The Trump administration is considering pushing the Afghan government to postpone an April 2019 presidential election while it tries to reach a peace deal with the Taliban to end a 17-year war, The Wall Street Journal reported.
According to the Journal, which cited unnamed sources, some American officials worry the irregularities and protracted political turmoil that routinely accompany Afghan voting could paralyze or destroy any peace process U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad is able to launch.
President Ashraf Ghani is against the suspension, the Journal reported.
"Continuity in a democratic process is a must, and any other proposal than the will of Afghans, which is outlined in our constitution, is simply not acceptable," Ghani's spokesman told the Journal.
The Trump administration launched direct talks with the Taliban earlier this year as U.S. military efforts to blunt insurgent advances faltered, and Khalilzad is expected to meet next week with Taliban leaders in Doha, Qatar, the Journal reported.
In connection with an election postponement, one option being discussed is a conference similar to one held in Bonn, Germany in 2001 that put together a post-Taliban administration in Kabul. This time, however, the Taliban would be represented at the table, the Journal reported. Khalilzad played a key role in the 2001 Bonn conference, the news outlet noted.
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