"The talks between representatives of Afghanistan's major ethnic and political groups will now open next Tuesday, to allow participants enough time for preliminary discussions and to give people enough time to arrive", Mr. Francesc Vendrell, the deputy to UN’s Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi announced Friday.

Between 25 to 30 Afghans representing the victorious Northern Alliance (NA), supporters of the exiled King Mohammad Zaher Shah, the so-called Peshawar group of Pashtoons and the pro-Iran Cyprus-based group of Afghan refugees are expected to participate in the controversial meeting, aimed to create an interim caretaker government acceptable to all Afghan warring factions, based on Mr. Brahimi’s tentative five-points plan.

Professor Borhaneddin Rabbani, the president of the Alliance-led Islamic Government of Afghanistan, who was booted out from Kabol by the now defeated Taleban in 1996, but recognised by the United Nations as the official government of the war-shattered nation, has described the Bonn meeting as "symbolic" but Mr. Yoones Qanooni, the NA’s Interior Minister has said the talks are "important".

The Taleban ambassador in Pakistan, Abdosalam Za’if, has dismissed the Bonn meeting as a "political farce" and insisted the Taleban would not take part. Mr Vendrell has said that even though he does not expect an agreement on a new government, he is hopeful that some understandings could later be translated into an agreement.

Mr. Vendrell has warned against expecting too much from the conference, due to distrust between the rival participating groups, disagreements within the groups themselves as well as "intrigues" from Iran and Pakistan, the two powerful neighbours that support opposing sides in the war-shattered Afghanistan, which makes the efforts to unify the Afghan people even harder.

After talking to Northern Alliance leaders in Kabul, Mr Vendrell said the Hazaras, who are predominantly Shi’a Muslims and as such, backed by the Iranian conservatives clerics who have the upper hand in Iranian politics, were unhappy that the Tajik faction in the Northern Alliance was in control of Kabul, while the Pashtoons were pressing for a role in any future government.

While influential commanders of the Northern Alliance have maintained close ties with Iran and Turkey, Pakistan had diplomatic ties with the Taleban until yesterday.

Interesting enough, while Iran has called on the international community to support Mr. Rabbani, the NA’s ambassador to London says he cannot simply reoccupy his old position as the country's ruler.

"Rabbani would be no more than a part of the transitional government, due to be created under the auspices of the UN", said Mr. Vali Mas’ood, in response to Mr. Rabbani’s remarks to an Italian newspaper, stating: "I see no need for such (interim) government. Afghanistan already has a government and I am its president", he was quoted as saying. But Maso’od insisted the Northern Alliance, which he referred to as United Front, would not accept such an option.

"He is there, but there is a council of the United Front, the deciding body, and they have decided, they have committed themselves to go along with the United Nations Peace Programme and to eventually see a provisional government established inside Afghanistan and see the future," Maso’od told British Broadcasting Corp's news 24 Hardtalk programme.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Abdol Sattar did not rule out the participation of so-called "moderate Taleban" leaders, saying that anyone who supported UN resolutions should be included.

While Pakistan has spoken of "moderate Taleban in Afghanistan who, it says, should be represented at the Bonn’s talks, the NA say the Taleban have no role to play in a future coalition and should be excluded from the conference. In this, they have the support of neighbouring Iran, which also insists the Taleban be excluded from any negotiations.

But, after talks in Tehran with Mr. Jack Straw, the British Foreign Secretary, he also reiterated support for a "broad-based" multiethnic government and insisted that the Alliance had no "preconditions" about being in permanent charge of the country.

The British welcomed this as a sign that the Alliance is serious about sharing power with the Pashtoons, the biggest ethnic group in Afghanistan.

In separate talks with the Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi, Mr Straw was also assured of Iran's support for a "broad-based" government including the Pashtoon.

Mr. Kharrazi did not rule out the possibility that some "experts and administrators" who had been pressured into working for the Taleban might be admitted to a new administration. "I do not call them moderate Taleban," he said, referring to the people he had in mind as Afghans who did not share the "mentality" of the Taleban.

The Taleban have not been invited but Pakistan is insisting that a future government must incorporate former Taleban moderates if it is to enjoy broad support.

Mr. Kharrazi said an American and British military presence was a "very sensitive issue" for Afghans "who would prefer not to have foreign troops on their soil" and in his talks with his British guest, warned about the long-term presence of foreign troops on Afghan soil.

In a BBC interview, Mr. Straw, who is also speaking on Americans behalf, said, "decisions (on the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan) will have to wait for next week's talks in Bonn. Exactly what they need in terms of longer term peace-keeping and stabilisation from outside remains to be seen.

"We won't be able to get a fix on that until the conclusion of the first stage of the (Petersberg) meeting", he noted.

Mr Vendrell said there ought to be an international security force under a UN mandate. "If Pakistan had to choose between Afghan groups and an impartial force they might prefer the latter", he said.

The former King, a Durrani Pashtoon, who was ousted in 1973 and is seen by many Afghans as a potentially unifying figure, is sending an eight-person delegation, including two women, Mrs. Rona Yusuf Mansoori, who lives in Germany, and the US-based Ms. Sima Wali, headed by his grandson, Mostapha Zaher, who said the Pashtoons would be represented along representatives of the Uzbek, Tajik and Hazara.

The Northern Alliance delegation, is expected to include Dr. Abdollah and Yoones Qanooni alongside with members from Tajik, the Uzbek and the Hazara factions. Both leaders are Tajik and belong to Jamiat-i-Islami, led by Mr. Rabbani.

German security forces were placed on highest alert for next week's UN conference on the future of Afghanistan in the capital of the former Federal Germany.

Thousands of police officers and elite units of German border guards will protect the site of the conference, barred for the media and all non-Afghans.

Fighter planes and helicopters will be guarding Bonn's air space against possible terrorist attacks. "We have to prevent a repeat of September 11", an unidentified police official was quoted as saying.

All Afghan representatives will be airlifted via helicopters from Bonn Airport to Petersberg.