its efforts to promote stability, progress and prosperity in the country,' Solana stressed.

Western diplomats have since suggested that a national unity government linking Karzai's and Abdullah's forces would be the best way to strengthen the country against the insurgents.