AFGHANISTAN: Mr Hamid Karzai was sworn in as President of Afghanistan for the next 18 months at the Loya Jirga, or Grand Assembly, yesterday, shortly after naming most of his cabinet.
The ceremony brought to an end more than a week of debate at the Grand Assembly on the formation of a government to lead the country until elections are held in 18 months.
Earlier in the day, Mr Karzai announced his new cabinet, which excluded warlord Mr Abdul Rashid Dostum. Mr Karzai, who kept the key defence and foreign ministries for the Tajik-dominated Northern Alliance, declared to the traditional Loya Jirga that the grand assembly had accepted his choice after a show of hands.
"Okay, you have approved it," he said, when a majority of hands went up. "I am happy now."
Mr Karzai retained his powerful Defence Minister Mr Mohammad Fahim and Foreign Minister Mr Abdullah Abdullah. He also made Mr Fahim one of three vice-presidents in the new government.
Mr Karzai had no post for Mr Dostum, but he said the ethnic Uzbek wanted to work for peace and disarmament.
"Dostum said to me that he wants to be a hero for peace. He said that he wants to serve in the interest of peace and fight against bloodshed and guns and work for disarmament," Mr Karzai told the assembly.
"I hold you to your promise," he added.
Since early this year, Mr Dostum's troops near the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif have skirmished sporadically with forces loyal to Cmdr Atta Mohammad, loyal to Defence Minister Fahim.
Both Mr Abdullah and Mr Fahim are leading members of the Northern Alliance, which helped topple the Taliban last year with US support.
In an attempt to share power among the country's ethnic groups, Mr Karzai also offered vice-presidencies to the ethnic Pashtun governor of Jalalabad, Mr Haj Qadir, and ethnic Hazara leader Mr Karim Khalili. He said he could appoint two or three more vice-presidents if necessary.
Former interior minister Mr Yunis Qanuni, another powerful member of the Northern Alliance, moved to the education ministry, to be replaced by ethnic Pashtun Taj Mohammad Khan Wardak.
Mr Karzai appointed one of his top advisers, Mr Ashraf Qani Ahmadzai, as the new finance minister.
"Of course, I wish I could meet the desires of all my brothers [in choosing a cabinet] but I had to take into consideration many aspects," he said.
"Please forgive me. A government is always limited but there are too many demands."
The make-up of the cabinet is seen as crucial to the success of the Loya Jirga - which has been in session for more than a week - in bringing the country's warring tribes together after 23 years of war.
Although Mr Karzai is a member of the majority Pashtun ethnic group, his previous government, drawn up during peace talks in Bonn last year, was seen as overly dominated by Tajiks from the Northern Alliance.
He also said he wanted all commanders in the country under the control of the defence ministry. "If I cannot do this I will resign," he said. "I will not accept a government that is useless."