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CNN Live At Daybreak

Afghan Tribal Leaders Meet in Bonn, Germany

Aired November 27, 2001 - 05:02   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: Now, let's get more with our Bettina Leuscher, who's near Bonn, Germany, on those talks that are now under way on Afghanistan's political future and what the hope is there -- Bettina, hello.

BETTINA LEUSCHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Donna.

Those talks started officially about an hour ago. The delegates from the four groups that are here outside Bonn came into the conference hall. Their main mission is to find a way to come up with a transitional authority. There were strong appeals, there was a message from U.N. chief Kofi Annan, which was read by his main man here at the talks, appealing to these delegates that they should put the interests of Afghan people above anything else, that they should grab this historic chance to come up with an agreement to secure that Afghanistan finally will have peace and reconciliation.

The other issue that's on top of the agenda, of course, is an international force, some kind of peacekeeping force. That will still have to be discussed. Some of the Afghan members here say they do not want an international force there. They are more for an Afghan led security force.

The people who are interested here at the party are more than a dozen countries that are ready to come and help the Afghan people. For them spoke German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer and he told them that the world was ready to help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSCHKA FISCHER, GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Now you have to shoulder your responsibility to pave the way for a peaceful political future for your nation, a way which reflects your society's diversity and traditions and which will be acceptable to all Afghans. It is up to you, the representatives of the Afghan people, to seize this historic moment. Germany, the European Union and the international community, led by the United Nations, stand ready to help now and in long-term.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEUSCHER: And Mr. Fisher also telling the Afghan people that they should know that the world will not forget them, that the world will not leave once the battle against al Qaeda and against the Taliban regime comes to an end.

One of the Afghan members here at this delegation, Yunus Qanuni, he's the interior minister of the Northern Alliance, said that they were ready to have a constructive process here, that they were ready to contribute for a peaceful solution.

Nobody knows quite how long this conference here will go. It could go for two days, it could also go for two weeks -- Donna.

KELLEY: Bettina, any group bringing in the possibility of having women with them and also any group bringing in and taking more of a strong position, a lead position with more ideas?

LEUSCHER: Well, women are represented here at this table. The northern -- the Rome group, for example, representing the former king, Zahir Shah, has several women on its team. Probably the strongest group here is, of course, the Northern Alliance. They are the people in charge. They're the ones over the last few weeks have pushed the Taliban from power. They control a large part of the country. So they are the ones who say they are open for a broad-based government, but they also want to make sure that they get their fair share of power.

The smaller groups, the exile groups, are the ones who have to, of course, cut the deal with the largest group, the Northern Alliance -- Donna.

KELLEY: Bettina Luescher near Bonn, Germany, thanks very much for the latest from there.

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