NEW YORK - Skipping steps in its original plan, the United Nations today proposed setting up a small transitional administration for Kabul immediately because of the fast-changing situation in Afghanistan.
Lakhdar Brahimi, Secretary-General Kofi Annan's special representative for Afghanistan, said he wanted Afghans meeting in Berlin on Monday to set up
a smaller body to take over the running of Kabul before a larger, more representative group was convened.
Originally, he had proposed a large provisional council, which would then choose the transitional administration.
"Let's try and go straight to the small authority that will be the provisional administration in Afghanistan and then go to the other steps, " Brahimi said after meeting UN Security Council members.
"I very, very much hope that out of this meeting, which is not, hopefully, symbolic, we will take some concrete decisions and steps," he said.
In an effort to create a broad-based government in Kabul, the United Nations has called a meeting in Berlin that is expected to last about a week.
The Northern Alliance, which has captured Kabul as well as most of the country following American military action, has agreed to at least talk about surrendering exclusive power in the Afghan capital, following US and UN pressure.
The alliance wants the UN talks to take place in Kabul and UN officials said they would move back to the city after the initial Berlin meeting. Warlords from various alliance factions have already claimed control in cities they dominated before the Taleban, then backed by Pakistan, took power in 1996.
- REUTERS
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