President Bush is "very pleased" with an agreement reached by Afghan delegates on implementing a multi-ethnic, broad-based government in Afghanistan, White House Spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters in Washington December 5.

After nine days of intensive UN-brokered talks in Bonn, Germany, representatives of four main Afghan groups signed an agreement December 4 on setting up a transitional government.

According to the agreement, Pastun tribal leader Hamid Karzai will serve as head of an interim power-sharing cabinet, which will take office in Kabul December 22. The 30-member cabinet will include 11 Pashtuns, eight Tajiks, five from the Hazara population, three Uzbeks, with the rest drawn from other minorities. Two women will serve on this administrative cabinet.

The cabinet will govern for six months until the former king convenes a traditional tribal council, or loya jirga. The council will then ratify a transitional government, paving the way for elections within two years.

Praising the inclusive nature of this first step towards a stable, representative government, Fleischer said, "this development will allow the people of Afghanistan to take their country back."

He cautioned, however, that the Afghan agreement marks the beginning of a political process that will be challenged by the needs of a nation "still in the middle of a war."

Following is an excerpt from the transcript of Fleischer's December 5 briefing, containing his comment about Afghanistan:

(begin excerpt)

Q: Ari, what's the White House reaction to the agreement signed in Bonn by the parties who have been negotiating a future for the Afghan government? Does it meet the standards that the White House has set out -- broad-based, ethnically diverse, women involved?

MR. FLEISCHER: The President is very pleased with the agreement that's been reached on Bonn concerning the future of the Afghanistan government. He believes it is a positive agreement that bodes well for the people of Afghanistan. This vote will allow the people of Afghanistan to take -- this development will allow the people of Afghanistan to take their country back, and the President is very pleased by that. He's pleased by the multiethnic nature of the agreement. He's pleased by the role that women will play in the future government of Afghanistan. He wants to express his congratulations and praise to Secretary General Annan, as well as to Ambassador Brahimi, for their hard work in delivering this accord.

But much more work remains ahead. This is an important development in the future of Afghanistan, but it's only, in many ways, the beginning. A lot of hard work remains for Afghanistan now to have a stable government that represents and respects the people of Afghanistan. It still will be difficult because Afghanistan is still a nation that is the middle of a war.

(end excerpt)

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)