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CNN Saturday Morning News

Former Afghan President Returns to Capital

Aired November 17, 2001 - 08:22   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.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: We want to get back in touch with CNN's Matthew Chance in the capital of Kabul. You saw him, you couldn't hear him. Now we think we've fixed that problem.

Matthew Chance joining us now with the return of the former president to Afghanistan -- Matthew.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Marty. I hope you can hear me this time.

Let me bring you up to date on that story that the deposed President of Afghanistan Burhanuddin Rabbani, has, indeed, made a controversial and unexpected return to the Afghan capital, Kabul. He's been moving very quickly to allay concerns being expressed here that his government is consolidating its power here in Afghanistan ahead of any power sharing political agreement with all the diverse ethnic groups here in Afghanistan.

Speaking to journalists here in the Afghan capital, Kabul, he said, "I have not," and I quote, "I have not come here to extend my government, but I have come for peace and to prepare the ground for peace and it invite all Afghans, even outsiders who are working towards peace."

So, President Rabbani there, of course, the man recognized by the United Nations as the legitimate leader of Afghanistan, moving to allay concerns that the Northern Alliance is consolidating its power on the Afghan, on Afghanistan ahead of any political agreement to bring in all the different factions together -- Marty.

SAVIDGE: And what is the situation in Kabul now? Things have obviously changed as far as leadership, but what is life like on the street?

CHANCE: It's very calm. The Northern Alliance forces have moved in in some strength to sort of impose security here. The troops have been sentry posts set up outside key civil installations and buildings and at road junctions to really impose a sense of security here. Of course, there are a lot of concerns amongst the residents of Kabul that the presence of the Northern Alliance back here again may lead to more bitter ethnic infighting of the kind that really ravaged Kabul in the years before the Taliban took over.

Certainly, the fact that the Afghan president, Burhanuddin Rabbani has returned to Kabul so soon, that won't have eased those concerns very much. And already there are concerns being expressed, tensions being felt by the minority members of the Northern Alliance that the party of the Northern Alliance which is led by Professor Burhanuddin Rabbani, the Jamiat-e-Islam, is taking all the key ministries, all the power for itself. Already they have their people in the foreign ministry, the defense ministry, the interior ministry.

The minority groups here, particularly the Hazaras, feel that they're being excluded. That, though, hasn't turned into any kind of violence on the streets as yet -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: All right, we will keep an eye on things thanks to your presence there.

Matthew Chance joining us from the capital of Kabul in Afghanistan.

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