United Nations -- The U.N. should convene a meeting as soon as possible with representatives of the Northern Alliance and other groups to map out a political transition for Afghanistan, the UN special representative for Afghanistan told the Security Council November 13.

Such urgent steps are necessary due to the "rapidly changing conditions in Afghanistan," said Lakhdar Brahimi, who was appointed by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to be Special Representative for Afghanistan, and has been meeting with Afghan groups in the region and elsewhere.

"Things are changing fast on the ground, as we saw over the last few days," Brahimi said, referring to the Northern Alliance's seizure of control over Mazar-e-Sharif and Kabul. "Instead of continuing with the shuttle diplomacy from one group to the other in the various capitals, the need for nimbleness in finding a political solution now requires that the Northern Alliance and representatives of the existing initiatives should meet with the United Nations as early as humanly possible," he said.

Brahimi's proposal includes several steps: The U.N. would convene a meeting of representatives of Northern Alliance and other political groups; this group would decide on steps to establish a provisional council drawn from all ethnic and regional communities in Afghanistan; and the provisional council would then propose the composition of a transitional administration and a program of action for the period of political transition.

Brahimi said he had relayed the Secretary General's instructions to Francesc Vandrell, the deputy special representative, to go to Kabul immediately to monitor the conditions in the capital. He stressed that "time is of the essence" to plan the country's transition to peace and stability.

"However, for the longer term, the fundamentals do not change, and the strategic objective of our common efforts remains the same," Brahimi continued.

"It consists of the need to help the people of Afghanistan establish a responsible, representative, accountable and stable government which enjoys internal and external legitimacy, is committed to respecting and promoting the rights of all its men, women and children, enjoys peaceful and friendly relations with all its neighbors, and is able to ensure that Afghanistan never again is used as a breeding and staging ground for terrorism or for traffic in drugs."

With the presence of hundreds of Foreign Ministers at the United Nations to attend the General Assembly's general debate, the Security Council scheduled a day-long open meeting November 13 to discuss the rapidly changing situation in Afghanistan and how the international community can help the Afghan people form a broad based government, provide humanitarian aid for the winter, and contribute to the long-term recovery and reconstruction of the country.

The Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan's six neighbors (China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan) along with Russia and the United States -- known as "Six plus Two" -- met with Secretary General Kofi Annan and Brahimi November 12. The ministers issued a declaration that there should be a "broad based, multi-ethnic, politically balanced, freely-chosen" government in Kabul and that the United Nations should work urgently to help Afghan groups establish such an administration. They urged the UN to act quickly.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Negroponte said that "we are at an historic moment. As terrorism is set to flight, Afghans must know we will help them rebuild and support their efforts to achieve the peace which has been so long denied them."

With the rapid collapse of the Taliban in areas that they controlled, including the city of Kabul, several things need to be done now by the United Nations, by the international community and by humanitarian assistance agencies, Negroponte said.

"We all must support the United Nations and Ambassador Brahimi in urgent efforts to bring together as soon as possible Afghans to form an interim authority for liberated areas. That authority must be representative of and acceptable to Afghans and it must be supported by all of us, and especially the countries of the region, or it will not succeed," the U.S. Ambassador to the UN said.

"We all must call for restraint on the part of the Afghan liberation forces as they take up their new positions and continue their offensive," said Negroponte. "Afghanistan does not need another cycle of revenge and retribution as the Taliban collapses."

An international presence must be re-established as soon as possible and the international community must act immediately to increase the flow of humanitarian assistance as the country is liberated, Negroponte said.

Secretary General Kofi Annan said that the situation in Afghanistan "is now perhaps at its most urgent stage" and the international community must be ready to respond, especially to help ensure that a climate of stability can be created.

"Winter is closing in, and we must feed and shelter as many of the vulnerable and suffering as possible," he said. "Next, the rapid march of events on the ground requires that we focus on the challenge we will face in a post-Taliban period. This means taking urgent action so as to avoid a political and security vacuum," Annan said.

"In particular, the sustained engagement of the Security Council will be needed if we are to help set Afghanistan on the path to a stable and lasting peace, and address the dire humanitarian needs of the Afghan people," the Secretary General said.

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)