UNITED NATIONS, November 2 (RIA Novosti) - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Afghanistan on Monday for meetings with President Hamid Karzai and leading opposition figure Abdullah Abdullah, the UN mission in Afghanistan said.
The visit comes after a deadly attack on a UN guest house last week that killed five foreign UN staff, and after Abdullah withdrew on Sunday from the second round of presidential elections that would have pitted him against Karzai.
The former foreign minister pulled out of the runoff accusing election authorities of bias in favor of the incumbent. His decision cast doubt on the legitimacy of the next government as the August 20 was marred by reports of fraud.
Ban will "meet Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and President Hamid Karzai to assure them and the Afghan people of the continuing support of the United Nations towards the development of the country and the humanitarian assistance that the UN provides to millions of Afghans everyday," the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in a statement.
Ban will also meet with his special representative and other UN staff, nine of whom were wounded in the attack on the guest house on October 28. Two Afghan police officers were also killed, and a number of police, passers-by and residents were injured.
Last Friday, the secretary general announced plans to strengthen measures to protect staff and buildings of UN missions around the world in connection with the terrorist attack.
"Those who gave their lives ... came to Afghanistan armed not with guns or bullets. They came with a more powerful weapon - hope. Hope for a better day for Afghanistan and a commitment to help its people build a better world and a better future. We will not be deterred from this noble mission. We stand by the people of Afghanistan today, and we will do so tomorrow," Ban said last week in New York.
Ban had been due to start a European tour on Monday that will include stops in Greece and Britain.
