Post-Taliban Afghanistan Government Gets Underway

The political leaders of Russia, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan`s Northern Alliance agreed to launch the allied post-Taliban government in the three-sided meeting at Dushanbe, Tajikistan yesterday, reported the Associated Press (AP).

After meeting former Afghanistan President Burhanuddin Rabbani, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Tajikistan President Emomali Rakhmonov issued a joint statement containing that all ethnic groups should participate in the future Afghanistan government, and the United Nations (UN) should play a more powerful role in determining the makeup of a post-Taliban government.

And the three leaders also announced to establish the joint top-level `permanent consultation conference` for resolving the political issues in Afghanistan.

After fleeing capital Kabul when the hard-line Taliban movement seized the capital in 1996, the Northern Alliance has fought against the Taliban government in Northern Afghanistan, and it is still recognized by the U.N. and most governments as a legal government.

Russia`s president announced, ``We confirmed the intention of the Russian Federation to continue to support the Islamic State of Afghanistan in the military-technical sphere ... and spoke of concrete plans to give humanitarian aid to the Afghan people.``

Prior to this meeting, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov and the head of Moscow`s Federal Security Service, Nikolai Patrushev, met with President Rakhmonov, and then said that Russia would establish the close relationship with Iran and Tajikistan in order to form a united front against the Taliban government.

Such a series of Russia`s actions can be analyzed that Russia intends to strengthen its influence on the future Afghanistan government joining the nations which have supported the Northern Alliance together, as the collapse of the Taliban government is anticipated.

Lee Jong-Hoon taylor55@donga.com