BEIJING, Nov 17: Chinese President Jiang Zemin and President Pervez Musharraf agreed that an ethnically diverse interim authority should be established in Afghanistan soon, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.

In a telephone conversation late Friday, the two leaders said the international community should push for “the early establishment of an interim authority which can represent all ethnic groups in Afghanistan while ensuring the situation in Kabul (is) under control”.

In what was their second reported telephone conversation since the attacks, Mr Jiang and Gen Musharraf said on Friday the United Nations should play a leading role in resolving the situation in Afghanistan, Xinhua said.

UN attempts to convene a meeting of all Afghan factions were hindered on Friday when the Northern Alliance insisted the meeting should be held in Kabul.

The UN believed the meeting, which would aim to eventually set up a broad-based council to plan a provisional administration for the country, should be held outside Afghanistan.

Xinhua said that Gen Musharraf and Mr Jiang both believed “efforts should be made to promote the political solution to the Afghan problem under the current situation”.

The two leaders also expressed concern over the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.—Reuters