Karzai begins second term with pledge on corruption

Hamid Karzai was today inaugurated as Afghan president for a second term as America and Britain gambled on him tackling government corruption to defeat the Taliban insurgency.

The president, who was re-elected in a poll marred by voting fraud, promised to crack down on corruption in a bid to unite his country against militant tribal leaders and al-Qaeda.

Cheers erupted in the presidential palace in Kabul, which was surrounded by a ring of steel, when Mr Karzai said: "Ministers in Afghanistan must be competent, expert and just."

Paving the way for Allied forces to be withdrawn, he added: "We wish for the country's security within the next five years to be entirely in the hands of the Afghan government."

He stressed that the Afghan army should be leading operations in "non-secure areas in the next three years".

Many Afghans have sided with the Taliban partly because of the corruption in Mr Karzai's administration.

Under huge pressure from Washington and London to root out abuse, the Afghan president announced an anti-corruption conference would be held in Kabul and said that the Afghan civil service would get new laws and regulations.

Officials who are corrupt should be "tried and prosecuted", he added.

Hours earlier, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who, with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, was attending the inauguration ceremony, warned that the wartorn country was at a "critical moment".

President Barack Obama is on the brink of deciding whether to send up to 40,000 extra troops to strengthen the battle against the Taliban.

Public support in Nato countries for the war has plummeted as the death toll of Allied soldiers has risen.

Mr Karzai appeared to be heeding the warnings that he must tackle misuses of power but diplomats will be watching closely how successful he is in cleaning up his government.

He also pledged a fresh campaign against drug cultivation and trafficking, and a free-market drive to boost the Afghan economy, and emphasised that the government should be able to properly finance the national army.

In an attempt to improve security in Kabul, where more than 100 people have been killed by suicide bombers in the past three months, a huge network of road blocks was set up.

Armed police and paramilitary units patrolled the streets. Many roads were almost empty as local people heeded warnings to stay inside.

Mr Karzai was declared Afghan president after a second round run-off was ditched when his rival Dr Abdullah Abdullah withdrew, claiming it would not be free and fair.

The first round was overshadowed by reports of electoral fraud which led to Mr Karzai being stripped of his outright majority.

Today the president invited former foreign minister Dr Abdullah to work with him "for the prosperity of Afghanistan".

He also plans a grand assembly, a loya jirga, as part of the peace moves.