The main political rival to Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai said on Saturday he was forming a new political party to contest a parliamentary election in April after refusing to take a cabinet post. Yunus Qanuni was runner up to Karzai in the country's first democratic election of a leader last October, and his omission from the cabinet announced on Thursday caused some worries that there could be a backlash.
But at a news conference at his heavily guarded home in Kabul's northern suburbs, Qanuni sought to allay those fears and offered qualified support for Karzai's new government.
"Our position is that the announced government has its strong and its weak points. Anyway, we wish Mr. Karzai and his new administration success," said Qanuni, who served as Karzai's education minister in the interim government established after the fall of the Taleban in late 2001.
Qanuni, who belongs to the militarily powerful faction from the Panjsher Valley, said he had been offered the defence ministry but felt unqualified to take over a post formerly held his ally Mohammad Qasim Fahim, and preferred to stay outside the cabinet to become a force in parliament.
Karzai, a member of the ethnic Pashtuns who have traditionally ruled Afghanistan, said on Friday he offered to support Qanuni, a Tajik, if the new party was national rather than narrowly defined along ethnic and regional lines.
"Firstly, I thank Mr. Karzai for his friendly words. He has told me as well that he will support a national political party, which we have decided to form," Qanuni said, adding the new political movement would be called New Afghanistan.
In return, Qanuni said he would support all positive efforts by the Karzai government to reconstruct and develop the country.
Qanuni also urged his faction not to be disappointed over their lack of cabinet representation, and their interest would be safeguarded.