30 November 2001

U.S. Regrets Walk-Out by One Participant in Bonn Talks

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the United States regrets that one of the Pashtun representatives has walked out of the talks in Bonn, Germany, among Afghan factions trying to form an interim government.

"One of the Pashtun representatives has apparently decided to leave the conference. I think that's a reflection of the fact that these are very difficult issues. We certainly regret that decision," Boucher said at his daily State Department briefing in Washington November 30.

The spokesman urged the participants in the talks to keep working until they have agreement on a broad-based government.

"They're continuing to seek agreement on the structure and the composition of an interim supreme council and an interim administrative authority and then details of the process to establish a broad-based government through a loya jirga [traditional council of elders]. We want them to press ahead," Boucher said.

The spokesman said the U.S. government looks forward to positive results from the Bonn conference so it can establish a working relationship with the Afghan interim administration.

The following excerpt from the transcript of Boucher's media briefing contains his comments about Afghanistan:

Question: Can we move on to Afghanistan? Talks in Bonn -- actually Germany, not Afghanistan.

What do you make of the walkout by the sole Pashtun member of the Northern Alliance delegation? Is that --

Mr. Boucher: I don't think that is exactly an accurate description. One of the Pashtun representatives has apparently decided to leave the conference. I think that is a reflection of the fact that these are very difficult issues. We certainly regret that decision. We had urged him not to leave; we hope he will return. But nonetheless, we don't see this as a serious impediment to the work of the conference.

The parties are still in Bonn. They are continuing to seek agreement on the structure and the composition of an interim supreme council and an interim administrative authority, and then details of the process to establish broad-based government through a loya jirga [traditional council of elders].

We want them to press ahead. We hope that they will keep working until they have agreement on a broad-based government. And that remains our view, and that remains our effort out there with them to try to keep that process going so that they can put into practice the decisions of principle that they have already made.

Question: Okay, one more, just related. Is there any movement yet on the embassy -- your Embassy in Kabul? I see the Turks have now reopened their embassy; are you worried that you are going to be kind of left out if you don't get in there quickly enough?

Mr. Boucher: It is an issue that remains under active consideration, about how to reestablish an American presence at our Embassy in Kabul. But I don't have any news for you on it.

Question: So there is no concern that you might be -- you know, as the Russians are moving in, the Turks now, the Iranians have already reopened their embassy, so --

Mr. Boucher: I think we have demonstrated that we do have a certain presence in Afghanistan that we are able to talk to --

Question: Yes, I'm sorry (inaudible) are real diplomats.

Mr. Boucher: -- leaders and parties --

Question: Do you have any -- what's your diplomatic presence there? You asked for that one; what's your diplomatic presence in Afghanistan right now?

Mr. Boucher: We have an embassy, we have Foreign Service nationals at our embassy. But we do our diplomatic work with the Afghan leaders in various ways. We look forward to the results from Bonn. We look forward to an opportunity to establish a working relationship with the interim administration, or whatever new government they decide to establish.

But the physical movement of people, I don't have anything new to report to you at this point.

Question: Is there some protocol? Are you waiting until they establish this provisional government for protocol reasons, because you don't want to send people there if you don't --

Mr. Boucher: No, I wouldn't put it that way, either. There are a number of factors involved. Of course, that's one of them. But there are a variety of factors related to this, and we will go forward -- there's security issues, availability of personnel, just a variety of things you have to do to reestablish an American presence there. We are looking at them. All this is under active consideration. But I don't have any timetable or news to announce.

Question: I just want to make sure, it is not American policy that you don't establish the embassy until the interim government is in place? There is no kind of policy along those lines?

Mr. Boucher: I would just say, that is obviously one of the factors we have to consider. But it is not a condition.

Question: What do you think of Mr. Rabbani's comments on limiting any multinational security presence, peacekeeping presence to 200 --

Mr. Boucher: There have been a lot of discussions in public and in private in recent days of security issues, security presence, what kind of force. Really, there is nothing new on that because we are looking for the Afghan parties to carry out these decisions on interim arrangements, for them to put into practice what they have agreed to in principle on the political arrangements. And that provides a further option for maybe defining in better terms some of these security options.

At that point, we will continue our discussions with people about security and, at that point, we and they will have a better idea about what's needed to maintain effective security inside Afghanistan.

Question: Do you suspect that Mr. Rabbani, for example, among others, is actually trying to obstruct a change in the status quo? In other words, to hang on to the advantageous position which he now holds?

Mr. Boucher: You can do the suspicions; I'll do the facts. The facts are, we are still talking to all the parties about the appropriate security arrangements. They are all pledged to an effective security arrangement inside Afghanistan. There are a variety of options, and we will keep talking with the parties about them.