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Return of Afghan king considered
09/27/2001
By NICOLE WINFIELD ROME — British lawmakers who visited Afghanistan's former king said Wednesday
a return to constitutional monarchy would be one of the best ways to bring a
stable, democratic government to Afghanistan. The lawmakers, members of the European Paliament, spent an hour Tuesday with
former King Mohammad Zahir Shah who has expressed a willingness to return to
Afghanistan to play a role in a transitional government if the hard-line Taliban
rulers are toppled. ``The key question is, 'is he the right man and can he do it?' The answer is
yes,'' said Edward McMillan-Scott, a conservative leader in the European
Parliament. The proposed government would include all sides in the troubled country,
including even selected ``moderate'' elements of the Taliban, the son of the
former monarch, Prince Mirwais Zahir Shah, told the Canadian Press news agency
in an interview. However, the prince said that his father has made it clear he
was not interested in restoring the monarchy. Talk of returning the Afghan king, who has lived in Italy since his 1973
ouster, has increased amid threats by the United States to retaliate militarily
for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the Penatagon and the World Trade Center.
U.S. officials have said their prime suspect is Osama bin Laden, who has been
living in Afghanistan as a ``guest'' of the Taliban for several years. President
Bush has said the Taliban would be targeted if they don't turn bin Laden over.
In an interview, McMillan-Scott said the concept of returning a monarchy to
Afghanistan shouldn't be seen as a backward approach but a modern one. Zahir was
particularly well-suited for the job because he still commands respect among
Afghanistan's many religious and ethnic groups, he said. ``Constitutional monarchy is one of the best guarantors of pluralist
democracies,'' said McMillan-Scott. Zahir is eager to convene a traditional meeting of Afghan elders, leaders and
intellectuals to map out Afghanistan's future. ``We believe the Taliban are going to collapse, so the way for the convening
(of the meeting) would be tabled,'' said an aide to the monarch, Yusuf
Nuristani. ``When, this is difficult to say.'' Zahir was overthrown by his brother-in-law, Mohammed Daud Khan, in 1973 while
the king was on a tour of Europe, plunging the country into decades of civil
unrest.
Associated Press Writer
