American UN Envoy Plotted to Oust Karzai

Scheme to force out Afghan president as fraud surfaced
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 17, 2009 7:08 AM CST
American UN Envoy Plotted to Oust Karzai
"There were internal discussions,%u201D Galbraith says. %u201CI%u2019m sure I discussed the crisis and I%u2019m sure I discussed a way out. But that is an entirely different matter from acting on it.   (AP Photo/Toby Talbot, File)

The No. 2 United Nations official in Afghanistan sought to replace Hamid Karzai with a more Western-friendly figure as widespread election fraud surfaced earlier this year, officials say. The top UN official in Kabul, Kai Eide, says Peter Galbraith approached him with a plan to enlist Joe Biden to help persuade President Obama to force Karzai to resign, the New York Times reports..

A US Embassy spokeswoman says Galbraith brought his plan to the embassy and was rejected there as well. Galbraith left the country soon afterwards and was fired weeks later. Officials say Karzai was furious when he learned of Galbraith's plan. Galbraith says he discussed the idea of removing Karzai but never acted on it. His firing, he says, was because he was feuding with Eide over how to respond to the electoral fraud.
(More Hamid Karzai stories.)

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