1.   The two ministers have issued a joint statement.

2.   The two ministers have yet to meet, but may do so while in New York.

3.   The other ministers were confirmed in their posts.

4.   Pinay himself opposed them, as did most of the other ministers.

5.   And so the three ministers will meet beginning Monday behind closed doors along with Secretary General Rilwanu Lukman of Nigeria.

6.   Any formal agreement between the two trading partners on these issues would require the approval of the U.S. Congress and EU members states, the two ministers said.

7.   As for reallocating spending from other ministries, the other ministers fought for their outlays, said Dan Kitri, senior consultant at portfolio management firm Otzarot.

8.   But the gesture seems to have been only a warning to Karzai, for Qanooni turned up on Monday and took his oath along with the other ministers.

9.   In both cities, the two ministers took part in ceremonies spotlighting previously-budgeted federal anticrime funds.