Afghan president sworn in to second term

Afghan president sworn in to second term

Updated at: 1305 PST, Thursday, November 19, 2009 KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai, battling to rebuild a tarnished reputation, was sworn into office for a second five-year term on Thursday, as he faced renewed criticism from Washington over corruption. "I swear to obey and safeguard the provisions of the sacred religion of Islam, to observe the constitution and other laws of Afghanistan and supervise their implementation," Karzai said in front of foreign and Afghan dignitaries in his palace in Kabul. Hillary Clinton, in her first visit to Afghanistan as U.S. secretary of state, said Washington would support the new government but expected serious results in combating corruption and building an "accountable, transparent government". "Well, we are asking that they follow through on much of what they have previously said, including putting together acredible anti-corruption governmental entity," Clinton told reporters en route to Kabul. "They've done some work on that, but in our view, not nearly enough to demonstrate a seriousness of purpose to tackle corruption," she said.