'US to Tighten Control of Afghan Contracts: Gates', Reuters, 20 November 2009
EXCERPT: "The United States must tighten control of Afghan aid contracts as a first step toward stemming rampant corruption, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Friday. A central question as President Barack Obama debates sending up to 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan is whether the Afghan government can become a more credible partner in the war by tackling corruption undermining its legitimacy. 'The reality is that the international presence in Afghanistan has provided a significant influx of assistance dollars in contracts,' Gates said. 'I think the place to start is the place we have the greatest leverage and that's where we're writing the checks,' he told reporters during a trip to Canada. Sworn in on Thursday for a second term after a fraud-scarred election, Afghan President Hamid Karzai promised both to fight corruption and to take control of security within five years, a key benchmark for an eventual drawdown on Western forces."
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Related articles:
'Gates: US to do its part to slow Afghan corruption', The Associated Press, 20 November 2009
'Afghan corruption a political obstacle', BBC News, 18 November 2009
'Ridding Afghanistan of corruption will be no easy task', Los Angeles Times, 18 November 2009
'Karzai man hits back at West over corruption', AFP, 12 November 2009
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