Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah, center, addresses the media following a conference with his party members in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah, center, addresses the media following a conference with his party members in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah, center, addresses the media following a conference with his party members in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah, center, addresses the media following a conference with his party members in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

Asia

Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani close to power-sharing deal in Afghanistan

Both camps say progress on agreement was spurred by need to deal with coronavirus and peace talks with Taliban

Ruchi Kumar
Hikmat Noori

May 01, 2020

  • English
  • Arabic

Afghanistan’s top political rivals signalled a breakthrough in power-sharing talks on Friday, raising hopes for stable leadership amid a coronavirus outbreak and ahead of much-anticipated peace talks with Taliban insurgents.

Abdullah Abdullah, who disputed President Ashraf Ghani’s re-election in a fraud-tainted vote last September, said efforts to “resolve the political crisis have borne fruit”.

“We have made progress in negotiations and reached tentative agreement on a range of principles,” Dr Abdullah said in a statement on Friday.

“We hope to finalise the political agreement at the earliest so that we can pay undivided attention to tackling the Covid-19 pandemic, ensuring a just, dignified and lasting peace, and confronting the security and economic challenges in a spirit of national unity and solidarity.”

Muslims wear protective masks and attend Friday prayers at a mosque, amid concerns about the spread of coronavirus, in Kabul, Afghanistan on March 20, 2020. Reuters
Muslims wear protective masks and attend Friday prayers at a mosque, amid concerns about the spread of coronavirus, in Kabul, Afghanistan on March 20, 2020. Reuters
General view of the deserted Ghulam Haider Khan High school following Afghan authorities' orders to shut down schools for a month as a preventive measure against the coronavirus, in Kabul on March 19, 2020. AFP
General view of the deserted Ghulam Haider Khan High school following Afghan authorities' orders to shut down schools for a month as a preventive measure against the coronavirus, in Kabul on March 19, 2020. AFP
A volunteer in a protective suit sprays disinfectant in the offices of a local police station to help curb the spread of coronavirus in Kabul, Afghanistan, on March 23, 2020. AP Photo
A volunteer in a protective suit sprays disinfectant in the offices of a local police station to help curb the spread of coronavirus in Kabul, Afghanistan, on March 23, 2020. AP Photo
A volunteer in a protective suit sprays disinfectant on a police truck outside a local police station to help curb the spread of coronavirus in Kabul, Afghanistan, on March 23, 2020. AP Photo
A volunteer in a protective suit sprays disinfectant on a police truck outside a local police station to help curb the spread of coronavirus in Kabul, Afghanistan, on March 23, 2020. AP Photo
A street vendor selling protective masks that could help curb the spread of the new coronvirus waits for customers in Kabul, Afghanistan, on March 23, 2020. AP Photo
A street vendor selling protective masks that could help curb the spread of the new coronvirus waits for customers in Kabul, Afghanistan, on March 23, 2020. AP Photo
A worker disinfects area around a police station during a volunteered campaign of disinfecting areas and distributing face mask with gloves to fight against coronavirus in Kabul, Afghanistan, on March 23, 2020. According to the ministry of health of Afghanistan at least one person has died and 44 others are confirmed to be infected with coronavirus in the country. EPA
A worker disinfects area around a police station during a volunteered campaign of disinfecting areas and distributing face mask with gloves to fight against coronavirus in Kabul, Afghanistan, on March 23, 2020. According to the ministry of health of Afghanistan at least one person has died and 44 others are confirmed to be infected with coronavirus in the country. EPA
An Afghan woman wearing a face mask sitting in a bus in Kabul, Afghanistan, on March 23, 2020. EPA
An Afghan woman wearing a face mask sitting in a bus in Kabul, Afghanistan, on March 23, 2020. EPA
Health workers screen people crossing into Afghanistan from Iran on March 22, 2020. EPA
Health workers screen people crossing into Afghanistan from Iran on March 22, 2020. EPA
Afghan men receive free rations distributed in Herat, Afghanistan, on March 24, 2020. EPA
Afghan men receive free rations distributed in Herat, Afghanistan, on March 24, 2020. EPA
Afghan women receive free rations distributed in Herat, Afghanistan, on March 24, 2020. EPA
Afghan women receive free rations distributed in Herat, Afghanistan, on March 24, 2020. EPA
People cross into Afghanistan from Iran on March 22, 2020. EPA
People cross into Afghanistan from Iran on March 22, 2020. EPA
Afghan health workers measure the temperature of bus passengers in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, as they enter Kabul trough the city's western gate, on March 22, 2020. AP Photo
Afghan health workers measure the temperature of bus passengers in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, as they enter Kabul trough the city's western gate, on March 22, 2020. AP Photo
A health worker wearing a protective suit sprays disinfectant outside of a building during an awareness campaign for coronavirus, in Jalalabad, Afghanistan on March 19, 2020. Reuters
A health worker wearing a protective suit sprays disinfectant outside of a building during an awareness campaign for coronavirus, in Jalalabad, Afghanistan on March 19, 2020. Reuters
A Pakistani soldier stands guard at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border as it remains closed due to coronavirus, in Chaman, Pakistan, on March 20, 2020. EPA
A Pakistani soldier stands guard at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border as it remains closed due to coronavirus, in Chaman, Pakistan, on March 20, 2020. EPA

