WASHINGTON (PAN): The Obama administration was seriously concerned over Martial Muhammad Qasim Fahim having an important position in the new Afghan government, a State Department official said Thursday.

Fahim is the vice-presidential nominee of President Hamid Karzai, who is seeking reelection. If the initial trends are any indication, Karzai may well be sworn in as president for the second term, with Fahim serving as his deputy.

Because of his questionable past, a State Department official said, the Obama administration had conveyed its concern to Kabul at the highest level. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton herself has conveyed the view to Karzai before the election.

"There are a number of individuals whom we prefer not to see in the (Afghan) government for a variety of reasons, the State Department official said, confirming Fahim was one of them.

Asked why the Obama administration did not want Fahim to be in the government, the official replied it could be for a number of reasons narcotics, drug trade and human rights violations.

"We have had a number of conversations with the Afghan government," he revealed. But the official did not indicate what the response from the Karzai government was on the issue involving his pick for vice-president.

At the daily State Department news briefing, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs PJ Crowley said the Obama administration had been insisting on the need for good governance in Afghanistan.

"We have had a number of conversations with Afghan authorities going back a number of months and years about the need for the Afghan government to perform effectively, to build effective institutions, to deal with the issue of corruption and ultimately to be a government that the international community can work with, and the people of Afghanistan can respect," Crowley said.

"That is something we're going to work hard on.  But let's see what the new government looks like, who's in it, and then we'll draw some conclusions from that. We're going to wait and see what the result of the elections is.  We're going to wait and see what the composition of the Afghan Government is," he said. 

As a strategic imperative, the official continued, the US along with the international community was working with the sitting Afghan government to create institutions that would meet the needs of the Afghan people who wanted to see a government that dealt with the issues of corruption and narcotics.

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