Afghan King's Return Delayed

President Bush telephoned Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi to warn of threats against the exiled Afghan king, triggering a last-minute decision to delay the monarch's return his homeland, a top Italian official said Tuesday.

Italy also had "alarming reports" from its military intelligence about plans to assassinate the king upon his return, Margherita Boniver, a foreign ministry undersecretary for Afghan affairs, said in an interview.

Italy also decided to take charge of security for former King Mohammad Zaher Shah when he does return to Afghanistan rather than leave it in the hands of Afghan authorities.

"This all happened after Bush called Berlusconi," Boniver said.

Zaher Shah and interim Afghan leader Hamid Karzai were both surprised by the Italian decisions.

Zaher Shah had expected to leave Rome on Monday. Karzai was preparing to fly from Kabul to Rome on Sunday to escort the exiled monarch.

The postponement was not announced until midday Saturday, two days after the Bush-Berlusconi phone call and a day after the U.S. ambassador to Italy, Melvin Sembler, paid a personal, follow-up visit to the Italian premier to discuss American concerns.

It now appears that Zaher Shah, who has lived in Rome since his ouster in a 1973 coup, will not return before mid-April.

"We feel responsible not only for taking the king back, but his safety and security once he gets there," Boniver said.

Italy had originally planned to deliver the 87-year-old exile to Kabul, escort him to his residence and then hand off security to the interim Afghan government's Interior Ministry.

However, the troops that would have protected Zaher Shah came from a faction seen as political rivals to the king and Karzai.

As Zaher Shah's return approached, Italy began getting "alarming reports" about threats, Boniver said, and came to share U.S. concerns about his safety once he returned.

"We got more and more detailed reports from Italian military intelligence coming out of Afghanistan that they'd heard about preparations for attempts on the king's life," she said.

Among them was a report that there might be an attempt to shoot down the king's plane as it approached Kabul, she said. Officials declined to specify the source of any of the threats, but Afghanistan is divided by factional, ethnic and political rivalries.

The postponement gives Italy more time to organize a security detail for Zaher Shah. And putting Italy in charge of his security gives the United States and Italy time to train an Afghan force to take over at some point, she said.

Zaher Shah ruled Afghanistan for 40 years, the last stretch of real peace the county knew, and many Afghans hope he can serve as a unifying figure when he returns. He is scheduled to convene a national assembly, or loya jirga, in June to choose a new national government.

Zaher Shah had said last week he was satisfied with the Afghan security arrangements.

He has been diplomatic about the delay. "We agree, we understand and we are cooperating," he said Saturday through a spokesman.

Karzai's response was sharper. "There is no problem with security," he told reporters in Kabul on Saturday.

The former monarch has said he is eager to see his homeland again and hopes to live out his "remaining years" in Afghanistan, serving his people.

Boniver said Italy regretted postponing his long-awaited delay.

"From a political point of view, my wish is that all this could happen as quickly as possible. Having the king go back before the loya jirga will be a political asset for Karzai."

Karzai and Zaher Shah are distant relatives and have long enjoyed a warm relationship.

By Candice Hughes