UN chief reminds candidates of commitments

KABUL (Pajhwok): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged presidential candidates Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai to conclude an agreement on a government of national unity in accordance with the commitments they made on July 12.

The secretary-general said Afghanistan was passing through a critical period, and that genuine partnership was required to tackle the challenges faced by the country at the moment.

Both parties share a real responsibility to guide Afghanistan to a peaceful and more prosperous future, he said in a statement. Given the scale of the challenges, it could only be done jointly, he believed.
Ban noted that in the July 12 agreement, reached with the support of US Secretary of State John Kerry and their signed communiqué of August 8, the candidates agreed to accept the result of the nationwide audit of the presidential election results and form a government of national unity.
With the main audit completed on September 4 and the announcement of updated results anticipated shortly, the secretary-general expected the candidates would abide by their commitments.

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