In a villa north of Rome, the exiled former king of Afghanistan is both hopeful and anxious about the future of the land he ruled for 40 years.
As Afghanistan braces for possible military attack by the US, Mohammad Zahir Shah (86) is trying to build a coalition with opposition leaders with the goal of holding elections which could replace the Taliban militia. On Saturday, members of Afghanistan's anti-Taliban Northern Alliance travelled to Italy to meet Zahir Shah, who has been mentioned as a possible successor.
"Many people believe that my father is the only one who can provide a solution to the problems my country has been living with for 30 years," said the former king's youngest son, Mirwais Zahir ( 43), a poet who lives in Alexandria, Virginia.
"But our family isn't interested in taking power. We just want Afghanistan to have peace and for the people to decide their government in a democratic manner, with free elections," he said in a telephone interview.
Mr Zahir said the former monarch and his aides have been in close contact with the US, but he would not give details. The meeting with opposition leaders from northern Afghanistan, the only part of the country not controlled by the Taliban, would take place in the king's home.
He did not know how the opposition leaders were able to leave Afghanistan; Italian authorities were facilitating their safety.