ShareThisAn effort by ministers from the United States, Canada and other members of the 42-nation coalition fighting in Afghanistan to put an optimistic face on the war's progress came close to collapse this week when Afghan President Hamid Karzai was publicly accused of supporting a law that dramatically limits the rights of women.
Attended in total by 72 countries and organizations interested in rebuilding the country, The Hague summit was meant to be a "big tent" show of support for President Obama's new Afghanistan war plans. But by day's end the participants had been forced to confront the reality of a government riddled with corruption and committed to legislating sexual inequality.
According to United Nations organizations that have seen it, a law backed by the Karzai government would legalize rape within marriage and would forbid women from going to the doctor or leaving their home without their husband's protection.
It also reportedly grants custody of children only to fathers or grandfathers.
When the law was brought to the attention of the summit by the Finnish foreign minister, forcing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to back away from her optimistic message, it marked the culmination of a day in which public statements of progress in Afghanistan were contradicted by private expressions of deep concern.
"Things are going worse for us than they have during the past four or five years -- the Taliban controls more of our territory than before, and we have made no progress at all on corruption," a Canadian official said moments before Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon told the summit that he was "immediately able to see the results and impacts of our efforts" in Afghanistan.
The rape-law allegations were an especially severe blow to a conference meant to be what Clinton called a "blank slate," in which the 42 countries in the coalition would commit themselves with renewed vigor to the eight-year-old UN-mandated campaign, with support from 4,000 additional U.S. troops and a long-term commitment from Obama.
Faced with questions about the law, Clinton expressed dismay. She is said to have upbraided Karzai, whose presidency has been backed and promoted by the United States for years, in a private meeting.
"This is an area of absolute concern for the United States," she told reporters. "My message is very clear. Women's rights are a central part of the foreign policy of the Obama administration."
Reach Doug Saunders at dsaunders(at)globeandmail.com. For more stories visit scrippsnews.com
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