Obama to focus on bolstering Afghanistan's future
The Chicago Tribune | July 21, 2008
By Kim Barker
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai for almost two hours Sunday in a friendly discussion that addressed some of the troubled country's challenges but avoided confrontation over touchy issues such as civilian casualties, militants in Pakistan or Obama's recent criticism of Karzai. In the meeting, the president, top Afghan officials and the U.S. congressional delegation talked broadly about progress and problems in Afghanistan since a U.S.-led invasion forced out the Taliban in late 2001, said Humayun Hamidzada, the spokesman for Karzai. "The Afghan tradition is that you welcome your visitor and you focus on the positive," Hamidzada said.
