Ghani again scorns US proposal for interim govt

KABUL (Pajhwok): President Ashraf Ghani has ruled out a power transfer in the absence of elections, signaling his aversion to a US proposal.

Earlier in the month, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad urged Afghan leaders to consider the creation of an interim government.

Addressing a seminar on Afghanistan’s foreign policy in Kabul, Ghani said if the Taliban wanted elections, he was ready to contest. “However, I am not ready to transfer power to my successor without elections.”

More than four decades of conflict in Afghanistan must end, the president stressed, adding that the Afghans — like other civilised nations of the world — reserved the right to live in peace.

Also on Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed efforts by Afghanistan’s neighbours and regional and international partners to bring peace to the country.

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