The creation of the SCNU was decided Monday at the end of three days intensive and sometimes heated negotiations held between various Afghan groups, including representatives from the Northern Alliance and the advisers of the former Afghan Monarch, Mohammad Zaher Shah.

The Council, to be divided equally between representatives from the former King and other Afghan groups will meet again here to elect its p

resident and board and decide on the formation of the Extraordinary Loya Jirga, as proposed by Zaher Shah", Mr. Abdol Sattar Seirat, senior adviser of the 86-years-old Monarch said, adding that the "new structure" would be an "open house" to all peace loving Afghans, including the Taleban".

"This Council will work to bring peace to Afghanistan and stability to the region, added Mr. Yunes Qanooni, the Head of the Northern Alliance tat controls about 10 per cent of the Afghan territory as against the Taleban’s 90 per cent".

The Council had received the full support of the eleven members US Congressmen who had come to Rome to meet with Zaher Shah and assess his capabilities as an "umbrella" to Afghan organisations and personalities fighting the Taleban.

Also both Italy and the European Union gave their full blessing to this initiative.

While Mr. Hedayat Amin Arsalan, a former Afghan foreign minister reiterates that the new structure, meaning SCNU, would not be against any neighbouring nation, including Pakistan, Mr. Qanouni, on the other hand, consider Islamabad as a "corrosive" force responsible for most of Afghanistan’s tragedies.

"Afghanistan has been invaded twice in the past 22 years by foreign forces", the NA spokesman says, referring obviously to the former Soviet Union and Pakistan.

"Taleban, Qanooni pointed out, is a pawn in Pakistan’s strategy for the control of the region".

As talks were going on in Rome, Iranian press, briefed by the authorities, published several articles and carried out interviews with various Afghan political figures, including Mollah Mohammad Omar Akhound, the Taleban’s supreme leader, denigrating both the former Monarch and his efforts.

Regretting Iran’s coolness to the creation of the SCNU, Mr. Seirat explained that relations between the NA, Zaher Shah and other groups opposing Taleban have nothing to do with Iran, "the same as our ties with our powerful and friendly neighbour Iran has nothing to do with the United States", he pointed out.

In the opinion of Mr. Arsalan, Iran’s opposition to this latest Rome agreement is like opposing peace and stability in the region.

Though Zaher Shah has stressed that he do not wish to rule or to restore Monarchy, but some negotiators in Rome have doubt about his sincerity.

While the former King insist that both the SCNU and the emergency Loya Jirga must be open to all Afghan tribes, ethnics and religions, the Northern Alliance is adamantly against the return of personalities such as Golbodin Hekmatyar, a former prime minister whom the Alliance considers as one of the "culprits responsible for the afghan tragedy".

"As for the Taleban, if one think that moderate elements among the Taleban should have their place in any future government, then why call them Taleban", said Dr. Abdollah.

Signatories to the SCNS say restoring peace in Afghanistan would be a "smooth, slow and step by step" process, as, in general, they do not consider as "imminent" bombing of terrorists hideouts in Afghanistan by American forces.

Qanooni explains this point in more clear way by pointing out that attacking Afghanistan for arresting the terrorists and bombing out their hideouts and training centres must be separated from invading Afghanistan".

"We shall stand at Americans side in their struggle against terrorism, but in case they or any other foreign power decides to occupy Afghanistan, they would no doubt face a fierce opposition and resistance from Afghan people", he adds.

In his view, the "best way" to combat terrorism and the terrorists who have invaded Afghanistan, protected by the Taleban like Mr. Osama Ben Laden, the alleged prime suspect behind the 11 September terrorist operations in New York and in Washington D. C. is to stop Pakistan in interfering in Afghan interior affairs in the one hand and at the same time provide necessary military and political assistance to forces fighting the Taleban.