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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, April 18, 2002

Ex-Afghan King Arrives in Kabul

Escorted by Afghan interim leader Hamid Karzai and seven cabinet members, former king Mohammed Zahir Shah at last arrived home on Thursday after 29 years in exile in Rome.


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Escorted by Afghan interim leader Hamid Karzai and seven cabinet members, former king Mohammed Zahir Shah at last arrived home on Thursday after 29 years in exile in Rome.

The 87-year-old former monarch, whose return has already been delayed twice out of security reasons, departed the Italy capital for his homeland, Afghanistan.

He is expected to inaugurate in June a Loya Jirga, a traditional Afghan grand assembly, which will select a transitional government to administrate the war-torn country for the next two years.

Karzai and seven cabinet members flew to Rome on Tuesday to escort Zahir Shah home. The ministers include foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah and interior minister Younus Qanooni.

Zahir Shah was due to have flown back home last month but the Italian government, which is in charge of his security until the moment he landed in the Afghanistan, announced a delay until mid- April.

The announcement came after a call by U.S. President George W. Bush to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi warning of a plot to assassinate Zahir Shah, reports said.

It had been expected that the former king would return Tuesday but the Afghan government on Sunday announced one or two-day delay.

A huge security campaign has been launched to cope with the return of the former king with Afghan police and international troops having been carrying out security drills in Kabul before his arrival.

Zahir Shah was deposed by his cousin Mohammed Daoud while on holiday in Italy in July 1973. Daoud declared Afghanistan a republic before he was assassinated in a coup five years later.






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