NEW YORK, 2 August 2009: The top United Nations official in Afghanistan Sunday condemned violent attacks on presidential hopefuls ahead of this month’s national and provincial elections, urging all parties to concentrate on the political debate.
– There has been – and there is – concern about irregularities, and those are concerns that I share and I condemn, in particular, the attacks that have taken place on candidates and on supporters of candidates, Kai Eide, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, told reporters in Kabul.
Mr. Eide noted that the war-ravaged country had never “witnessed such a vibrant political debate in this country, and we have never seen such involvement by the public, as we have seen during these few weeks”.
– It is critically important that in the next three weeks, we see a continuation of the political debate, and that we do not get into a situation where the debate is focused on irregularities and accusations and counter-accusations, he stressed.
In a direct appeal to the media, Mr. Eide underscored the importance of avoiding incorrect or misleading reports that could inflame the tense situation.
He added that everyone shares the responsibility to ensure a stable environment after the elections on 20 August.
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