The Council of Elders of Afghanistan is Formed Today - 2002-06-11

The Council of Elders of Afghanistan is formed today - 2002-06-11. Former King Mohammad Zahir Shah of Afghanistan states that he will not be a candidate for the presidency or any other position in the new transitional government. The former king announced his full support for the candidacy of Hamid Karzai, the current head of the interim government, in a statement read by one of his aides on Monday. Zahir Shah's support comes as the Loya Jirga, or Council of Elders and tribal leaders, prepares to hold a session in Kabul to elect a transitional government. The transitional government will remain in power until national elections are held, which are expected to take place within the next two years. The council, which was supposed to meet on Monday, postponed its session by one day to resolve a dispute regarding the former king's role. Zahir Shah, who ruled Afghanistan for about 40 years until the coup in 1973, has strong support among the Pashtuns of Afghanistan. However, leaders of the Northern Alliance, who helped overthrow the Taliban regime last year, are strongly opposed to granting any governmental role to the former king. This alliance is primarily composed of Uzbeks and Tajiks. On the other hand, about two thousand people expressed their desire to participate in the Loya Jirga meeting and traveled to Kabul, while only 1,500 seats were allocated for the formation of this meeting. Officials say they hope to resolve the dispute regarding the number of participants by Tuesday afternoon. A security cordon has been established around the tent where the representatives of the Loya Jirga are set to hold their meeting to prevent any disruptions during the council's session.