* Parliament convenes more than four months after election
* Diplomats, rights groups question president's poll court
* Karzai accuses West of interference
*
By Jonathon Burch and Emma Graham-Harrison
KABUL, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai will open parliament on Wednesday, ending a standoff with lawmakers, but setting the stage for a longer battle against an assembly he has long ignored.
Afghanistan's government was plunged into political crisis last week after Karzai decided to delay the opening of the new parliament by a month to allow a special poll court he established, more time to probe fraud in the Sept. 18 election.
Washington is pressing Karzai to demonstrate good governance as it looks to disentangle U.S. forces from an unpopular and escalating war now in its tenth year, and the latest showdown renewed concerns about the president's credibility as a partner.
Under huge pressure from winning candidates, who threatened to take their seats in parliament this month with or without him, and in the face of criticism from the international community, Karzai backed down and agreed to a Wednesday inauguration.
But analysts, diplomats and rights groups warned a bigger battle lay ahead.
Karzai is thought to be unhappy with the new parliament's make-up, which although not necessarily united, has yielded a more vocal and coherent opposition bloc to challenge him.
"The special court is key -- I think we can expect to see the president using what he says are legal powers to try and remove some parliamentarians," said a senior Western diplomat.
"We are not over this. He will try to do something, if only to weaken legitimacy of parliament," the diplomat said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic.
Although parliamentarians may claim Karzai's climb-down as a victory, the president emerged from the tussle with his special court intact. MPs say it is illegal and want it dissolved.
The tribunal claims the power to unseat any candidate incriminated in vote-rigging, and in an election tainted by widespread corruption, few escaped without allegations -- whether valid or not -- against them.
WESTERN INTERFERENCE?
Karzai has pledged to pursue guilty lawmakers, and on the eve of the inauguration blamed the West for meddling in Afghan affairs and perverting the course of justice.
"The special court asked for a month to fully investigate electoral fraud, which I accepted, but some foreign hands brought my decision into question," a statement from the president's office quoted him saying in a meeting with losing candidates.
"I have decided to meet with winning candidates and tell them to accept the court's rulings on electoral fraud investigations even after the parliament (opens)," the statement added.
The United States said on Tuesday it would "closely monitor" developments in Afghanistan's new parliament.
While the West has acknowledged there was fraud in the poll they having been pushing for the assembly to convene and want Karzai's government to focus on improving security and governance in the face of an expanding insurgency now at its most violent.
NATO, which leads a force of 150,000 troops in Afghanistan, also called this week for a "timely opening of parliament" if it were to start handing over security responsibilities to Afghan forces in February or March.
Ordinary Afghans themselves were sceptical that a new parliament would make a difference to their lives .
"In this country, the leaders are chosen by force of money, guns and corruption," said Haji Gul, a shopkeeper in the town of Ghazni, southwest of Kabul.
"It's not necessary to form parliament," he told Reuters ahead of the long-awaited inauguration of a new assembly.
Critics agree with the president that lawmakers, many of whom obtained their position by means of fraud or intimidation, should be investigated, but some question Karzai's motives behind the creation of a special court.
"Karzai's special tribunal has no legal basis and seems designed to pack parliament with his supporters rather than to fairly and properly assess the conduct of candidates," said Sam Zarifi, from rights group Amnesty International. (If you have a query or comment on this story, send an email to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com)
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