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First Afghan opposition party important: Karzai
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-04-02 14:43 Afghan President Hamid Karzai welcomed the
formation of Afghanistan's first opposition party by his main opponent in last
year's presidential vote as an important democratic step for the country.
"Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, welcomes the
creation of the Afghanistan National Coordination Front as the opposition to the
government of Afghanistan," said a presidential statement on Friday.
"The president appreciates this initiative which aims to establish an
opposition to the government, within the democratic political framework in
Afghanistan, and considers it as an important step towards strengthening
democracy and the rule of law in Afghanistan," the statement said.
Yunus Qanooni, the chief rival to Karzai during last year's presidential
vote, said Thursday that he had formed the war-shattered country first
opposition coalition.
Qanooni, who finished second to Karzai in last October's race with 16 per
cent of the vote, said he had joined forces with several little-known political
parties ahead of Afghanistan's parliamentary elections on September 18.
"The president believes that, in the same way that a parliament and the
principle of peoples representation in the state are vital elements of a
democratic system, an opposition committed to reform and the true application of
law is also a crucial part of such a system," Karzai's statement said.
"As is common in other democracies in the world, the government and the
opposition can have differences in views and policies, but are united in
defending and promoting national interests which are above political interests,"
the statement said.
"The president wishes Mr. Yunus Qanooni and his colleagues at the Afghanistan
National Coordination Front all the success, and hopes that the Front will play
its historical role in strengthening and deepening democracy in Afghanistan by
adopting policies that are positive, constructive and leading to reform," it
said.
Qanooni on Thursday accused Karzai's administration of postponing the
parliamentary vote, originally scheduled for June 2004, to serve its own
political ends.
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