UNAMA supports Ulema Council’s call for candidates to resolve differences

10 Sep 2014

UNAMA supports Ulema Council’s call for candidates to resolve differences

KABUL - The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Ján Kubiš, supports and endorses a call made by the Ulema Council for the country’s two presidential candidates to resolve their differences and come to an agreement on the formation of a government of national unity soon.

The Special Representative met the Ulema Council members, including its head, Qeyamuddin Kashaf, on Tuesday, to consult with them and seek their advice on the current situation between the two presidential candidates as part of his ongoing engagement with diverse stakeholders in support of the electoral process.

Expressing the position of the Ulema Council, Mr. Kashaf said that the only solution to the current situation was a speedy agreement on the formation of a national unity government in order to prevent a crisis and in the best interests of the Afghan people.

“The Ulema Council informed me of their position on the current stalemate between the candidates in relation to the formation of a government of national unity – and it is a position I wholeheartedly agree with,” said Mr. Kubiš, who also heads the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

“The UN supports the formation of a government of national unity led by the winner of the election – as the candidates committed to on 12 July and reiterated on 8 August,” he added. “At this critical juncture genuine partnership is necessary to meeting the country's many challenges, and strengthening its stability and unity."