Kabul: Nicholas Kay, the NATO Senior Civilian Representative to Afghanistan, and Pierre Mayaudon, Ambassador and Head of the European Union Delegation in Afghanistan, in separate messages on the eve of the holy month of Ramadan have expressed hopes that Ramadan will mark an end to the ongoing war and violence in Afghanistan.

“As Muslims here in Afghanistan and around the world prepare to celebrate the holy month of Ramadan, I send my best wishes and greetings to all. My wish this Ramadan is that everyone will enjoy a peaceful Ramadan. I hope there will be an end to the fighting so that Muslims in Afghanistan can enjoy peace in this holy month,” said Nicolas Kay in a video message on Thursday.

“I hope that for all of you (Afghans), Ramadan is going to be a moment of eternal well-being, national unity and peace,” said Pierre Mayaudon, Ambassador and Head of European Union Delegation in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Thursday appealed to the Taliban for a ceasefire, citing the special conditions of the countrywide spread of the coronavirus.

But Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen responded on Twitter saying the government's inattention to “thousands” of prisoners--who are especially vulnerable to the coronavirus--made Ghani's appeal insincere, and this and other factors made a ceasefire improbable.

In his message, Ghani called on the Taliban to stop “killing Afghans.” He also said that the government will continue helping vulnerable families during the coronavirus crisis in the country.

Ghani’s appeal comes as dozens of Afghan security force members lost their lives in Taliban attacks over the last week.

Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said that asking for a ceasefire is not "rational" or "convincing" as "thousands of prisoners are being put into danger due to the coronavirus and hurdles are created in the way of the peace process and complete implementation of the (US-Taliban) agreement.”

https://tolonews.com/afghanistan/intl-envoys-hope-ramadan-brings-afghan-peace