President Karzai urges Ramadan ceasefire

The Afghanistan Ulema Council have urged all parties to the conflict to announce a ceasefire in deference to the holy month of Ramadan (fasting), beginning torrow or on Monday. The call came at a meeting between members of the council and President Hamid Karzai at the Presidential Palace in Kabul. Maulvi Shafiullah Shafi Nuristan, the council chief, asked the Ministry of Information and Culture to direct all media outlets to air and broadcast programs in line with Islamic teachings during the month. According to Afghanistan''s Bakhtar News Agency, he asked foreign troops and the international community to keep their promises with regard to training and equipping Afghan forces. The council condemned Pakistani attacks on villages in eastern Afghanistan. It said the "enemies of peace" should not be allowed to achieve their designs by creating hatred between the neighbors. Speaking on the occasion, Karzai once again urged the Taliban and other insurgent groups to stop killing innocent civilians.