UN Says Cautiously Optimistic about Bonn Meeting

By Omar Samad

Bonn- November 25, 2001- AAR- At a hastily arranged press briefing at Bonn, venue of the UN-sponsored Afghan peace talks, the United Nation's spokesperson Sunday voiced "cautious optimism" about an outcome that may meet the international community's minimum expectations to form a transitional post-Taliban administration.

Two days before the official start of the inter-Afghan gathering hosted by the German government, the UN's Ahmad Fowzi.  Told reporters that two of the four Afghan delegations have arrived and are scheduled at the secured  Petersburg Castle on top of a hill overlooking the former German capital.

"The Rome and Cyprus groups are here, along with UN officials, and we are awaiting the arrival of the Northern Alliance and Peshawar delegations on Monday," said Fowzi.

The UN spokesperson did not reveal a list of participants but said that both the northern Alliance and Rome groups will be represented by eight delegates each at the table, with an additional three advisors, the other two groups will have three delegates and two advisers each at the talks.

Fowzi also said that the meeting may last several days to discuss "an open agenda" which will focus on the formation of a new interim government and matters relating to peacekeeping and security arrangements.  Abdul Sattar Sirat, head of the Rome delegations representing the former King, told AAR on Saturday that his group prefers to have an international security force deployed in Afghanistan and will consider returning to Afghanistan when the war ends.