Afghan president says all welcome in his gov't

World >> Top Stories >>

KABUL , NOV 03 - Afghanistan's president says he wants people from "all parts of the country" in his government.

President Hamid Karzai told reporters Tuesday that he will welcome anyone from the opposition into his government and will institute reforms to stamp out corruption.

On Monday, he won a drawn-out election by default following a first-round vote that was marred by fraud. Election officials proclaimed Karzai the winner of the runoff after his only challenger dropped out saying that the election could not be free or fair.

Karzai said he wants a "national participation government."

His former challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, has said he will not join Karzai, but the two have been negotiating privately about ministry seats or accommodating Abdullah's platform in some way.

Meanwhile, the Taliban say the canceled runoff election in Afghanistan proves that their efforts to derail the vote with threats and attacks were successful.

The Islamist militant group issued a statement Tuesday ahead of a speech by President Hamid Karzai on his recently declared victory. A first round was marred by fraud and Karzai won a runoff vote by default after his only challenger dropped out saying that the election could not be free or fair.

According to a statement posted on the Taliban Web site, "Our brave mujahidin were able to disrupt the entire process."

The Taliban said their recent attack on a guest house filled with U.N. election workers showed that "even they are not safe in Kabul."