Karzai opens road; US diplomat meets general

(26 Sep 2004) Shiberghan, Northern Afghanistan 1. Wide shot swimming pool, with US embassy officials and General Abdul Rashid Dostum group dining behind 2. Mid shot US ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad eating lunch 3. Exterior Dostum's house 4. SOUNDBITE (English): Zalmay Khalilzad, US Ambassador to Afghanistan: "Based on his candidacy for President, he is not in command of any forces anymore, he should not be. All the divisions that he has had before are not in control of ANA officers that have been appointed by the Ministry of Defence and approved by the President of Afghanistan. 5. Wide of US military Chinook helicopter 6. Various of Shiberghan road construction 7. Afhghanistan's transitional President Hamid Karzai with Dostum 8. Karzai walking, surrounded by security personnel 9. Dostum talking to Construction Minister Gul Agha Sherzai and Khalilzad 10. Karzai kisses the head of a girl 11. More of road opening ceremony inside tent 12. SOUNDBITE (Dari): Hamid Karzai, Transitional President of Afghanistan: "We have proved a big thing to the world; that is that the Afghans have a clear vision of their future, they understand the ground realities of the country and they hope for development. In this we are not far behind other peoples. We have proven this in the Loya Jirgas and today we are proving this again. Two competitors for the presidency are here to open a road construction project. Where can you find more success than in this." 13. Karzai's security 14. Karzai with Dostum Kabul 15. Interior Ministry news conference 16. Journalists 17. SOUNDBITE (English): Ali Ahmad Jalali, Interior Minister: "He (Maulvi Abdul Ghaffar) was a former leader of the Taliban who fought with the Taliban in the north before the downfall of that regime. Then I think he was arrested and taken to (US prison in Cuba) Guantanamo. He was imprisoned for eight months I think. He was released afterwards. Recently we heard he was appointed as the regional commander of Taliban in Uruzgan province." 18. Wide of news conference STORYLINE: With Afghanistan's first-ever nationwide presidential elections scheduled to take place next month, the two main presidential candidates attended a ceremony on Sunday to mark the start of a new reconstruction project. Afghanistan's Interim leader, President Hamid Karzai, ventured into the domain of northern strongman and challenger General Abdul Rashid Dostum in Shiberghan, northern Afghanistan, for the official opening of a new road. The candidates spoke of their pride in the achievements made in the reconstruction in Afghanistan over the past few years. Following lunch with Dostum later in the day, the US ambassador to Afghanistan said that Dostum is no longer in charge of his militias and hence, there was no issue with him being a Presidential candidate. According to the UN-brokered plan that brought Mr Karzai to power, Afghanistan's next leader must be elected by a majority in a popular vote. Karzai must ensure the October 9 elections take place on time, and that they are free and fair. In Kabul on Sunday, Afghanistan's Interior Minister, Ali Ahmad Jalali commented on the senior Taliban commander who was killed by Afghan security forces during a raid a day earlier. Jalali said Maulvi Abdul Ghaffar had been a former Taliban leader and an inmate at the US prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Jan Mohammed Khan, the governor of Uruzgan, confirmed Ghaffar had died in a gun battle on Saturday night in Pishi village in the southern province of Uruzgan. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...