Afghan president and rival ‘sign power-sharing deal’

Afghan president Ashraf Ghani and rival Abdullah Abdullah haved signed a power-sharing deal to end a political stalemate that has hampered progress towards peace, according to sources.

The draft agreement envisages Mr Abdullah leading the peace process with the insurgent Taliban while Mr Ghani leads the country as president, senior sources within both camps said.

Discussions over some key posts are still under way. “Overall both teams have reached an agreement based on which they will have 50% share in the government. The thing that is still under debate right now is about which ministry should go to whom,” said one of the sources.

Mr Abdullah had disputed the results of the September election and announced the formation of a parallel government earlier this year, undermining Mr Ghani’s administration at a time when the United States was trying to advance a peace process with the Taliban to end the 19-year Afghan war.

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Washington, frustrated by the growing impasse between the two men, even after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo travelled to Kabul to mediate, threatened a $1 billion aid cut if the men could not agree.

It was not immediately clear whether an agreement would result in aid being reinstated, but it comes as Afghanistan faces growing fiscal pressures, with tax revenues falling and foreign aid pledges due this year expected to shrink.

US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said on Friday that a new date for intra-Afghan peace talks was under discussion and he would soon travel to the region and try to encourage a reduction in violence. – Reuters