Influential Afghan Leader Hopeful on Loya Jirga Prospects

Afghans have started the process of selecting delegates to the Loya Jirga, or grand tribal council, which, under the guidelines established by the Bonn Peace Conference last December, will begin the task of creating a new constitutional framework for Afghanistan. One of the key figures at the Bonn process was Burhanuddin Rabbani, the long-time leader of the Northern Alliance who headed the Mujaheddin government that was ousted from Kabul by the Taliban in 1996. Rabbani's influence has waned since Hamid Karzai's interim government was installed in late December. Rabbani spoke to EurasiaNet contributor Camelia Entekhabi-Fard about the upcoming Loya Jirga and about Afghanistan's future. The text of his comments follows:

EurasiaNet: Can you tell us why your role was not highlighted in the Bonn conference?
Rabbani: At the Bonn Conference, the UN people and I suggested after the victory in Afghanistan we need to have a temporary government. So, naturally I couldn't be the head of a temporary government. When the people engaged Karzai for his position and his cabinet was put together, I was involved and I agreed to a power-transfer, the same way I agreed to a temporary government. When power transferred, I couldn't be the head again.