Pat Dollard

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Agencie France Presse:

Congress will press Afghan President Hamid Karzai to rein in corruption, believing it is holding his country back, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday.

Karzai is spending a week in Washington for talks to repair a rift with the Obama administration, which infuriated the Afghan leader with its public criticisms of his alleged corruption and vote-rigging.

Pelosi said Congress would welcome Karzai and show respect for his office, “but we do have questions that require answers.”

Congress wants from Karzai a “decision to end corruption, to have more accountability, more transparency.”

“We’re not talking about paying a dollar to cross the road. We’re talking about systemic corruption and a system that prevents the flourishing of a nation,” she said.

“We’ll see what he says on his visit here. I think he understands full well how important it is to us,” she said.

Pelosi met Karzai over the weekend on a lightning visit to Afghanistan as part of an all-female congressional delegation who visited US troops and Afghan women for Mother’s Day.

Pelosi was visibly moved as she showed bracelets on her wrist, which she said were presented to her by Afghan women who have found livelihoods through US aid programs.

“Women said to us… that they saw security being served by ending corruption,” she said.

“We need accountability, too. We’re subjecting every dollar we spend here to very tough scrutiny,” she said.

Pelosi said Karzai promised a commitment to improving the role of women.

Under the 1996-2001 Taliban regime, women were barred from all public life and some were even stoned to death for perceived breaches of Islamic law.

Women are reserved at least one-quarter of seats in the post-Taliban parliament.