US President Barack Obama has said that the next Afghan President should work on having better relationship with its neighbours, and cautioned that he would be held more accountable than ever before.
Such a statement from Obama came with the official kicking of the Afghan presidential elections, which is scheduled to take place in mid-August. Some 43 candidates are in the fray, with Hamid Karzai, seeking re-election for the second consecutive term.
Unlike his predecessor, George W Bush, Obama has refused to put his weight behind any particular candidate, and has said that it would work with the international community and the United Nations to make sure that all the candidates receive a level playing field in the elections.
"The United States does not support or oppose any particular Presidential or Provincial Council candidate. Instead, we support the right of the people of Afghanistan to choose their own leaders," Obama said in a statement.
Obama said the expectations from the next Afghan President would be much higher. "There must be full accountability and transparency, so that Afghans can see where their money is spent," Obama said.
"Afghanistan needs to work with all her neighbours to promote security and opportunity in the region," he said in an apparent reference to the period when relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan were not good.