Karzia Agrees to Allow New Afghan Legislature to Convene

"A showdown between President Hamid Karzai and his country's newly elected parliament was averted late Saturday when the Afghan leader agreed to convene the inaugural legislative session this week rather than push for a one-month postponement.

Lawmakers were intent on defying Karzai's order to delay the first session, initially scheduled for Sunday, and had said they would meet at a mosque or in the street if security forces blocked them from the parliament building.  The standoff pushed the Afghan leader and his government to the brink of a full-blown political crisis."

Read the rest of the article in "President Hamid Karzai agrees to let new Afghanistan parliament meet, averting crisis", Los Angeles Times, January 23, 2011.