Gibbs: 'Onus' to solve election standoff on Afghanistan

The White House on Monday stressed it was Afghanistan's own responsibility to end its presidential election standoff and form a "truly legitimate" government.

Early reports suggest voting fraud during this year's contest could prompt the need for a late runoff election -- a move that some Afghan leaders seem neither prepared for nor willing to conduct. But Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said during Monday's press briefing the United States would not comment on which path Afghanistan should take before the review process officially concludes.

"I would, obviously, point you to comments that were made this weekend about the responsibility that all Afghans are going to have in both putting forward a government that is viewed as, in the eyes of both the Afghan people, as well as the international community, as truly legitimate," Gibbs said, adding the White House "didn't have a candidate" in this race.

"I think ultimately actions are going to have to speak, in many cases, louder than words. I'm not going to get ahead of this process," he added.

Afghan leaders this week face the daunting task of addressing a series of election shortcomings that have called into question President-reelect Hamid Karzai's margin of victory. Many expect an election audit to reveal Karzai won 48 percent of the vote, not 52 percent as first estimated -- a revelation that would automatically trigger a run-off election between Karzai and his closest challenger, Abdullah Abdullah.

Karzai, however, has recently signaled he would not accept such a runoff. Some observers have since suggested a power-sharing government as an amenable second option, but it remains unclear whether Afghan leaders agree -- not to mention whether U.S. leaders support that plan.

Nevertheless, how the dispute resolves is likely to affect the White House's next move. A number of U.S. leaders this past weekend indicated the White House would not decide on a possible troop increase until a legitimate government was firmly in place in Kabul. Gibbs echoed that sentiment on Monday, adding that the president's new strategy would greatly depend on having a "credible partner" in Afghanistan.

"I think that's why the onus -- the onus is clearly on this to be legitimate in the eyes of the Afghan people," Gibbs said. "I think any credible person in this country would make a case that all the troops in the world will not solve a problem without a partner that is there ultimately to help."

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