Afghan Presidential Rivals Agree to Sign a Deal --- KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghanistan’s rival presidential candidates issued a joint statement on Friday, reaffirming their commitment to accept the results of an internationally monitored recount brokered by Secretary of State John Kerry and to abide by a power-sharing arrangement regardless of who prevails. -- While the communiqué added little to an earlier deal that collapsed, also brokered by Mr. Kerry less than a month earlier, this time both sides said they would sign it, although a copy of the agreement was not released immediately. -- Both candidates said they hoped a president could be inaugurated by the end of the month; at the same time, they emphasized they wanted the recount to be credible. -- “The country cannot take uncertainty; uncertainty is a threat,” said Ashraf Ghani, who was ahead in preliminary results from the second round. -- He said that Afghanistan needed to “practice consensus and tolerance” to avoid the plight of Syria and Iraq. Like those countries, Afghanistan has deep ethnic divisions, with Mr. Ghani apparently winning most of the votes of the largest group, the Pashtuns, and his opponent, Abdullah Abdullah, winning among Tajiks, their traditional rivals. -- Mr. Abdullah said the two men had “committed ourselves to work together.” -- Mr. Abdullah, the leader in the first round, cried foul when Mr. Ghani gained substantially to win the second. Mr. Ghani’s camp said its candidate had benefited from a shift of votes among Pashtuns who had supported other, minor candidates in the crowded field of the first round of voting. -- The two men spoke Friday at a joint news conference that was also attended by Mr. Kerry and the top United Nations official here, Jan Kubis. -- At one point, Mr. Kerry referred a reporter’s question to “the next president,” and turned to the two candidates, who laughed nervously and jostled each other toward the podium. -- “I don’t think anybody here would doubt this is a major step ahead for Afghanistan,” Mr. Kerry said. “Dr. Abdullah and Dr. Ghani and their campaigns have made a profound decision today.” -- Mr. Kerry acknowledged that the July 12 agreement he had brokered had unraveled, but said the new agreement was more detailed and addressed some of the areas disputed by the two sides. In addition to setting out the formal audit of the votes — essentially a recount under close international supervision — the deal calls for the formation of a national unity government giving strong positions to the losing side. A new post, called the chief executive, would go to the losing candidate, and key ministries would be shared between the two sides. -- In addition, the agreement provides for a conference to change the Constitution, creating a position of prime minister with executive powers alongside the president. - More, NYTimes, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/09/world/asia/afghan-presidential-rivals-agree-to-sign-a-deal.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpSum&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news