Afghanistan Summons UN Official over Meeting with President’s Rival

By Staff-Agencies

Afghanistan summoned on Friday the United Nations special representative for Afghanistan to protest his meeting with Abdullah Abdullah, a former official and a rival to incumbent President Ashraf Ghani.

Abdullah has contested the official results of the recent presidential election in Afghanistan, which Ghani won. On Monday, Ghani and Abdullah both held inauguration ceremonies in the capital, Kabul.

UN Special Representative for Afghanistan Tadamichi Yamamoto held a meeting with Abdullah earlier on Friday. 

The ministry said in a tweet that Deputy and Acting Foreign Minister Mohammad Haroon Chakhansuri on Friday “reminded Mr. Yamamoto that the electoral process has reached its end and in accordance with the constitution” of Afghanistan.

According to the ministry, Yamamoto stressed during the meeting that the UN did not recognize or support any parallel government in Afghanistan.

Afghan President-elect Ghani postpones his inauguration ceremony for several hours for more talks with his election rival Abdullah over the disputed presidential election.

In the election last year, Abdullah was seeking the presidency for the third time, after losing in 2009 and 2014.

On Wednesday, Afghanistan’s former president Hamid Karzai blamed the US’s policies for the current political crisis in the country.