A former acting prime minister of Afghanistan, now living in Finchley, attacked the UN yesterday over the imposition of a new government on his homeland.
Ahmadshah Ahmadzai, who fled Afghanistan when the Taliban came to power in 1996, says the interim government, agreed at UN-sponsored talks in Bonn, Germany, on Tuesday, did not represent all the factions in his country.
Mr Ahmadzai, 57, told the Times Group: "The UN and the rest of the world are imposing a government on us. I have not heard anyone who is in favour of this premature action.
"They have given the power to just one family. The UN should have asked all the concerned parties and come up with a government which is acceptable."
The post-Taliban administration, which will begin work on December 22, is headed by Pashtun chief Hamid Karzai and will govern for about six months until a traditional grand assembly is held.
Mr Ahmadzai, himself from Afghanistan's Pashtun ethnic majority, fought the Soviets alongside terror suspect Osama Bin Laden.
He has been living in Finchley since last June after being granted political asylum.
He says he has no plans to return to his country just yet, despite being a close friend of the new administration's leader.
He added: "Mr Karzai is my personal friend but if he had been chosen by our people he would have had more respect and more power inside Afghanistan."
December 5, 2001 17:32
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