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Alliance Gives Qualified Approval to U.N. Plan
Tuesday, November 20, 2001
The News International, Pakistan

KABUL, Afghanistan
Northern Alliance gave only qualified approval on Monday to a UN blueprint for forming a new broad-based government, as fighters in the last remaining Taliban strongholds considered surrender.

The Alliance, which took control of Kabul a week ago after the Taliban abandoned the Afghan capital, said it agreed in principle to the UN-sponsored plan to build a multi-ethnic administration but held reservations about the fine print. As Pakistan warned the Alliance not to install its own regime, the UN envoy to Afghanistan, Francesc Vendrell, pushed ahead with efforts to broker a meeting of all Afghan factions in neutral territory. He met separately with leaders of the dominant Pashtun community and ousted Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani from the Tajik-dominated Northern Alliance. US special envoy James Dobbins also held talks with Rabbani in Kabul.

Acting Northern Alliance interior minister, Younis Qanooni, said after the Vendrell meeting there was agreement "in principle" for an interim government. "But on the details we have some observations and we are going to inform Vendrell about that tomorrow morning," he told AFP.
(More: Jang.com.PK News Source)
2001 © The News International, Pakistan.

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