WASHINGTON The State Department announced the appointment of an expert on the Balkan conflict to serve as U.S. ambassador to anti-Taliban parties in Afghanistan.
Spokesman Richard Boucher said Monday that Ambassador James Dobbins will spend the bulk of his time in the region consulting with the Afghan opposition and with concerned governments in Europe, the Middle East and South Asia.
The ambassador will work closely with Richard Haass, the U.S. coordinator for policy regarding the future of Afghanistan.
Dobbins advised the Clinton administration on Balkan issues and headed the State Department's European bureau for a time.
Meanwhile, the White House left the door open to rewarding Pakistan for its support in the war on terror by cutting U.S. tariffs on Pakistani textiles and apparel. President Bush "is working with Congress to explore a number of options to assist the Pakistani government," White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said. "Trade is one way we may be able to assist."
While U.S.-led military efforts in Afghanistan continue, diplomats have been working to forge a broadly representative government to replace the Taliban leadership. Ethnic, political and religious differences have prevented a unified government from taking hold in Afghanistan for years.
U.S. officials said the political arms of the rebel northern alliance in Afghanistan plan to meet in Turkey in the coming days with groups associated with the dethroned king, Mohammad Zaher Shah. The exiled monarch, who was forced out in 1973 and lives in Rome, is seen by some as a potential unifying force in the deeply fragmented country.
Various U.S. officials have met with the 87-year-old Zaher Shah in recent weeks. The last such encounter occurred in late October.
Next Monday, representatives from Afghanistan's six neighbors Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Pakistan and China as well as the United States and Russia, will meet at the United Nations.
The meeting of the so-called "6 plus 2 group" will be the first since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. All eight members are eager to see evolution toward a representative government that would bring stability to Afghanistan for the first time in a generation.
An administration official said the eight countries will attempt to work out a declaration that expresses the hope that all Afghan parties will work together to build a broadly based government in the post-Taliban era. 
2001 The Associated Press