Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Wednesday, April 24th, 2024

WH Wants Unity Govt. Vow Honoured

WH Wants Unity Govt. Vow Honoured

WASHINGTON - The White House (WH) on Friday urged presidential candidates Dr Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai to honour their commitment to the national unity government, which it argued was in the best interest of Afghanistan.

It was the message President Barack Obama and top American leadership had been conveying to the two presidential hopefuls,  White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters at his daily news conference.    

“Everyone across the United States government that's been speaking to both candidates has encouraged them to abide by their commitments to the political process and to the formation of a unity government that helps secure the prosperity and stability of Afghanistan,” Earnest said in response to a question.

Obama last Saturday spoke to Ghani and Abdullah, he said, adding: “That's been our policy for some time. That's been the policy that's been communicated by the President to them. The President has had a number of telephone conversations with them throughout this process.”

He emphasized the importance of concluding a deal on the national unity government as soon as possible, in the interest of shoring up international support for Afghanistan and for preserving Afghan stability. The President reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to support Afghanistan, its people, and efforts to form a new unity government, the White House official said.

The policy of the Obama Administration, he said, has not changed. “They’ve made specific commitments to a political process and to the formation of a national unity government. Despite the challenging situation that they're operating in right now, we expect them to uphold the commitments that they’ve made because it’s in the best interests of their country and their people,” Earnest said.

While the two candidates have indicated their willingness to sign the bilateral security agreement, Earnest said the US will need the President of Afghanistan and the senior members of the government to sign on and officially agree to that bilateral security agreement.  (Pajhwok)