UNITED NATIONS, July 22: United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki moon on Saturday called on Afghanistan Government to try and secure the release of the abducted Koreans and Germans in the country.

Mr Ban made his appeal during a telephone conversation with President Hamid Karzai, according to a statement released by a UN spokesperson.

“He called on the Afghan government to do its utmost to secure an early release of the abductees. In particular, Mr. Ban asked for President Karzai to be personally engaged so as to achieve a prompt resolution,” the spokesperson said.

President Karzai “expressed profound concern” and said he was directly engaged in attempts to resolve the incidents as soon as possible.