John Kerry has returned to Kabul, to try to help resolve the protracted election dispute.
Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Kabul, Afghanistan, today, August 7, to meet with Afghan leaders, including presidential candidates Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and Dr. Ashraf Ghani, as well as President Hamid Karzai.
Secretary Kerry Travel to Afghanistan, Department of State
Immediately after Kerry's first visit, a month ago, there had been an enormous sense of relief. Afghanistan had been very close to civil war. War was at least temporarily averted.
But the audit effort turned into continual dispute. And the details of the proposed unity government are factionally contested. What was agreed to in the agreement is not agreed on.
A NATO meeting, in September, is at stake here, in the U.S. view.
The Obama administration is pressing the Afghans to inaugurate a president before NATO nations hold a summit meeting in Wales in early September.
“We would like to see the president inaugurated and arriving at NATO as part of a government of national unity,” said a senior State Department official who is travelling with Mr. Kerry.
Kerry Visits Afghanistan to Urge Election Deal, New York Times
The meeting is the last chance for a signing of the bilateral security agreement, allowing U.S. troops to stay in Afghanistan.
If the agreement is not signed by September, U.S. forces will have to prepare to leave and shut down bases, a huge logistical effort, to have them out of the country by December.
Kerry makes surprise visit to Afghanistan, The Hill
Also at stake are the Afghan government patronage networks and positions, at a time of declining international aid.
With the outcome of the election still uncertain, and each side’s political patronage networks at stake, the candidates have been reluctant to complete the power-sharing arrangements.
Kerry Visits Afghanistan to Urge Election Deal, New York Times
On Sunday, the Abdullah campaign had released a new audiotape, purported to be of First Vice President Karim Khalili, where the UN and the US are said to be in on the plot to steal the election at the auditing phase.
“Our international friends have promised us that by using any means and using any opportunity, the election outcome must turn in favor of this team, even if these opportunities, even if these means are against electoral mechanisms,” the voice said.
Disputes Threaten to Derail Audit of Afghanistan Vote, New York Times
Taking the audiotape as real, John Kerry is in a difficult position here. He is trying to negotiate a resolution with the guy he is stealing the election from.
Taking the audiotape as fake, John Kerry is in a difficult position here. He is trying to negotiate a resolution with a guy cooking up audiotapes, falsely accusing him of stealing elections, all in the interest of bringing civil war.
“This is going to be a tough situation for Kerry and [any deal] won’t not be easily brokered,” the [U.S.] official added.
Kerry Makes Second Unannounced Trip to Broker Peace In Afghanistan, The Blaze