'', The Independent, 11 April 2008

EXCERPT: "Zalmay Khalilzad, the American envoy to the United Nations and an influential figure in the Bush administration, may run against Hamid Karzai for the Afghan presidency after resigning from his post. Mr Khalilzad, who is Afghan-born, fuelled recurring reports of his political ambitions by appearing on television in Kabul to announce that he is to leave his job and wants to be 'at the service of the Afghan people'. Although Mr Khalilzad, who holds US citizenship, added: 'I have said earlier that I am not a candidate for any position in Afghanistan,' his decision to step down from the prestigious UN job has been widely regarded as clearing the way for a run at the Afghan leadership, with President Karzai facing serious and mounting internal and international criticism. But Mr Khalilzad has his own share of baggage. He had once lobbied for the Taliban and worked for an American oil company, Unocal, which sought concessions for pipelines in the country. In 1997, he urged the Clinton administration to take a softer line against Afghanistan's Islamist rulers and wrote in The Washington Post: 'The Taliban do not practise the anti-US style of fundamentalism practised by Iran. We should... be willing to offer recognition and humanitarian assistance and to promote economic reconstruction.'"

To continue reading the article, click .

See also:
'US ambassador to UN to step down', BBC News, 10 April 2008