KABUL - The United States will support Afghanistan's election process but it will never endorse a specific candidate, the US envoy to Afghanistan said Thursday.

US Ambassador James Cunningham made a visit to northern Balkh province where he met with governor Atta Mohammad Noor and discussed the upcoming presidential election.

He said that Afghanistan's presidential election is of special importance and the US will support it to ensure it runs successfully.

"We discussed the importance of the presidential election in 2014 and I assured him that the United States is ready to do everything we can to support the success of the election. We encourage all the election's stakeholders, the government, the opposition, and civil societies to work closely together in the interests of the Afghan nation," he said in a joint press conference with Noor in Mazar-e-Sharif.

"An outcome which is broadly accepted by Afghans no matter who they vote for is essential for Afghanistan's future," he added.

Cunningham took the opportunity to praise Afghanistan's achievements over the past decade, saying that education, telecommunications, media, economics and agriculture had made significant progress in the last ten years.

When asked his opinion on the release of Taliban prisoners, Cunningham said it was a matter for the Afghan and Pakistani governments to discuss.

"On the release of the Taliban, that is a subject that is under discussion between your government and the government of Pakistan. It is a concern as well that the prisoners not be released and go back into fighting and working in the insurgency and we hope that the discussion between governments produces better mechanisms [for that]," he said.

Noor also addressed reporters, saying he has doubts that the upcoming election will be fair and transparent, identifying security and the use of the old voting cards as key problems.

"The olds cards were used for fraud in the last election and there will probably be more fake cards made in the coming election so the government should distribute new voting cards and should create an better complaints commission for those who complain," he said.

Cunningham ended the press briefing emphasizing that the US will continue to support Afghanistan after 2014. (Tolo News)