In the wake of a report linking Afghan officials to an Iranian-sponsored slush fund, President Hamid Karzai has admitted that yes, his government does receive "five or six or seven hundred thousand dollars once or twice every year," and his chief of staff has been known to accept "bags of money" from Iran.
On Saturday, the New York Times reported that Iran has been funneling Karzai chief of staff a "secret, steady stream" of money to buy his loyalty and promote Iranian interests in the country. Sometimes, they're not even that secret about it: after a state visit to Iran last August, an Iranian ambassador boarded Karzai's presidential plane and handed the chief of staff a bag stuffed with dollars, in full view of other administration officials. The money has reportedly going to pay off Afghan tribal leaders and Taliban commanders in order to maintain political stability.
In a press conference on Sunday, Karzai claimed that the chief of staff "is receiving the money on my instructions," and insisted that the payments were never a secret. "Even when we were at Camp David with President [George W.] Bush, this is nothing hidden," Karzai said. Payments "are done by various friendly countries to help the presidential office and to help the expenses," adding that "we are grateful to Iran for the help that they are giving and to those receiving that help under my instruction."
Now, do we really want to help a government that takes money and influence from a dictator like Amadedajad? I think one puppet master (the U.S.) is enough.
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