New cabinet within weeks: Ashraf Ghani

5 Dariya News

London 05-Dec-2014

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has said that the country's new cabinet will be formed within two to four weeks.Ghani Thursday defined his reform agenda for Afghanistan in terms of improving security and political stability, boosting economic and fiscal stabilisation, advancing good governance, promoting the rule of law, and fighting corruption, among other goals, Xinhua reported.He was addressing a conference on Afghanistan here being attended by delegates from more than 50 countries.After the presidential inauguration Sep 29, Ghani is yet to form a cabinet due to disagreement with Abdullah Abdullah, the chief executive of the national unity government, over who would be included in the cabinet. 

Both Ghani and Abdullah were leading candidates in the April 5, 2014, presidential elections. Ghani's election victory was disputed by Abdullah, leading to more than three months of political standoff.With the mediation of US Secretary of State John Kerry, the leaders reportedly agreed to form national unity government with equal share, with a new chief executive post created for Abdullah, who became the de facto prime minister.Both Ghani and Abdullah attended the Dec 4 London Conference on Afghanistan, along with British Prime Minister David Cameron, Kerry, and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif besides delegates from more than 50 countries.The conference came amid a surge of Taliban-led attacks in Afghanistan.The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is scheduled to end its combat mission in Afghanistan by the end of 2014, after 13 years of combat mission in Afghanistan.