Afghan Ex-Chief Karzai Talks of Love-Hate Relations With U.S. - Remains Grateful to American People, Critical of Washington

KABUL—Over the course of his 13 years in office, Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai often chose open confrontation with the country’s foreign backers, chiding coalition forces for causing civilian casualties and condemning the U.S. and its allies for bringing the war to Afghan villages.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Karzai expressed gratitude to the American people for their support in Afghanistan. But he remained sharply critical of the U.S. government.

“My quarrels, my disputes are with the American government, not with its people,” he said. He spoke with The Wall Street Journal at his residence in Kabul. The interview has been edited for length and clarity:  

Q: What has been your assessment of the security situation at the moment across the country?
A: The same as it was during my government. And our views are quite fixed on that. We believe that Afghanistan suffers from violence perpetrated against us from abroad, and that the roots of this insecurity aren't inside Afghanistan—they are outside of Afghanistan. They have been for the past 30 years.…The insecurity of Afghanistan is foreign-driven.

Q: Do you think that the tragedy of the Peshawar school will force Pakistan to be more serious about combating terrorism?

A: I hope so—I hope so. We just had leaders from Pakistan yesterday, from the Pashtun people of Pakistan. They are mostly secular leaders. We all hope that Pakistan would change its approach, we all hope that Pakistan won't find terrorism any longer as a tool of policy. Either toward Afghanistan or toward other neighbors.

So that tragedy in Peshawar I hope has brought Pakistan to its conclusion, definite conclusion, that terrorism cannot serve as a tool. It is like playing with a snake. It is bound to bite you one day.

Q: What do you think the Americans want in Afghanistan?
A: I don’t know what they want, I can only guess. If they wanted bases in Afghanistan now they have them. If that was their main objective, they should have all the reasons to bring peace to Afghanistan, to bring stability to Afghanistan. If it is something beyond and more than that, if the bases in Afghanistan were an instrument toward those objectives, then probably we won't have peace.

In any case, whatever their objectives are, the Afghan people want to be friends with them, and the Afghan people will tell America: In the pursuit of your objectives, please don’t undermine our stability or security   Read More at Afghan Ex-Chief Karzai Talks 

interview with The Wall Street Journal
Karzai Talks of Love-Hate Relationship with U.S.