Military

DATE=12/22/01

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=AFGHANISTAN / GOVERNMENT (L)

NUMBER=2-284547

BYLINE=LARRY JAMES

DATELINE=KABUL

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Hamid Karzai has been sworn in as head of Afghanistan's interim government, bringing new hope that he will begin to heal a nation torn by decades of war. VOA's Larry James was at the swearing-in ceremony and has this report on the successful transfer of power.

TEXT:

/// NAT SOUND APPLAUSE IN FULL THEN FADE ///

Afghanistan's new leader Hamid Karzai and outgoing President Burhanudin Rabbani embraced warmly as dignitaries and invited guests applauded. The transition between the last internationally-recognized Afghan head of state and the newly-appointed head of the country's interim government was the first peaceful transfer of power in decades.

Mr. Rabbani's administration was ousted by the Taleban five years ago, but even so has been recognized by the United Nations as Afghanistan's last official government. U-S diplomats say Washington will immediately recognize the new government that took office today.

In a speech immediately before he was sworn in, Mr. Karzai laid out the steps he will take to start rebuilding Afghanistan.

/// KARZAI ACT IN DARI THEN FADE ///

He promised that he will fulfill his mission and bring peace to Afghanistan.

He spoke in the two most widely-used languages of Aghanistan -- his native Pashto and also in Dari.

Mr. Karzai also said that because of the long war, Afghanistan has been distracted and he called on all Afghans to "put their hands together as brothers and friends." He said Afghans need to forget the painful past.

Mr. Karzai administered the oath of office to 30 cabinet ministers who sat with him on stage. They were joined by a number of dignitaries including Uzbek warlord General Abdel Rashid Dostum, from the northern part of the country, and Ismail Khan whose forces control the western part of the country.

Both men had complained bitterly about the minor cabinet posts their factions had been given in the interim government, but had also said they are committed to making the Bonn agreement work. There had been some speculation that lower level representatives might attend the ceremony on their behalf. In the end they both attend, even though Ismail Khan arrived on the podium as Mr. Karzai was speaking.

Among the hundreds of guests attending the ceremony were Afghan tribal leaders, and officials from a number of countries. U-S special envoy James Dobbins represented the United States, along with General Tommy Franks, who is leading the U-S military effort against the Taleban and al-Qaida forces in Afghanistan. (signed)

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