November 02, 2009 09:52 AM

Abdullah exit won't affect U.S. strategy: officials


Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah answers questions from the international media at his house in Kabul November 1, 2009. REUTERS/Jerry LampenBy Caren Bohan

WASHINGTON, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Senior U.S. officials said on Sunday that Afghan presidential challenger Abdullah Abdullah's decision to quit an election run-off would not complicate President Barack Obama's deliberations on the war strategy.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made clear the Obama administration would work with Afghan President Hamid Karzai should he remain the leader of the next government as seems likely.

"It is now a matter for the Afghan authorities to decide on a way ahead that brings this electoral process to a conclusion in line with the Afghan constitution," Clinton said in a statement e-mailed to reporters while she was traveling in Morocco.

"We will support the next president and the people of Afghanistan, who seek and deserve a better future," she added.

Clinton also urged Abdullah to "stay engaged" and work for peace in Afghanistan.

Senior Obama adviser David Axelrod said Abdullah "made a political decision to withdraw from this contest and that doesn't markedly change this situation."

Axelrod told the "Face the Nation" program on CBS that Abdullah was "establishing himself as the leader of the opposition but every poll that's been taken there suggested that he was likely to be defeated anyway."

As Obama weighs whether to approve a request from his top commander in Afghanistan for a 40,000 increase in U.S. troops, Abdullah's exit from the Nov. 7 vote threatened to raise doubts about the legitimacy of Karzai's government.

Abdbullah had accused Karzai of not meeting his demand for a fair vote.

Afghan election officials have said the run-off would go ahead with both names on the ballot but with Karzai as the only candidate.

"We don't think that it's going to add a complication to the strategy," Valerie Jarrett, another top White House aide, told ABC's "This Week."

US TO PRESS KARZAI ON CORRUPTION

With U.S. public opinion souring on the Afghan war and many of Obama's Democratic allies in Congress wary of a troop increase, the run-off developments could add to questions among Democrats about whether the United States has a credible partner to work with in the Afghan government.

But Axelrod, who was later echoed by Clinton, said "we are going to deal with the government," though he added that the Obama administration would continue to press the Afghan government to tackle corruption.

While Obama faces growing Democratic opposition to the war, Republicans accuse him of dragging out the deliberations over whether to increase U.S. troops.

"I'm concerned about this delay. I would hope that the president would make a decision and make it soon," House of Representatives Republican Leader John Boehner told CNN.

But Boehner agreed with Jarrett and Axelrod that Abdullah's departure should not have a major effect on the U.S. strategy.

"Dr. Abdullah's exit from this race, I think, really says more about the fact that he knew he wasn't going to win," Boehner said.

A U.S. official said on Saturday that Obama was unlikely to make a decision on his Afghanistan strategy before he leaves for a 10-day trip to Asia on Nov. 11.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, stressed that while a decision was unlikely before then, it had not been ruled out.

Violence in Afghanistan has reached its worst levels since the Taliban was ousted by U.S.-backed Afghan forces in 2001.

General Stanley McChrystal, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, has recommended deploying an additional 40,000 troops next year.

Another scenario under consideration could involve adding 10,000 to 15,000 troops, a large portion of whom would be focused on increasing the training of Afghan forces. But U.S. officials have said a number of options are under review.

There are about 67,000 U.S. troops and 42,000 allied forces in Afghanistan.

(Additional reporting by Donna Smith and John O'Callaghan, Editing by Jackie Frank)

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