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>...from today's SF Chronicle: "Chinese bid for mine >called rigged: Debate over U.S. blood for Chinese >riches." >"WASHINGTON----At a former al Qaeda stronghold >southeast of the Afghan capital, a state-owned Chinese >company is at work on a $3 billion mine project to tap >one of the world's largest unexploited copper >reserves,a financial boon for an impoverished country >mired in war. The promise of a bright future at Aynak, >however, can't conceal the troubling realty of how >business is often done in Afghanistan, according to >critics of the Kabul government's decision to reject >bids from competitors in the U.S., Canada and other >countries. The bidding process unfairly favored China, >they allege, and epitomized the backroom deals and >abuse of power that's turned Afghans against their >government and undercut the U.S. effort there. >Corruption and graft long have been ingrained in >Afghanistan's public institutions. Yet the extent of >this corruption has taken on new significance as the >White House considers expanding the US commitment to a >war unsupported by a growing number of Americans. >Widespread fraud in Afghanistan's presidential >election in August has raised doubts about how quickly >a stable and credible government can be installed. A >U.N.-backed commission threw out nearly one-third of >President Hamid Karzai's votes, setting the stage for >a Nov.7 runoff." > >"In his recent assessment of the situation in >Afghanistan, the top U.S. commander warned that >unchecked corruption has led alienated Afghans to >support the Taliban insurgency." > >"James Yeager, an American geologist who advised >Afghanistan's minister of mines, says a few Afghan >officials dominated a secretive selection process that >gave the winner, China Metallurgical Group Corp., >improbably high marks over its competitors like the >U.S. bidder, Phelps Dodge, and the Canadian bidder, >Hunter Dickenson. Yeager has distributed a 78-page >report on the Aynak contract in which he contends that >M. Ibrahim Adel, Afghanistan's minister of mines, and >his associates shut out legal, financial and technical >experts who could have helped them on their decision. >A spokesman for Adel said by e-mail that Yeager may >have had a stroke while he was in Afghanistan, and >that possibly compromised his understanding of what >happened. Yeager say his health was fine while he was >in Afghanistan between 2006 and 2007. "That's just to >discredit me,' he said.'These are the games they >play.'"

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