Afghan factions agree on post-Taliban structure

KOENIGSWINTER, Germany -- Four Afghan factions agreed early Tuesday on a framework for a post-Taliban administration, just hours after the United States pressured the northern alliance to drop obstacles threatening to derail talks on Afghanistan's political future.

In a night of hectic diplomacy, U.S. appeals persuaded northern alliance leader Burhanuddin Rabbani in Kabul to release a long-delayed list of candidates for an interim administration -- the missing link after seven days of talks frustrated by conflicting signals from Kabul.

With the list finally on the table, delegations representing the northern alliance, exiles loyal to former King Mohammad Zaher Shah and two smaller exile groups quickly finalized the text of an agreement establishing a 29-member interim governing council, U.N. spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said.

Fawzi said they would start negotiating over who would sit on the council later today. A Western diplomat said that could take another 48 hours.

Once the names are agreed, Fawzi said the council could travel to Kabul this month to assume power from the northern alliance, which has captured the capital and much of the country from the Taliban with the backing of U.N. forces. No date has been set.

Under the agreement, the interim executive council will govern for six months, until former King Mohammad Zaher Shah convenes a traditional tribal gathering, or loya jirga, which will establish a transitional administration to govern for 18 months, paving the way for a democratic constitution and eventual elections.

The factions also agreed to ask the U.N. Security Council to consider deploying an international security force, but Fawzi said the interim administration would not be delayed for such a force to be assembled. The agreement also foresees that Afghan fighters eventually will be integrated into a regular Afghan army.

The breakthrough came after intense diplomacy by White House official Zalmay Khalilzad and German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, both of whom called Rabbani on Monday to press for a breakthrough.

U.S. envoy James F. Dobbins had been prodding the four factions meeting in Germany to reach a workable accord that will be respected.