UN mission in Afghanistan welcomes Ghani-Abdullah power-sharing accord

UNITED NATIONS, May 17 (APP):The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Sunday welcomed the power-sharing agreement reached between Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his political rival Abdullah Abdullah, under which Abdullah will lead the peace talks with the Taliban while Ghani will stay as the head of state.

In a statement, the mission said both sides had to “make compromises to reach this important agreement,” ending the political uncertainty stemming from both leaders’ claims of having won Afghanistan’s presidential election in September.

“At this time, Afghanistan is best served by a representative government that can present a united front to tackle the nation’s most pressing issues, particularly the need to move forward on intra-Afghan negotiations, managing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the worsening humanitarian situation, as well as the ongoing conflict and security challenges,” the statement said.

“In line with its mandate, UNAMA stands ready to help the Government and people of Afghanistan.”

Ghani and Abdullah signed the agreement on Sunday that allows both men to choose an equal number of ministers.

Abdullah, a former eye surgeon, wrote on Twitter after the ceremony that the agreement would help to form a “more inclusive, accountable and competent administration”.

“We now need to come together as a nation, strive to seek solutions that are practical”.

President Ghani’s spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said details about positions being held by members of Dr Abdullah’s team would be revealed later.

The deal comes as Afghan authorities are hoping to enter peace talks with the Taliban to end years of violence.

Last month, the Taliban walked out of the talks, saying any face-to-face discussions with the Afghan government had proved “fruitless”.

The talks reportedly broke down over a prisoner swap agreed earlier between the US and Taliban.

It was meant to be a step towards ending the war, but the Taliban say Afghan officials are trying to delay the release, while officials say the militants’ demands are unreasonable.