Brussels: NATO Secretary General Anders
Fogh Rasmussen on Sunday welcomed Afghan President Hamid Karzai's
nomination of his cabinet, urging him to build a government
based on "integrity and professionalism."
Karzai earlier unveiled his choice of cabinet, which
reflected a need to please all his backers from warlords to
Washington and commit to clean government after stinging
corruption accusations.
The names of 23 of his nominees for ministerial posts
were presented to parliament for approval and will be debated
in the coming days in a bid to end months of political
paralysis following the controversial August election.
"I share President Karzai's view that the Afghan
people deserve an effective government characterised by
integrity and professionalism and welcome his stated
commitment to fighting corruption," said Rasmussen.
He added that NATO and the force it leads in
Afghanistan -- the International Security Assistance Force --
"have renewed and strengthened our commitment and will
continue to assist Afghanistan and its new government."
PTI
First Published: Sunday, December 20, 2009, 09:23