The Afghanistan president is to meet Turkish and Pakistani leaders in Istanbul, his first stop in a tour to seek financial and other support for his government, a day after the postponement of parliamentary elections.
The Afghan government has postponed the vote for four months until September citing security concerns and a lack of funding from donor nations after widespread fraud in last year’s presidential poll.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai will meet Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday. His tour will later include Berlin and London.
The U.S. and its allies have urged the Afghans to reform the electoral system. Another flawed vote would erode support for Karzai and threaten international support for the war.
