Afghan opposition forces waiting their turn

MAHMUD-E-RAQI, Afghan-istan -- Afghan opposition commanders are waiting for the order to move on the capital, but exiled Afghan leaders and a Pakistani official say the northern alliance has agreed not to seize Kabul until major factions can establish a government to replace the ruling Taliban.

The agreement was reached during a meeting between the exiled Afghan King Mohammad Zaher Shah and northern alliance leaders in Rome, said an aide to the monarch.

"The agreement was they should not enter Kabul by themselves," the aide, Yusuf Nuristani, said Thursday. He said the deal was reached several weeks ago.

The agreement was first reported in the Washington Post, which said it could prolong the U.S.-led military campaign.

But it remains unclear whether the message has reached the field, or whether field commanders will heed it. Some commanders, eager to re-enter Kabul five years after it fell to the Taliban, may not feel bound by the agreement.

A senior Pakistani official said Thursday that there was a "convergence of views" between Washington and Islamabad that the northern alliance should not enter Kabul until a post-Taliban government is in place.

At a news conference Thursday night, President Bush insisted no one group should take power if the Taliban falls.

Earlier Thursday, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher did not answer directly when asked if the U.S. administration had urged the northern alliance to hold off any offensive to take Kabul.