22-06-10 General Stanley McChrystal summoned over article claims

The top US commander in Afghanistan has been summoned to Washington in the wake of a magazine article that quotes him and aides criticising senior Obama administration officials and diplomats.Gen Stanley McChrystal has apologised over the article in Rolling Stone.In it,he is quoted as sharply criticising the US ambassador to Kabul,Karl Eikenberry.And the general's aides say he was "disappointed" when meeting President Barack Obama for the first time.Other targets of criticism by the general or his aides include Vice-President Joe Biden, National Security Adviser James Jones and the special US envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan,Richard Holbrooke.The BBC's Quentin Sommerville in Afghanistan says the article highlights the long-suspected divisions between the US military and administration officials.A White House official said Gen McChrystal had "been directed to attend [Wednesday's] monthly meeting on Afghanistan and Pakistan in person" rather than by teleconference "to explain to the Pentagon and the commander-in-chief his quotes in the piece about his colleagues".And in a strongly worded statement,US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said Gen McChrystal had made a "significant mistake" and "exercised poor judgment".