Dr Abdullah had declared himself president and held a parallel inauguration ceremony after the election commission declared Mr Ghani re-elected in February. However, the two leaders have been involved in negotiations since then, with some pressure from the US administration.

A power-sharing framework purportedly proposed by Dr Abdullah, released by the Afghan investigative magazine Hastesubh, lists issues ranging from appointments in ministries and local governments to defining the roles of the leader and his allies.

The document proposes that Dr Abdullah hold the title of Executive Prime Minister for Peace, with the authority to lead meetings of Afghanistan’s High Peace Council meetings and in related matters.

A close aide to Dr Abdullah confirmed the document's veracity to The National, and said that a deal was close to being finalised.

“The draft circulating in the media is not the latest, but one of the earlier drafts that was shared [by Dr Abdullah] with [US peace envoy Zalmay] Khalilzad before the two inaugurations,” he said.

“However, there has been a grand understanding quite similar to what you see in the document, including the formation of the leadership council under the chairmanship of Dr Abdullah to deal with the issues of peace,” he said.

Read More

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US-led mission withholds data on Afghan Taliban attacks

Basir Mohammad, a close aide to Vice President Amrullah Saleh, also confirmed that President Ghani’s team was keen to end the internal crisis, especially in view of the growing challenges facing Afghanistan.

"Considering the Covid-19 crisis in Afghanistan, work on the details of a deal with Dr Abdullah are under way and the government is trying its best to accommodate his team in the government the soonest possible," Mr Mohammad told The National.

He said the effort aimed to provide “a unified voice at the negotiation table with the Taliban”.

Dr Abdullah’s aide echoed this view. “There is a need for a real consensus [for the peace talks] and hopefully this will include a large camp of those who are defending the values of the republic and institutions that we built in the past 18 years,” he said.

However, both sides admitted that certain issues are holding back a final agreement, including protocol and titles for Dr Abdullah and his team.

“Unfortunately, Dr Abdullah’s proposed framework … requires large budgets, personal interests, protocol and security arrangements,” Mr Mohammad said, adding that one of the proposals is that Dr Abdullah be positioned “as the second person in the country”.

“This makes it hard for the government to accept, especially when the country is in need of all those resources to fight the coronavirus pandemic and its socio-economic effects. The government is willing to honour Dr Abdullah’s dignity and provide him the protocol of a vice president. But it is sad to see that during these hard times they are only focused on whether to be before First Vice President Amrullah Saleh or after,” Mr Mohammad said.

Despite the progress towards a deal, analysts are not very optimistic that the intra-Afghan talks will start soon.

“It is hard to say if Abdullah and Ghani’s compromise will resolve some of the issues delaying the talks on the government side. The past performances don’t give a lot of hope for optimism that things will move quickly or smoothly, or if this compromise means an end to disputes in Kabul,” said Andrew Watkins, senior analyst for Afghanistan Crisis Group.

“Whether the peace negotiations with the Taliban are able to move forward depends on the fundamental stance of the government, and their consensus to move in that direction,” he said.

