Afghan unity govt could be turning point: Kerry

KABUL.

In an interview with VOA’s Afghan service, Kerry praised the statesmanship of both Ahmadzai and Chief Executive Officer Abdullah, saying “came together with a deep realization that they needed to be patriots, that they needed to lift Afghanistan.”

“It was the winning of a battle, but there is still the winning of the war writ large – not just the counterterrorism component of it, but the economic, the rights, the development of society, the full development of the democracy.”

“This is a long effort, but if this is the opening of a wider door to that possibility, for the people of Afghanistan and they grab it, then history will hopefully be able to judge that this was a turning point,” Kerry said.

Kerry said he was confident that Ghani and Abdullah could work out any disagreements by focusing on “not on patronage and smaller political issues but staying focused on the big issues that confront Afghanistan.”

“We are of course are prepared to be cooperative and (to) work and support (the Afghan government). You know, we care enormously, we have a great, great respect for the very tortured, difficult journey that Afghans have traveled these years,” he said.

Kerry also praised ex-President Karzai as “a very intelligent, very skilled advocate on behalf of his country.” While acknowledging that Karzai often saw things differently than the US, Kerry said Karzai “transitioned peacefully through an election to another government that is historic.

He said Karzai laid the foundation for President Ghani and the new government to define the next chapter of the Afghan history.

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