Northern Alliance's Young Politicians Defy "Old Guard" Led By Burhanuddin Rabbani

The delegation of the United Anti-Taliban Front to the UN-sponsored conference on Afghanistan, currently underway in Bonn, is ready to make a balanced agreement even without President Burhanuddin Rabbani's consent. A statement to this effect was made in the state residence of Petersberg near Bonn by Yunis Quanuni, leading the Northern Alliance delegation to the conference. This young politician holding the post of Afghanistan's Interior Minister stressed that in case "Rabbani is not prepared to make any political compromises", the Northern Alliance intended "to express the will of the people". "We side with the people, not with personalities", Yunis Quanuni pointed out. Political observers believe that Quanuni's statement revealed a conflict within the Northern Alliance's ranks, where a group of young politicians is currently defying the "old guard" led by Rabbani.