Former Afghan president visits former king

The former Afghan president, Burhanuddin Rabbani, has visited the former king, Zahir Shah, who returned to the Afghan capital, Kabul, this week after 29 years in exile.

The BBC's Kabul correspondent says Mr Rabbani had been conspicuous by his absence at Kabul airport on Thursday when delegations arrived from across Afghanistan to welcome Zahir Shah.

Mr Rabbani has no official position at the moment, but members of his Jamiat Islami faction, which has long been opposed to the monarchy, occupy prominent positions in the interim government.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service