Both ministries are controlled by the SNS.
Suddenly both ministries see the benefit for their agenda in this new way of thinking.
Ghana is not just a milestone; it is the point of no return for both ministries.
The decision to keep the ministers in place is being widely interpreted as a sign that the new king has given both ministries a "business as usual" mandate.
Mr Maliki has been unable, since his re-election more than three years ago, to appoint either an interior minister or a defence minister, so has overseen both ministries himself.
It straddles the ministries of social development and trade, although academics from the University of Jordan rate the ability of both ministries to evaluate microlender operations as questionable at best.
"We know Wardak plans to move on and Atmar would like to stay," said a senior United States military official, who said officials were "very pleased with our relationship" with both ministries.
A shift in leadership is sure to cause upheaval in both ministries at a critical time, as Afghan soldiers and the police are taking over responsibility for security in much of the country.
The ex-spooks and their business cronies have launched a unique experiment in state capitalism, where the same people run both ministries and the industries they regulate, where markets are opened and closed according to the political clout of the participants, and where the rule of law and rights of the individual mean nothing.
His report points out that, in one of the final paragraphs of the pact, Timerman and Salehi agreed to a cryptic clause: "The agreement, upon its signature, will be jointly sent by both ministries to the Secretary General of Interpol as a fulfillment of Interpol requirements regarding this case".
The vote came as many Afghan leaders and civilians are increasingly frustrated with corruption that undermines attempts to rebuild after years of war and amid anger from Parliament about cronyism in both ministries and accusations of ethnic bias in the Interior Ministry.
