Blueprint for post-Taliban cabinet

Coalition partners in the US-led attacks on Afghanistan are being asked to approve a blueprint for the country's future after the fall of the Taliban regime.

The plan is understood to involve the creation of a cabinet of 12 Afghan ministers to run the country, although ultimate power may remain in the hands of the United Nations.

The ministers would be representative of the country's diverse ethnic groups, and each would serve as president for a month. At the end of the year they would summon a Loya Jirga, the traditional Afghan parliament, to decide on the future - with the possibility of elections at that time. An international police body would be needed to keep order and UN peacekeeping troops might also be called on. UN special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi is canvassing support for the plan among the countries whose support would be needed to ensure its success, including Pakistan and Iran.

Current drafts appear to leave open the question of whether moderate members of the Taliban regime could serve in the new administration. There is also no clear indication of what role would be played by former king Zahir Shah, 87, who is in exile in Rome.