New cabinet to be formed in weeks: Ghani

LONDON - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said in a conference here on Thursday that the country's new cabinet will be formed in two to four weeks.

Ghani outlined his reform agenda for Afghanistan in terms of improving security and political stability, boosting economic and fiscal stabilization, advancing good governance, promoting the rule of law, and fighting corruption, among other goals.

After presidential inauguration on Sept 29, Ghani has not yet formed a cabinet due to disagreement with Chief Executive of the national unity government Abdullah Abdullah, over the membership of 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 London Conference on Afghanistan, along with Cameron, Kerry, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and 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 their combat mission in Afghanistan by the end of 2014, after 13 years of combat mission in the country.