U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell dispatched James Dobbins, his special envoy for Afghan opposition groups, to Rome, Italy, to meet with Afghanistan's deposed king, Mohammad Zahir Shah, before heading to the region.

CNN: Move into Afghan capital hastens diplomatic steps

U.N. and U.S. officials agree that the former Afghan king, Mohammad Zahir Shah, 87, -- who has been living in Italy since a 1973 coup -- should play a role in the next government, even if it is a symbolic one.

CNN: Northern Alliance rejects U.N. force plan