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CNN Saturday Morning News

Interim Government in Place in Afghanistan

Aired December 22, 2001 - 11:02   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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's begin this hour with the changing of the guard in Afghanistan. A new interim government is now in place, and Afghanistan is a country in transition. It's future, at least for now, hangs in the balance.

CNN's John Vause is in Kabul, where he filed this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On this historic day here in Afghanistan, in the capitol Kabul, there is talk of hope and optimism for the future with the first peaceful handover of power in more than two decades.

At a special swearing-in ceremony at the interior ministry, the new interim leader, Hamid Karzai, hugged the outgoing President Rabbani. Rabbani was ousted from power by the Taliban.

For five years, he was the only recognized head of state. Today, he handed over power to the new interim leader. Karzai then swore in 29 other ministers who will help him rebuild this country.

In that ministry, notably, two women. In his speech today, Karzai said he would respect women's rights. He wanted to rebuild the education system and his country would respect Islamic law.

Earlier, the Special U.N. Envoy to Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, spoke of the significance of this ceremony.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAKHDAR BRAHIMI, U.N. ENVOY TO AFGHANISTAN: After bitter war and conflict, power is being transferred from one administration to another, not under the fire of guns, but peacefully and pursuant to a political agreement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: But it will a hard road ahead with this interim administration. Afghanistan's infrastructure is shattered. It will cost $9 billion according to the U.N. and the World Bank simply to rebuild that infrastructure.

This interim administration will be in power for the next six month. It will then hand over to a provisional government and free elections are planned within the next two years.

John Vause, CNN, Kabul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, one of the most daunting elements of securing peace and rounding up the vast arsenals of weapons scattered across the country, many remain in the hands of Taliban fighters.

CNN's Amanda Kibel is traveling with the former core commander of Jalalabad. She joins us live now via videophone to look at the scheduled handover of those weapons -- Amanda.

AMANDA KIBEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Kyra, it certainly is a momentous day for Afghanistan, and we've been in Kandahar, as you know, for a number of weeks.

The response that we've gotten there has been nothing short of overwhelming. There is a very broad consensus in terms of this new interim government, and in fact in support of the new Afghanistan.

People have said generally that they would like to see an end to the war. It's been a long, long time Afghanistan's been at war. People have said they would like to see a process where the country is being rebuilt, where schools are beginning to function again, where hospitals are functioning again, and the consensus is very much that this is the time now for peace in Afghanistan.

And a time too for unity in a country that has traditionally been very, very disunited. It's a country which is ruled by different tribal warlords, by different tribal governments, and certainly it's not been a country known for any kind of unity.

The people now genuinely seem to want a change, and certainly we're experiencing right here at this very moment, a very practical illustration of that.

We've traveled to Zabul Province, to Calat, to see the handover of weapons, not from pro-Taliban forces but, in fact, from the Taliban commander.

We're here with the former Taliban commander of Jalalabad. He was a very, very powerful general in his time. It's five years he held the position of core commander in Jalalabad, and he has decided now to hand over his weapons.

And along with him, a number of people who feel the same way. We're in Zabul Province right now where he's come to live. He left Jalalabad after Kabul fell. He came to live here in Zabul Province, and he has decided that the time now is a time for peace and it's time to hand over his weapons. And, in fact, for two days now, we have watched as the negotiation process has proceeded to convince this man to hand over his weapons.

And today we heard from tribal elders sharing Zabul Province, traditionally a Taliban stronghold, who all verse the opinion that the time had come now to lay down the weapons and to move forward in peace and unity.

It is a fairly momentous achievement, and certainly one which will have an enormous impact on Afghanistan, because certainly one of the most important elements of creating some kind of peaceful, stable society is to get rid of the guns in a society that has for so long operated along the lines of the weapon -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Our Amanda Kibel traveling with the former core commander of Jalalabad with that report from near Kandahar. Thank you very much.

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