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Miliband hints at UK support for Afghan unity government
Nicholas Cecil, Chief Political Correspondent11.09.09
David Miliband today signalled that Britain could back a government of national unity in Afghanistan.
The Foreign Secretary said the "ideas and reforms" of both president Hamid Karzai and his main rival in the election, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, should be considered by the next administration in Kabul.
Mr Miliband's comments came amid growing concerns that widespread vote rigging could undermine the result of the presidential poll last month.
Initial results show Mr Karzai won 54 per cent of the vote but a UN-backed fraud commission has thrown out votes from 83 polling stations and ordered recounts in hundreds of others.
These include three, according to the BBC, in the Babaji area, which was at the centre of Operation Panther's Claw this summer.
Ten British soldiers died during the operation to allow tens of thousands of people to vote.
As few as 150 may actually have voted, according to one local election official.
But early results reportedly put the turnout at 4,331.
However, this includes the three polling stations being probed, where 96, 97 and 98 per cent of voters backed Mr Karzai.
In addition, one election observer said just 15 people voted at one station.
Mr Miliband said it was reasonably clear that Mr Karzai and Mr Abdullah together had the support of most voters: "They represent the vast majority of Afghan voters and it's their ideas and their reforms that need to help shape the future of Afghanistan."
Admitting that the poll had not been "free and fair", he insisted: "It's vital that there is a credible result. We will not be party to any whitewash."
A senior Foreign Office source said Mr Miliband was not calling for, or even backing, a national unity government.
But the insider said: "The prospect of a government of national unity is not one that we would necessarily oppose."
Downing Street refused to go as far as the Foreign Office on the issue.
Shadow foreign secretary William Hague seized on the confusion: "The disconnect between Gordon Brown and David Miliband seems to be as bad as the disconnect between Gordon Brown and the British People. This is no way to run foreign policy."
David Cameron has also warned of "naked" fraud in the poll.
Mr Abdullah has claimed there was "state-engineered" election fraud.
If the complaints commission invalidates enough votes, there could be a run-off.
