Hamid Karzai and Richard Holbrooke hold tense exchange over Afghanistan vote

Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, and US envoy Richard Holbrooke have had a stormy exchange over recent elections, underscoring potentially cooler ties with the US if Mr Karzai wins another term.

Mr Holbrooke, a veteran US diplomat who is the special envoy to the region, pressed the Afghan leader on last week's elections amid allegations of widespread vote-rigging, an official said.

"It was a difficult meeting and there were some sharp exchanges in it," he said.

Mr Holbrooke met with all of the candidates in Afghanistan's second-ever presidential election and shared a meal with Mr Karzai on August 21, the day after the vote.

"The thrust of the meeting was to respect the electoral process, let it take its course and be patient and to respect the results, whatever they are," the US official said.

The official said Mr Holbrooke reiterated to each candidate the public US line that Washington was neutral in the race and steered clear of recommending any new vote while waiting for complete results.

Mr Karzai, who has led Afghanistan since the aftermath of the 2001 US-led military operation that ousted the extremist Taliban regime, enjoys a narrow lead as results trickle in.

His main competitor, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, has railed against what he says is vast state-engineered fraud but has urged his supporters to be patient and work through the electoral system.

Mr Karzai enjoyed a warm relationship with former US president George W. Bush, with whom he often consulted by videoconference. Mr Bush's ambassador to Kabul, Zalmay Khalizad, was a frequent dinner guest of the president.

Mr Karzai's relationship is widely seen as cooler with President Barack Obama's administration.

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/6102765/Hamid-Karzai-and-Richard-Holbrooke-hold-tense-exchange-over-Afghanistan-vote.html