NATO Secretary General welcomes signing of political agreement in Afghanistan

On Sunday, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, issued a statement welcoming the signing by the presidential candidates Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani of an agreement on the formation of a government of national unity in Afghanistan.

 "I look forward to the resolution of the electoral process with the announcement of the election outcome, the inauguration of a new President and appointment of a Chief Executive, and the conclusion of the necessary security agreements with the United States and NATO as soon as possible, as both candidates pledged in their joint message to the NATO Summit in Wales", he said, adding "This is key for the stability of Afghanistan and the continued support of the international community".‎
 
Speaking to reporters in Lithuania on Saturday, NATO's top military commander US General Philip Breedlove said the alliance was eyeing the rapid conclusion of security agreements with Afghanistan for its post-2014 mission in the country once a unity government was formed. NATO's combat mission will end in December, with a follow-on force of about 12,000 troops likely to stay into 2015 on training and support duties.
 
The power-sharing deal in Afghanistan—Ashraf Ghani, a former finance minister and World Bank economist, will become President, while his rival Abdullah Abdullah, a former foreign minister, will be fill a new role of chief executive— ends months of political gridlock.Under the deal, Ghani will run the cabinet and be in charge of strategic functions, while Abdullah will be able to appoint a 'chief executive' who will be in charge of daily duties.
 
It remains unclear how the power-sharing deal will work in practice, especially the notion of an Afghan 'CEO'. The UN-supervised recount of all 8 million votes cast in the election was completed last week, but results have not yet been released.