Afghan presidential rival Abdullah postpones inaugural plan

• The move followed the intervention of U.S. Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, spokesman Omid Maisam said.

Afghanistan’s Abdullah Abdullah, who contested election results that declared his bitter rival and incumbent Ashraf Ghani as the president-elect, has postponed a plan for a parallel swearing-in ceremony, a spokesman for Abdullah said on Monday.

The move followed the intervention of U.S. Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, said Omid Maisam, the spokesman, adding that it was contingent on Ghani also postponing his own swearing-in.

But Ghani's team later told Reuters news agency: "The guest arrival has just started and we will have our ceremony in a few hours."