Close aides to Abdullah Abdullah said on Friday that former president Hamid Karzai and former mujahideen leader Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf are negotiating with Abdullah in attempts to end the political crisis in the country that emerged after the twin inaugurations, and the announcement of disputed election results.

Abdullah in two recent public gatherings has insisted that the doors for talks are open, referring to his rift with the Presidential Palace.

“Attempts will be to see how Dr. Abdullah and Dr. Ashraf Ghani can build a shared government, that will be the focus of discussion,” said Haji Din Mohammad, a close aide to Abdullah Abdullah.

“The point is to end the problems, to end the tensions, and to reach a solution that satisfies all those involved in the situation,” said Massoud Treshtwal, a spokesman for Sayyaf.

But sources familiar with the matter said the US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad had two telephone conversations with former vice president Abdul Rashid Dostum and made some recommendations to Dostum. But Dostum’s aides said he has rejected those recommendations.

“The focus of their phone calls and conversations has been on resolving electoral problems as well as reaching an understanding and changing the status quo,” said Abdullah Qarloq, the deputy head of the National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan led by Dostum.

A presidential spokesman Latif Mahmoud said Ghani is optimistic about forming an inclusive government.

“Participation in the system of government will be all-inclusive, and that all factions see themselves in the mirror of the system, is a principle of democratic governance for us,” Mahmoud said.

The rift between Ghani and Abdullah has caused concerns among Afghan political elites as they say that the current situation is not in the country’s favor.

“They both have to put aside their differences and accept each other for the sake of the people, for the sake of the country,” said Mirza Mohammad Katawazi, the first deputy speaker of the Wolesi Jirga, the Lower House of the Parliament.