| Subject: Power struggle looms in Kabul UN tries to rein in Alliance; U.S. and Britain might send troops; Canada ready to pitch in |
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Date Posted: 16:10:27 12/03/01 Mon
November 14, 2001
Power struggle looms in Kabul UN tries to rein in Alliance; U.S. and Britain might send troops; Canada ready to pitch in
Steven Edwards National Post,
with files from Southam News
http://www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?f=/stories/20011114/784987.html
UNITED NATIONS - Alarmed by reports of reprisal killings in Afghanistan, the United Nations raced yesterday to develop a plan to control the Northern Alliance and prevent a struggle for power among the new masters in Kabul.
The world body was caught in a storm of diplomatic activity as it sought to catch up to the sudden military success of the Northern Alliance, which entered the capital yesterday on the heels of the fleeing Taliban regime.
Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General, dispatched one of his senior Afghanistan envoys to the city to arrange for a return of UN civil affairs officers to watch over the minority ethnic groups that make up the Alliance.
Jack Straw, British Foreign Secretary, did not rule out the possibility that American and British troops might be sent to Kabul to deal with short-term trouble.
In Washington, Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defence, said some U.S. special forces troops are already in the Afghan capital, but too few to monitor or police the entire city.
Mr. Straw also said a search was on for countries to contribute to an international military force that could keep Alliance forces in line if security deteriorates in Kabul.
Canadian officials said Ottawa is anxious to be a part of a force that would monitor the Alliance and help escort humanitarian supplies.
The United States and its allies are concerned that efforts to establish a broad multi-ethnic government in Afghanistan will be derailed if the Alliance -- made up mainly of Uzbek and Tajik forces -- seeks vengeance against supporters of the mainly Pashtun Taliban.
Previous clashes between the rival ethnic groups have resulted in bloody reprisals. Yesterday the UN said as many as 600 people had been killed or executed since the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif fell to the Alliance on Friday.
Similar killings in Kabul could halt the recent success of the U.S. military campaign and undermine Washington's campaign to find Osama bin Laden and destroy his terrorist network.
"We have had discussions about the behaviour of the Northern Alliance and told them they are there on trust for the people," Mr. Straw said.
Mr. Straw spoke after addressing a UN Security Council debate on Afghanistan, at which Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN lead envoy for the country, outlined the world body's extensive proposals for a future Afghan government.
His plan calls for a two-year transitional government backed by a multinational security force.
He said Afghanistan's many ethnic groups should be brought together "as early as humanly possible," and said they should meet with the Northern Alliance.
The goal would be to convene a provisional council that reflects the country's ethnic diversity, chaired "by an individual recognized as a symbol of national unity" -- a clear reference to Afghanistan's exiled king, Zahir Shah.
The 87-year-old former monarch has lived in Rome since he was ousted from power in 1973. Though seen by some as a unifying figure, Iran, which ousted its own monarch in 1979, is understood to oppose his involvement in a future Afghan government.
Under Mr. Brahimi's proposal, the council would put together the transitional government. A tribal council would draw up a constitution and a second gathering would approve it and create a permanent Afghan government.
Mr. Brahimi said massive political and financial resources would be needed to turn around the "collapsed and destitute state" of Afghanistan so it was no longer a breeding ground for terrorists and illicit drug production.
A government ruled by Afghans "would be far more credible than one run by UN or [other international officials] parachuted in," he said.
There is broad opposition among UN members to the prospect of a UN peacekeeping force. Such forces have often run into trouble when asked to impose peace rather than monitor an already negotiated agreement.
Pervez Musharraf, the President of Pakistan, called yesterday for all forces to withdraw from Kabul to make way for a different type of UN-backed force.
"Kabul should remain a demilitarized city," he said after a brief meeting with Bulent Ecevit, the Turkish Prime Minister, in Istanbul.
Mr. Musharraf said Pakistan and Turkey could participate in an international peacekeeping force sent under a "UN umbrella."
The force would be approved by the Security Council but controlled by the coalition of countries that provided troops.
Mr. Straw spoke of a similar force that would be composed entirely of Muslim troops.
Abdullah Abdullah, the Northern Alliance Foreign Minister, said Alliance forces entered Kabul to maintain order and do not intend to rule the country, although the Alliance wants a role in the future government.
He welcomed UN involvement and called on all Afghan groups to come to Kabul to discuss a future administration, adding, "Taliban excluded."
Northern Alliance leader Burhanuddin Rabbani, who as Afghan president was driven from Kabul by the Taliban in 1996, said he would return to Kabul tomorrow.
The UN said it had corroborated reports of a possible massacre of Taliban soldiers in Mazar-e-Sharif, the first major prize taken by the rebels.
"Over 100 Taliban troops, who were young recruits hiding in a school, were killed by Northern Alliance forces on Saturday after 6 p.m.," said Stephanie Bunker, spokeswoman for the UN's refugee agency, in Islamabad, Pakistan. "It was not clear whether the Taliban died fighting or if they were captured and executed."
The International Red Cross said its workers were burying hundreds of people, including many who died in the fighting, but the organization did not specify whether the dead were civilians or militiamen.
Officials in Ottawa said logistical obstacles remain to Canadian participation in any force in Afghanistan. But they said Ottawa is taking a hard look at being a part of any deployment and is engaged in urgent discussions with other members of the anti-terrorism coalition led by the U.S. about how they might play a role.
"We all know that the Northern Alliance is not representative of the overall population," said John Manley, the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
"The future government of Afghanistan has to be representative of all elements of the population. That's what we've all been saying since the beginning."
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