Brown, Ban stress need for corruption-free Afghan gov't

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday stressed the need for a corruption-free government in Afghanistan that meets the needs and expectations of the Afghan people.

Brown welcomed Ban Ki-moon to the Downing Street shortly after the secretary general's visit to Afghanistan, where he met newly-elected Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

The prime minister said he looked forward to further announcements from President Karzai on what he will do to tackle corruption in Afghanistan and build a government with the best talent.

"We want a corruption-free government, we want an inclusive government and we want a government that will tackle the problems of bringing economic prosperity to the Afghan people," he added.

Ban said he had good meetings with both President Karzai and presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah during his trip to Kabul.

He said: "I urged President Karzai to take all necessary measures, first of all to meet the expectations of the Afghan government, Afghan people and the international community."

The UN chief also thanked Britain for its support in the "common efforts to bring peace and stability" to the region.

Brown and Ban also discussed climate change, Europe and Burma during their meeting at Downing Street.

Source: Xinhua