White House still open to Karzai visit

Washington, Apr.12 (ANI): US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has insisted on CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday that the door was still open for the embattled Afghan leader Hamid Karzai to visit the White House in May.

"We're looking forward to his visit," Clinton said, referring to Karzai as a "reliable partner."

Clinton's firm commitment to the meeting suggested a softening by the White House on Karzai, whose seemingly erratic behavior recently was described by one ex-United Nations diplomat as indications he could be using drugs.

According to a recent U.N. report, Afghanistan produces nearly 3,500 tons of hash. The country is also believed to produce nearly 90 percent of the world's heroin.

According to the New York Daily News, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who also appeared in "Face the Nation", directly attacked the claim of illegal drug use by Karzai.

"This statement about the drugs and so on is just stupid," he said. (ANI)