The United Nations expects Afghan leaders meeting in Bonn to agree a four-month interim administration for Kabul by the end of the week, much more quickly than anticipated.

The Northern Alliance, which this month wrested control of most of Afghanistan from the Taliban, supports the idea of an interim administration that would rule until March 21, the Afghan New Year known as Nauroz, delegates in Bonn say.

But it remains unclear whether key alliance leaders, such as Burhannudin Rabbani, who chose to consolidate their power rather than attend the meeting in Bonn, will be willing to cede control to such an administration.

Mr Rabbani, Afghanistan's president until the Taliban seized power in 1996, has insisted discussions about the political future of Afghanistan be held in Kabul, where he has a considerable home-court advantage.

He agreed to the talks in Bonn under strong pressure from the US, but he has repeatedly down-played them as symbolic.

After sending mixed signals over the past few days, Mr Rabbani on Tuesday struck a more conciliatory note, telling journalists in Dubai: "I believe they will agree on certain measures to resolve the problem in Afghanistan, such as an interim administration and a leadership committee."

He added: "This is a complex problem that cannot be resolved overnight and I have instructed my delegation [in Bonn] to discuss with the other factions a mechanism that must yield a just settlement so that no problems erupt in the future."

Despite continued uncertainty over the stance of Northern Alliance leaders, the UN now feels it is in a sufficiently strong position to send the discussion to Kabul.

Ahmad Fawzi, a UN spokesman, said the UN would be "happy" to go to Kabul after Bonn.

While in Bonn, Afghan leaders still have to agree on two critical points: Who will lead the short-term administration and whether the administration would allow a multilateral force to keep the peace in Afghanistan as the UN has suggested.

So far, delegates have agreed an interim administration is necessary to buy time for the appointment of a Loya Jirga, a grand council of tribal elders, which would approve a more representative 2-year administration and a large council or parliament to oversee it.