Afghan power-sharing deal ruled out

PRESIDENT Hamid Karzai and his challenger ruled out a power-sharing deal before Afghanistan’s November 7 runoff, saying the second round of balloting must be held as planned to bolster democracy in this war-ravaged country.

Some Obama administration officials had said the US would be receptive to a deal to avoid another disruptive election if Karzai and former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah agreed. However, both Afghan candidates said yesterday they were committed to a second-round vote, despite the hugesecurity and logistical challenges and the threat of Taliban attacks against voters.

“It has to be held. I made sure to have agreement from all the international players before agreeing to a runoff to have a second round absolutely surely agreed upon and promised,” Karzai said on CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria_GPS” programme.