Karzai backers fret over poor campaign

KABUL, Afghanistan, July 13 (UPI) -- Aides to Afghan President Hamid Karzai are worried about what they privately say is his poor reelection campaign effort, The Washington Post reported Monday.

With elections in Afghanistan set for Aug. 20, sightings of Karzai at his own campaign rallies have been scarce as he relies on his relationships with tribal elders, business leaders and militia chieftains to secure his reelection, the newspaper reported.

Karzai also has yet to accept any debates with opponents proposed by Afghan television stations, the Post said.

"The president is not afraid to debate anyone, but we have concerns that the other candidates do not know the principles of conversation. A debate should not be a battlefield," Karzai campaign spokesman Ahmad Omar told the newspaper, promising the president would eventually appear at some campaign rallies.

The Post said perceptions that Karzai would cruise to victory in the first round of voting have changed thanks to recent campaign blunders. Citing "private accounts" of a recent meeting among Karzai's senior aides, the Post reported that many of them voiced worries over his slow and disorganized campaign and meetings between the U.S. ambassador and several opposition candidates.