DEPARTING AFGHAN INTERIOR MINISTER WON'T SEEK NEW GOVERNMENT POST
Q&A with Yunus Qanooni
Conducted by Camelia Entekhabi-Fard: 6/13/02

At the opening day of the Loya Jirga on June 11, Yunus Qanooni, the interim administration’s interior minister, addressed the council in an emotional tone about the need to make sacrifices for Afghanistan. During his speech, Qanooni announced that he would step down from his post. He spoke to EurasiaNet correspondent Camelia Entekhabi-Fard on June 13 about the motivation for his announcement.

EurasiaNet: Many people thought your talk at Loya Jirga was very emotional and meaningful. What was the point were you were trying to convey with your announcement?
Qanooni: You know, I am so personally involved in the different stages of the peace and reconstruction that it’s almost impossible not to become emotional in moments like this. I was at [the UN conference on Afghanistan in] Bonn and played a major role in the conference as far as the discussions and the agreements that were reached. In a way, I am personally bound up with what follows and that puts an additional responsibility on my shoulders. I have no attachment to official positions. If my holding of office helps Afghanistan, I’ll do it; if resigning from it helps remove obstacles, we will do that too. In the days leading up to the Loya Jirga, some confusion had been created about the presence of a group of people in the government. This kind of talk could create some misunderstanding and the country can not afford division and disunity at this moment. So in the interest of unity, I offered to resign from my post.

EurasiaNet: Was it planned like this?
Qanooni: No. We didn’t think it was a serious issue. But doing so also sets a precedent for everyone: that you should leave office like other countries.

EurasiaNet: By "group of people," I assume you are referring to the Panjshiri Tajiks?
Qanooni: Yes, that’s right. Some people, who are not familiar with the situation, think the Panjshiris are a bunch of power-hungry individuals that appeared out of nowhere and took over everything. This is not true. First, Panjshiris have given a lot in defending the country. For many years we fought almost alone against the Taliban and the bin Laden group. We made many sacrifices. Everyone knows that. We only want peace.

EurasiaNet: Why did you choose the opening day to announce your resignation?
Qanooni: It was a good time to do that. There were questions I needed to clarify. … I wanted to assure the people that all issues that could raise tensions or create division in public opinion are removed at the very beginning. …. This had the virtue of relaxing everyone a bit.

But the timing was completely spontaneous. We had just left the Ark (palace) with Mr. [Hamid] Karzai on our way to attend the Loya Jirga. I talked to him for a little again, and it was then that I decided to resign. There was pressure on people - the king was not taking the job of the head of state and Karzai himself had come under pressure also. There had to be some change in the new government. That’s when I volunteered to leave my position.

EurasiaNet: That means you are leaving the government? A few weeks ago you were saying that vacating your present position wouldn’t mean that you were leaving the government.
Qanooni: I prefer that for 18 months, I’ll stay far from government. If the people and Mr. Karzai give me permission. I want to learn English. I seriously need it. And I want to start a political party. … We need to have a new political birth that could bring all healthy members and representatives of ethnic groups together. … This new movement needs a new political organization that could bring confidence to our culture and civil life. I would love to devote my time to running this party. About your second part of the question, I have to say if our friends permit me, I prefer to have no official position in the new government. This doesn’t imply that I have any opposition to the new government. Far from it. … I am one of the founders of this new system and I am very happy that I see everything continuing according to our strategy for the long term. Karzai is my brother and he is welcomed by all the people. ... I am a strong supporter of him and his government.

EurasiaNet: Who will replace your position?
Qanooni: I am one of the advisers about who should take this position. We don’t have enough strong candidates yet. We will have to resume discussions in two or three days.

EurasiaNet: What kind of changes would you implement in the new, transitional government?
Qanooni: I think an important change would be bringing better organization to the government. … We have some organizations and offices that are duplicated. We could combine them together for more quality and strength. That’s the reason we have the transitional government because the country needs time to consolidate.

EurasiaNet: There is evident dissatisfaction surrounding the process for the selection of head of state. Many believe that former King Mohammed Zahir Shah’s decision not to stand for the presidency was coerced. Do you think this view is accurate?
Qanooni: No, it is not correct. … The king from the beginning always kept saying that he is not interested any official position at all … We can be happy with the result - as the best candidate is Hamid Karzai. And the king and his supporters, without any pressure, nominated Mr. Karzai.

EurasiaNet: You said there was no pressure on Zahir Shah, but I heard from the people around him that they had some covert pressure on him. How do you explain that?
Qanooni: I didn’t see any pressure during the several visits I made to his home. It was a contrived idea among some people, who wanted the former king to run for the presidency.

EurasiaNet: What about your Panjshiri Tajik colleagues in the interim administration - Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and Mohammed Fahim? Will they remain as foreign minister and defense minister respectively?
Qanooni: There hasn’t been any talk about our two dear brothers leaving their positions. I think both will remain at their old jobs. They are both capable candidates to stay during the transition government. Both are assets for Afghanistan.

Editor’s Note: Camelia Entekhabi-Fard is a journalist who specializes in Afghan and Iranian affairs. She is currently in Afghanistan reporting for EurasiaNet.

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Posted June 13, 2002 © Eurasianet
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