In Afghanistan, former Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar called for peace as he appeared by video to sign a deal with President Ashraf Ghani yesterday, marking a symbolic victory in Kabul's struggle to revive talks with the Taliban. The deal paves the way for Hekmatyar, who heads the now largely dormant Hezb-i-Islami militant group but has been in hiding for years, to make a potential political comeback despite a history of war crimes. <br/><br/>Chief executive Abdullah Abdullah, former President Hamid Karzai, delegates from Hezb-i-Islami and other politicians also attended the ceremony. The deal, which grants him judicial immunity, paves the way for him to make a comeback in mainstream politics in a pattern well established by other warlords, such as General Abdul Rashid Dostum, currently the country's first Vice President. The deal was struck last Thursday but the government said it would not come into force until it was formally signed by Ghani and Hekmatyar.