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Afghan Governors Stall Talks
Tuesday, July 16, 2002
(4:49 PM ET)
By Adam Brown
Associated Press Writer

Sherzai's proposals, if adopted, would bolster the power of the ethnic Pashtun leadership in the south, the homeland of the ousted Taliban regime.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- AP
The Kandahar provincial government's proposal to restrict some U.S. military operations in southern Afghanistan stalled Tuesday after several governors stayed away from a meeting to discuss the issue.

Kandahar Gov. Gul Agha Sherzai had said the plan would be endorsed by six provincial governors, who would also organize armed forces independent of the central government to patrol the borders and hunt down Taliban and al-Qaida fugitives.

But only two governors, Sherzai and Farah Gov. Abdul Hai, showed up for the meeting, according to people who attended the session.

Khalid Pashtoon, a spokesman for Kandahar's provincial government, confirmed that attendance was too low to make any decisions. He would not say how many governors attended the meeting.
(More: The Washington Post News Source)
2002 © The Associated Press.

Dan