March 18, 2002	Monday	Muharram 3, 1423

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KABUL, March 17: Former Afghan king Mohammed Zahir Shah will return home on March 25 after nearly three decades in exile, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Sunday.

Omar Samad said the date of Shah’s return had changed several times due to “logistical” reasons, but that this time he was “ninety-nine point nine per cent” sure the former king would arrive on March 25.

He said that several houses were being prepared in the Afghan capital to accommodate the former monarch and his entourage of around 20.

“I am not going to identify the house, but there are a couple of houses that are being fixed up for him,” he said without giving further details.

He cited the fact that a house for Shah had not been prepared as one reason for previous delays. Interim leader Hamid Karzai and Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah would be in Italy on March 24 to “accompany the former king back to Kabul,” he said.

“He is coming back as a respected Afghan citizen who used to be monarch of this country some time ago.”

He said the 87-year-old ex-king was not expected to perform any functions other than the inauguration in June of the emergency Loya Jirga which under the Bonn accord would install a transitional government.—AFP