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 | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |