Afghanistan to sign unity government dealAugust 8, 2014 - 17:24 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A deal to form a united government in Afghanistan is "an Afghan solution to an Afghan problem", U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said, according to BBC News. Presidential rivals Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah have been feuding over the result of the June elections. "We will form a government of national unity... What unites us is far greater than what divided us during the campaign," Ghani said on Friday, Aug 8. Kerry held talks earlier with both men in Kabul. It is not yet clear what the government structure will be under the power-sharing deal. The presidential rivals agreed to a vote audit during Kerry's last visit and both contenders said they would abide by the result. All 8 mln ballots are being reviewed in an attempt to resolve the dispute over the result of the June 14 second round. Preliminary results announced by Afghan election officials gave Ghani 56.44% of the votes, with Abdullah gaining 43.45%. But they accuse each other of electoral fraud. Kerry met President Hamid Karzai and then Abdullah, a former foreign minister, and Ghani, who used to be finance minister. Abdullah called the agreement "another step forward in the interests of strengthening national unity in the country, strengthening rule of law in the country and bringing hope to the people for the future of Afghanistan." Related links: Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. Aliyev says no need for mediators in Armenia-Azerbaijan process Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that Baku and Yerevan do not mediators in the process of normalizing relations. Aram I supports Karekin II’s “patriotic position” Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I has expressed support for the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. |