Washington backs Loya Jirga

WASHINGTON (PAN amidst tight security, the United States rejected suggestions that the event undermined the authority of  Parliament and insisted that both systems have validity.

“We believe both systems have validity,” the State Department spokesman, Mark Toner, said when asked about criticism from a section of Afghan parliamentarians that such a move undermined the authority of Parliament.

“Look, the Loya Jirga is a traditional way for the Afghans to talk about many issues, and we support it. We believe that it’s going to lead to a reaffirmation of our strong alliance with Afghanistan,” he added.

Toner said the US was looking forward to the decisions of the Jirga. “We continue to talk to the Afghan government. As we’ve said many times, we want an agreement that’s in the best interest of both our countries, and so we’re not going to put a timeline on that,” he concluded.

mbg/mud

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