The tentative deal comes after increased pressure from the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who visited Kabul in March to try to resolve the dispute. Mr Pompeo even threatened to review US funding to Afghanistan and cut $1 billion in aid after his visit failed to achieve progress.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, meets Ashraf Ghani at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan. EPA
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, meets Ashraf Ghani at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan. EPA
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, right, and Afghanistan's National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib, arrives at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan. Afghan Presidential Palace via AP
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, right, and Afghanistan's National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib, arrives at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan. Afghan Presidential Palace via AP
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, meets Ashraf Ghani at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan. EPA
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, meets Ashraf Ghani at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan. EPA
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, meets Ashraf Ghani at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan. AFP
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, meets Ashraf Ghani at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan. AFP
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, meets Ashraf Ghani at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan. AP
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, meets Ashraf Ghani at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan. AP

However, Mr Watkins believes the tentative deal between Mr Ghani and Dr Abdullah is not as directly mediated by the US as the previous agreement to resolve a dispute between them over the 2014 presidential election.

At that time, then US secretary of state John Kerry brokered the formation of a national unity government in which Mr Ghani held the presidency and Dr Abdullah was given the newly created post of chief executive.

“There definitely seems to be a strong correlation between Pompeo’s visit, the threat to cut a significant amount of aid, and the fact that we are getting much closer to a deal today,” Mr Watkins said. “But it isn’t a US-mediated deal … it seems to be something that the two sides have met frequently on and decided amongst themselves.”

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How England have scored their set-piece goals in Russia

Three Penalties

v Panama, Group Stage (Harry Kane)

v Panama, Group Stage (Kane)

v Colombia, Last 16 (Kane)

Four Corners

v Tunisia, Group Stage (Kane, via John Stones header, from Ashley Young corner)

v Tunisia, Group Stage (Kane, via Harry Maguire header, from Kieran Trippier corner)

v Panama, Group Stage (Stones, header, from Trippier corner)

v Sweden, Quarter-Final (Maguire, header, from Young corner)

One Free-Kick

v Panama, Group Stage (Stones, via Jordan Henderson, Kane header, and Raheem Sterling, from Tripper free-kick)

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea
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KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
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Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
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The five pillars of Islam

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Race 3

Produced: Salman Khan Films and Tips Films
Director: Remo D’Souza
Cast: Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Bobby Deol, Daisy Shah, Saqib Salem
Rating: 2.5 stars

THE DETAILS

Kaala

Dir: Pa. Ranjith

Starring: Rajinikanth, Huma Qureshi, Easwari Rao, Nana Patekar  

Rating: 1.5/5 

On Women's Day
The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

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ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

It Was Just an Accident

Director: Jafar Panahi

Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr

Rating: 4/5

The bio

Favourite food: Japanese

Favourite car: Lamborghini

Favourite hobby: Football

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Favourite country: UAE

Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions
MATCH INFO

Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)

Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm

Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

RESULTS

Men
1 Marius Kipserem (KEN) 2:04:04
2 Abraham Kiptum (KEN) 2:04:16
3 Dejene Debela Gonfra (ETH) 2:07:06
4 Thomas Rono (KEN) 2:07:12
5 Stanley Biwott (KEN) 2:09:18

Women
1 Ababel Yeshaneh (ETH) 2:20:16
2 Eunice Chumba (BRN) 2:20:54
3 Gelete Burka (ETH) 2:24:07
4 Chaltu Tafa (ETH) 2:25:09
5 Caroline Kilel (KEN) 2:29:14

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
Company%20Profile
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GROUPS

Group Gustavo Kuerten
Novak Djokovic (x1)
Alexander Zverev (x3)
Marin Cilic (x5)
John Isner (x8)

Group Lleyton Hewitt
Roger Federer (x2)
Kevin Anderson (x4)
Dominic Thiem (x6)
Kei Nishikori (x7)

EXPATS
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Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed

Based: Muscat

Launch year: 2018

Number of employees: 40

Sector: Online food delivery

Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception 

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
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  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950

Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

The Internet
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The bio

Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district

Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school

Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family

His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people

Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned

Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates

Explained
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The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

Profile of Whizkey

Date founded: 04 November 2017

Founders: Abdulaziz AlBlooshi and Harsh Hirani

Based: Dubai, UAE

Number of employees: 10

Sector: AI, software

Cashflow: Dh2.5 Million  

Funding stage: Series A

More on Quran memorisation:
On Women's Day
The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

Power: 579hp

Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh825,900

On sale: Now

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WISH
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Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

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