BERLIN, Oct 3 (AFP) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai expressed confidence Sunday that his administration would emerge from a historic presidential election next weekend with increased legitimacy.
Karzai, who was elected by a council of tribal leaders in June 2002 after the Taliban regime was ousted in a US-led invasion, is widely tipped to win the vote on Saturday.
Parliamentary elections are due to follow, although no date has yet been set.
"Legitimacy will increase tremendously after the elections," Karzai told a press conference after talks with German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer.
"The government will be much more in power in terms of legitimacy but in terms of provision of services and the capability of the Afghan administration it will take some time for the country to do better."
Karzai said he hoped for logistical reasons that the presidential election could be settled in a single round.
"I hope for all the good reasons that the election will not go to the second round because it will be very expensive for us to have a second round and it will be easier for us to have a result in the first round."
Karzai said he saw nothing unusual in the fact that he was in Europe six days before the landmark election rather than campaigning at home.
He is due to receive a "Quadriga" prize later Sunday in Berlin, awarded to personalities who have displayed vision, courage and responsibility in their work. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is to receive an award at the same ceremony.
"Any president would come to receive an award six days before an election," he said. "It is an honour to receive this award."
The remnants of the Taliban regime have regrouped along Afghanistan's border with Pakistan and have warned the people of Afghanistan against voting in the elections.
Germany contributes around 2,000 troops to the 9,000-strong NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan and the German parliament on Thursday extended their troops' mandate until October 2005.
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is due to visit Afghanistan two days after the election on October 11, although government officials have admitted the trip could be cancelled if the violence that has flared ahead of the elections worsens.
Karzai admitted he had discussed security for the parliamentary elections with Fischer.
"There will be a contribution from NATO and the other members of the international community for the parliamentary elections as well," Karzai said.
"But the details of that arrangement are yet to be worked out because we have some time... I hope the joint Afghan-UN election commission will soon announce the date of the parliamentary elections so that preparations can be made for the security of it as well."
German troops in a so-called Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) operating in northern Afghanistan were criticised by foreign aid workers for failing to come to their rescue when they came under attack from an angry mob earlier this month.
But Karzai said German troops had played an essential role in helping to rebuild Afghanistan.
"It has made a lot of difference, in the form of the PRTs, in the form of reconstruction.
"Germany has been one of the steadfast, biggest nations supporting Afghanistan," he said.