Bush apologizes to Afghan leader over comments from senators

KABUL, Afghanistan -- President Bush apologized to Afghan President Hamid Karzai in a phone call over the weekend for the treatment Karzai received last month during an appearance before Congress.

U.S. officials in Washington said Bush telephoned Karzai in Kabul on Saturday to discuss Afghan-istan's struggle to rebuild after 23 years of war.

Bush also apologized for the way Karzai was treated by senators who grilled him on the situation in Afghanistan during an appearance in late February before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington.

Bush "said he was sorry it happened, even though he had nothing to do with it. We appreciate the fact that President Bush took the initiative," an Afghan Foreign Ministry official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer confirmed that Bush called Karzai to apologize for the leader's treatment before Congress.

He said foreign leaders are typically treated "with a level of decorum and the president thought an apology was warranted in this matter."

During the Senate appearance, Karzai urged Washington not to forget Afghanistan in the face of a possible war in Iraq. He also summarized accomplishments in his country since U.S. warplanes helped oust the former Taliban regime in late 2001 -- an event that paved the way for Karzai's rise to power.

"I was talking about Afghanistan's comparison to a year ago. My picture was not rosy for the reality." Karzai said during his visit to Washington. "I'm sorry I can't tell you that everything is wrong there, but it isn't. It is a good thing for the Senate to be negative all the time, but I can't do that."

Karzai was met with a stern lecture from senators about the hazards of sugarcoating the problems of his devastated land.

Some senators said they feared that Karzai, by highlighting millions of children returning to school and a swift government response in replacing the currency, had put too positive a spin on Afghanistan's problems.

One senator even said stressing the positive could hurt Karzai's credibility in the future.

Karzai was offended by the harsh questions and comments, the Foreign Ministry official said.

"In some instances it bordered on rudeness. That approach has to change," the official said.

The official said the Afghan government was still looking into what happened, although he stressed that bilateral relations would not be affected.

Separately, U.S. forces in eastern Afghanistan detained an Afghan man captured Monday with a cache of anti-personnel mines and other weapons, U.S. military spokesman Col. Roger King said Tuesday.

King said the man, who was not identified, is suspected of anti-coalition activity. The spokesman would not elaborate or say where he is being held.