November 26, 2001	Monday	Ramazan 10, 1422

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PESHAWAR, Nov 25: President of Northern Alliance, Prof Burhanuddin Rabbani left for Dubai on a secret mission on Sunday, well-placed sources told Dawn.

The sources in the Afghan capital said that Prof Rabbani left Kabul for Dubai on Sunday morning, while his close aides were in Bonn (Germany) where a UN-sponsored conference of Afghan leaders is scheduled to commence from Tuesday.

Governor of eastern Nangarhar province Haji Abdul Qadeer, who is also a close ally of Prof Rabbani left Islamabad for Bonn to participate in the peace conference, after holding meetings with the Pakistani officials. Haji Qadeer arrived in Islamabad on Saturday.

The sources said that Prof Rabbani’s sudden departure to Dubai could be a major breakthrough between Pakistan and the Northern Alliance, as some friendly countries were trying to develop contacts between the two sides.

A spokesman for Prof Rabbani recently stated in Kabul that the Northern Alliance wanted friendly relations with Pakistan and that it was ready to forget the bitter experiences of the past.