Afghan President Hamid Karzai had a testy exchange with the US envoy to the region, Richard Holbrooke, who pressed him after widespread allegations of vote rigging, an official said Thursday.
"It was a difficult meeting and there were some sharp exchanges in it," a US official with knowledge of the meeting told foreign news agency in Washington.
Holbrooke, a veteran US diplomat, met with all of the candidates in Afghanistan's second-ever presidential election and shared a meal with Karzai on August 21, the day after the vote.
"The thrust of the meeting was to respect the electoral process, let it take its course and be patient and to respect the results, whatever they are," the US official said.
The official said Holbrooke reiterated to each candidate the public US line that Washington was neutral in the race and steered clear of recommending any new vote while waiting for complete results.
Members of the Obama team have alleged a lack of action against corruption and were taken aback that Karzai picked as his running mate Mohammed Qasim Fahim, who is accused of grave human rights abuses during Afghanistan's nearly three decades of war.
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