Berlin urges Afghan rivals to find rapid fix to disputed vote

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Saturday urged the two rivals in Afghanistan's disputed presidential elections to find a rapid solution to end the crisis over the vote. Steinmeier, who arrived in the Afghan capital on Saturday, held talks with both presidential candidates Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani.
"He invited the two (candidates) to work towards a solution rapidly as there is not much time," a source within the German delegation accompanying Steinmeier said. The minister called for a "government that capable of acting" and "rapid decisions". Both presidential candidates claim to have won the June 14 election, triggering a political stalemate and rising ethnic tension as US-led Nato combat troops withdraw after 13 years of fighting the Taliban.