CRI听力:US Hopes for Afghan Security Pact

The Obama administration is set to begin pressing for a bilateral security agreement with Afganistan now that a new unity government is being formed.

Former finance minister Ashraf Ghani will take over as president after being named the winner of the election.

His main competitor, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, will become the equivilant of the Prime Minister.

As part of the agreement, the two will share control over key institutions, such as the military.

US Secretary of State John Kerry.

"They have joined together in a unity government that offers a huge opportunity for progress in Afghanistan, for the signing of the BSA in a week or so."

A new bilateral security agreement, or BSA, will determine the number of US soldiers to remain in Afghanistan after most foreign troops withdraw at the end of the year.

Former President Hamid Karzai refused to sign the agreement while he remained in office.

Both Ghani and Abdullah have made pledges to sign the BSA.

For more on this, CRI's Xu Qinduo spoke earlier with current affairs commentator Brandon Blackburn-Dwyer.