White House spokesman says simply hoping corruption vanishes in Afghanistan isn’t enough

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White House: corruption must end in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON — The White House says specific steps are needed to crack down on corruption in Afghanistan.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs on Tuesday said the U.S. embassy in Kabul is working with President Hamid Karzai to improve governance in Afghanistan. Gibbs says he was reluctant to get ahead of what those discussions might yield.

But President Barack Obama’s top spokesman says the president wants a serious approach to cutting out corruption from that country. Gibbs says the U.S. cannot keep simply hoping corruption would end without concrete steps.

Karzai won another term on Monday after his opponent dropped out of the planned runoff, saying the election could not be free or fair.