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US Envoy Mulls Job as Afghan 'CEO'

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted May 19, 2009 7:51 AM CDT

(Newser) – George W. Bush’s ambassador to Afghanistan is considering taking a powerful, unelected position in Hamid Karzai’s government, the New York Times reports. Zalmay Khalilzad, an Afghan-born US citizen, had considered running against Karzai for president, but missed the filing deadline. Senior American and Afghan officials say Karzai has offered to create a post for him as "CEO" of Afghanistan, described as a prime minister-like role that would be independent of parliamentary oversight.

Karzai is hoping not only to co-opt a rival, but to score points with a wary Obama administration. The White House says it’s not behind the idea, and officials fear backlash if the Afghan public thinks it was. “This has the makings of a really bad movie,” one South Asia expert said, but added that, “Zal has intimate knowledge of the country, and was involved to a degree that was virtually unheard of for an ambassador.” A Karzai spokesman has denied the report, telling Reuters, “We cannot confirm this."

[Images (4)]

[Quotes (1)]

US Ambassador to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad gestures during an interview with the Associated Press, May 18, 2007. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Zalmay Khalilzad, US ambassador to the United Nations, speaks to reporters at U.N. Headquarters in New York in this Sept. 27, 2007 file photo. (AP Photo/David Karp, File)

In this Aug. 10, 2008 file photo, Zalmay Khalilzad, US Ambassador to United Nations, speaks to reporters after a Security Council Meeting. (AP Photo/David Karp, File)

Condoleezza Rice, second from left, talks with Zalmay Khalilzad, after leaving consultations on the situation in Gaza at United Nations Headquarters, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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This has the makings of a really bad movie. The idea of having an American as a senior official of Afghanistan is a very risky one both for the Afghan government and the person in question. - Teresita Schaffer, South Asia expert

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