Afghan President Hamid Karzai has confirmed that both the Iranian and US governments have given his office bags of money that he could spend with no oversight. The secret payments became an issue on Sunday when the New York Times published an article exposing how Iran’s ambassador to Afghanistan pays off members of Karzai’s government. On Monday, Karzai addressed the Iranian payments. He said, “This is something I have also discussed in Camp David with President Bush. This is nothing hidden. The US is doing the same thing, [supplying] cash to some of our offices.” In Washington, State Department spokesperson P.J. Crowley accused Iran of helping to destabilize the region.

P.J. Crowley: “We will let the government of Afghanistan speak to how they spend the financial assistance received from other countries, but we remain skeptical of Iran’s motives, given its history of playing a destabilizing role with its neighbors. We hope that Iran will take responsibility to play a constructive role in the future of Afghanistan.”