BONN, Nov 28: The Northern Alliance on Wednesday left open the possibility of a multinational force for Afghanistan and said it was ready to accept a role for the former king, addressing two key stumbling blocks to a post-Taliban political deal.
But on the second day of landmark inter-Afghan talks in Germany, the United Nations cautioned a full agreement may not be reached on the security issue and the makeup of a power-sharing interim authority.
“At the moment there is no need (for a multinational force)... although it can in principle be part of a comprehensive peace package,” said the head of the Alliance delegation, Yunus Qanooni.
Ahmad Wali Masood, the brother of slain resistance commander Ahmad Shah Masood, confirmed that the issue was now “under examination” and a final decision would be deferred to the interim council the groups hope to appoint.
Diplomatic sources attributed the Alliance’s shift to overwhelming international pressure backing the UN’s security proposals, a critical condition to donor aid and the flow of badly-needed humanitarian assistance.
“If there is no security in Afghanistan, there will be no economic aid. Nobody will send anybody there in order to get killed,” a western diplomat monitoring the negotiations said.
A European Union donor source also dismissed Qanooni’s assertion that “there is full security in place in Afghanistan”, the Alliance’s argument behind its reluctance to hosting a foreign force.
“This is not an acceptable argument: just look at the situation in Mazar-i-Sharif,” he said, referring to the scenes of bloodshed that followed the Taliban prison revolt.
The Northern Alliance, the donor source explained, “have been told in very clear terms that there will be no big money without security”.
Given the lack of consensus, the UN’s deputy special representative, Francesc Vendrell, said there was a long way to go before the four Afghan groups attending the UN-sponsored talks could strike a deal.
“An entire, full agreement on every single issue may not be possible in this meeting,” he told reporters.
Referring to the issue of security, he said: “This issue is of course a very important one in these talks. Quite honestly it will need a lot of work. You should not expect an immediate agreement.”
Delegates have instead shifted their focus to forging an interim council, and Vendrell said the delegates may only reach a deal on the principle of the cabinet-style body, and not the names of those sitting on it.
Behind this are disagreements over how key cabinet portfolios — such as defence, interior and finance — would be shared out.
ZAHIR SHAH: But there were more strong signals that former king Mohammed Zahir Shah, 87 — whose is represented at the talks along with two other smaller camps — was poised for a comeback as the figurehead of a transitional setup.
Qanooni also said the Northern Alliance — in the past reluctant to commit to a royal role — was prepared to accept a future political role for former king.
“We don’t believe in the role of personalities, we believe in systems. But if it decided within the Loya Jirga that the king should have a role, nobody can deny it,” Yunus Qanooni said at a press conference.
According to a UN blueprint, the interim authority is a mechanism that would pave the way for a Loya Jirga, or traditional “grand assembly” of tribal elders, which would in turn lay the groundwork for a broad-based government.
Vendrell insisted that if the four groups of Afghan camps present at the talks also failed to sign a deal on the line-up in an interim council and that a signing was put off to a later meeting, this would not signify a failure.
“These are early days, early hours. The atmosphere, as I’ve noticed, is very good but that does not mean it will remain very good,” he told reporters.
Although it has pledged not to monopolise power, the Alliance is determined to hold a major stake in any future administration and resists any weakening of its clout that stems from a sizable network of commanders and hardened fighters.—AFP
Dear visitor, the comments section is undergoing an overhaul and will return soon.