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US welcomes plans to open new Afghan parliament

25 January 2011 17:21 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The United States on Tuesday welcomed Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s decision to open parliament this week, after he had delayed opening it for one month amid disputes over the September elections, APA reports quoting The Associated Press.
"Good news from Afghanistan, that President Karzai will inaugurate parliament tomorrow (Wednesday). This give-and-take is what democracy is all about," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said on the microblogging website Twitter.
Karzai last week delayed the opening of parliament for one month following disputes over September’s parliamentary elections and protests around the country by losing candidates, pitting him against angry winners.
But the president’s office said plans were now on track for Wednesday’s inauguration, to be attended by top Western officials in Kabul, a day after Karzai agreed to attend, ending a tense four-day stand-off with lawmakers.