KABUL (SW) – Office of Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman High Council of National Reconciliation (HCNR), has rebuked the list of its newly appointed members issued by the presidency.
A statement issued by Abdullah’s office said that the formation of the council was discretion of the Chairman as per the political agreement. It added that a new list of members would be issued soon.
"The composition of the High Conciliation Council should be national, comprehensive and inclusive, and in this regard, consultations with leaders and various political-civil movements have already begun and are being finalized," the statement said.
Meanwhile, Sediq Seddiqi, a spokesman for the presidency, told a news conference in Kabul that the decree on members of the council was finalized after consultations with political parties, especially Abdullah. He added changes to the list were expected.
A day earlier, former president Hamid Karzai excused himself from being placed in the official negotiating team for talks with the Taliban. Among others, the list also included some prominent figures such as former vice president Karim Khalili, former deputy chief executive Mohammad Mohaqiq, former vice president Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum, Hizb-e-Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, and Salahuddin Rabbani, leader of a faction of Jamiat-e-Islami party. Rabbani and Hekmatyar too distanced themselves from it.
Sources close to the citadel, following Hamid Karzai's rejection of membership, reportedly retaliated by revealing Karzai's AFN 400m worth of expenses from the government budget to the media that led to strong criticism from the former president’s camp. Karim Khoram, former secretary of the former president, accused President Ghani of undermining the peace process.
However, at today’s news conference, Seddiqi emphasized that the government respects views of the former president and would continue to seek his role in the peace process.
ENDS
