Anti-Taliban Leader Briefs Emirates Official
The Northern Alliance’s nominal head, Burhanuddin Rabbani, arrived here Sunday and briefed the government on the situation in Afghanistan, the Emirates’ official WAM news agency reported.
Rabbani’s visit to the Emirates, one of only three states that had diplomatic relations with Afghanistan’s Taliban regime, took place as Afghan factions prepared for a U.N.-sponsored meeting in Germany on Tuesday to forge a post-Taliban interim government.
Rabbani, president of Afghanistan from 1993 until 1996, when he was ousted by the Taliban, told WAM that he briefed Emirates Defense Minister Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum on the “latest developments in the internal situation in Afghanistan on the political, military and economic levels.”
Mohammed called for the formation of a broad-based coalition government to guarantee the stability of Afghanistan, the agency said. He also expressed hope that aid would be offered to ease the suffering of Afghans and rebuild the Muslim country.
Rabbani was expected to leave the Emirates today, a source close to the talks said.
It was not immediately clear whether Rabbani planned to visit other countries in the Persian Gulf region, such as Saudi Arabia, ahead of Tuesday’s meeting in Germany.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
