March 31 (The Killid Group) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has once again stressed the need for forming an “inclusive” government in Afghanistan.
It was quoted in a statement issued by the U.S. State Department as saying that the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held a telephone conversation with NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in a bid “to discuss Transatlantic cooperation and the upcoming NATO Foreign Ministerial.”
As a part of their discussions, they once again reiterated the need for an “inclusive” government that paves the path for ending the political deadlock in the country.
“They also discussed the need for Afghan leaders to form an inclusive government that makes reaching a political settlement a priority and bolsters the security of the state,” the statement read.
Afghanistan’s political impasse came after the Independent Electoral Commission announced Ghani as the winner of September’s presidential election, but Abdullah proclaimed himself as the winner of elections and insisted that he would form a government.
Following the electoral results, President Ghani’s political as well as main election rival Dr. Abdullah held a dual swearing-in ceremony on Monday, March 9.
Earlier in an effort to break the political deadlock, the U.S. Secretary of State came to Kabul to discuss with the two leaders.
However, he announced the United States was immediately slashing $1 billion in aid to Afghanistan and threatening further reductions in all forms of cooperation after the country’s rival leaders failed to agree on forming a new government.
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