Afghan Cabinet meets to begin rebuilding country

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Afghanistan's new Cabinet met for the first time Sunday, hoping to begin the rebuilding of a land shattered by decades of war and reclaimed from international terrorists.

Premier Hamid Karzai said foreign forces -- including those of the United States -- should stay "for as long as it takes."

"We need to have the instruments of controlling law and order in Afghanistan," he told CNN. He said tribal leaders from southern Afghanistan met with him and asked for "the continued presence of the troops."

The meeting of the 29-member Cabinet took place in a high-ceilinged room on the sprawling grounds of the presidential palace, where the scars of 23 years of conflict were evident. Some buildings had holes from rockets; others lay in ruins.

"The Cabinet does not want to make promises just for show. We have to bring real change," Communications Minister Abdul Rahim said.

Karzai took the chair at the head of an oval oak table. At his left was one of two women in the Cabinet -- Vice Premier Sima Samar, a white scarf covering her head.

In keeping with his emphasis on unity and the need to bury old rivalries, Karzai began by introducing Cabinet members to each other. Some were strangers but known by name and reputation.

The induction of the government was welcomed worldwide as a first step toward peace in a country formerly ruled by the repressive Taliban and overrun by Osama bin Laden's international terrorist network.

In the dusty, rocket-rutted streets of the capital, women clutched pale blue burqas against the cold as they chanted slogans of hope and peace to support the new government. It was an unusual show of political involvement by women, reflecting a liberal change from Taliban rule.