GERMANY: HEAD OF ONE OF THE FOUR DELEGATIONS AT U.N.-SPONSORED TALKS ON A FUTURE AFGHAN GOVERNMENT SAYS AGREEMENT SHOULD BE REACHED SOON

Record ID: 646974

  • Title: GERMANY: HEAD OF ONE OF THE FOUR DELEGATIONS AT U.N.-SPONSORED TALKS ON A FUTURE AFGHAN GOVERNMENT SAYS AGREEMENT SHOULD BE REACHED SOON
  • Date: 1st December 2001
  • Summary: (W5)BONN, GERMANY (DECEMBER 1, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. VARIOUS EXTERIORS PETERSBERG GUEST HOUSE (3 SHOTS) 0.13 2. SV'S: SAYED HAMED GAILANI SPEAKING TO REPORTERS (2 SHOTS) 0.23 3. SV: (SOUNDBITE) (English) SAYED HAMED GAILANI, HEAD OF PESHAWAR GROUP SAYING: "We should conclude something by today so that we have something for tomorrow to announce to the world, if at all possible. 0.39 4. SV: PHOTOGPAHER 0.44 5. SV: (SOUNDBITE) (English) SAYED HAMED GAILANI SAYING: "What is a must is the deployment of multi-national foces for Kabul." 1.03 6. WIDE OF GAILANI SPEAKING TO REPORTER 1.08 7. SV: (SOUNDBITE) (English) SAYED HAMAD GAILANI SAYING: "We see it as a must that power should be transferred and the head of the body should be the former king." 1.23 8. WIDE OF INTERVIEW 1.28 9. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) SAYED HAMAD GAILANI SAYING: "We have not heard anything from the (United Front) delegation here which is contrary to what the authority in Kabul is saying." 1.43 10. SV: GAILANI SHAKING HANDS WITH REPORTER AND LEAVING 1.56 11. VARIOUS VIEWS OF MEDIA SURROUNDING JAYHOON (2 SHOTS) 2.05 12. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (Dari) AFGHAN AMBASSADOR IN GERMANY AMANULLAH JAYHOON SAYING: "At the moment I can tell you we have no differences with each other. We are all in contact with each other. We have differences about the name and the lists of the members of the administration council and we are in close contact with the authorities in Kabul and we will find a solution. There are no real differences between the delegation here and the authorities in Kabul." 2.41 13. WS: MEDIA SURROUNDING JAYHOON 2.46 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 16th December 2001 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BONN, GERMANY
  • Country: Germany
  • Reuters ID: LVAEH2X0PXED1Z9O47MJ93TMFC2
  • Story Text: U.N.-sponsored talks on a future Afghan government
    should reach agreement on Saturday night and present it on
    Sunday, the head of one of the four delegations said.


    Afghan rivals made a final push towards forming a
    post-Taliban government on Saturday (December 1) as the
    dominant Northern Alliance appeared to put aside internal
    differences and agree to form a small interim administration.

    With billions of dollars in foreign aid at stake and the
    United Nations sponsors of the talks pushing for a conclusion
    on Saturday after five days of haggling, the pressure was on
    for an agreement on candidates for a power-sharing government.

    The Northern Alliance, which now controls almost all of
    Afghanistan, has agreed in principle to share power with three
    exile factions, including royalists who want former king Zahir
    Shah to return as a unifying head of state.

    The Alliance, a coalition of Tajiks, Hazaras, Uzbeks and
    other ethnic minorities, is the most powerful group at the
    talks. The exile groups are a Rome faction supporting Zahir
    Shah, the Pakistan-based Peshawar group and the Iran-backed
    Cyprus group.

    The talks in Bonn had originally been discussing setting
    up both an interim parliament or council of about 150 members
    and a small cabinet-like government, but differences emerged
    on Friday on names between Alliance delegates and their leader
    in Kabul.

    Sayed Hamed Gailani, head of the Peshawar delegation, said
    the idea of a small administration, including technocrats and
    notables, could break the deadlock.

    "We should conclude something by today so that we have
    something for tomorrow to announce to the world, if at all
    possible," he told Reuters in an interview in the top-security
    Petersberg Hotel where the talks have been held since Tuesday
    (November 27).

    Gailani said the delegates were worn out: "We didn't have
    this many sleepless nights even during the jihad," he joked,
    using the term meaning "holy war" that Afghans use to describe
    their 1980s war against the Soviet Union.

    U.N. spokesman Fawzi, who said on Friday he did not think
    Rabbani would stand in the way of a deal, said he hoped the
    talks would wrap up soon. "We're still aiming to find a
    formula acceptable to all by the end of the day today," he
    said.

    Fawzi said the U.N. had scheduled an 8 p.m. (1900 GMT)
    briefing on Saturday, a change from its usual early afternoon
    time for the first four days of the conference.

    Whether a deal can be reached by Saturday is another
    matter. Some diplomats said they were rebooking their
    departure tickets and washing their laundry in anticipation of
    longer talks.



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