The talks on Afghanistan's future were in disarray at a critical phase tonight, with the Northern Alliance refusing to present a list of names to help rule the country until a national council next spring.
Alliance chief envoy Younus Qanooni told the other delegations that he is not in a position to agree to any names, delegates said.
A Western diplomat said the talks had deadlocked: "We are now in a difficult phase," he said.
US envoy Mr James Dobbins confirmed the Northern Alliance did not have the authority to present their list of people, and that the other delegations were waiting.
"It is important this be overcome," Mr Dobbins said. "This will be the most difficult part of the negotiations and it hasn't started yet."
Remarks earlier in the day by former Afghan President Burhannaddin Rabbani in Kabul indicated rifts in the Northern Alliance delegation.
At the presidential palace, Rabbani complained that a delegation representing his Northern Alliance had been pressured to agree to name members of interim bodies at the talks and to accept an international security force.
Rabbani said the members of the interim council should be decided not in Germany, but by the Afghan people. "We could go through this process and have (an interim) council in one or two months," said Rabbani, who is recognised by the United Nations as Afghanistan's head of state.
He also raised objections to any international peacekeeping force, saying he would prefer an all-Afghan force with 1,000 fighters from each faction. Any foreign contribution should be limited to 200, Rabbani said.
Back in Germany, the Northern Alliance delegates have asked for more time to consult with leaders in Afghanistan on their list of representatives in an interim administration, Anwar Ahadi, a member of the Pakistani-based faction said.
Northern Alliance chief envoy Younus Qanooni "said even if we agree to a list here and sign something, what value will it have if it is not accepted by our leaders in Kabul?" Ahadi said. "We understand it's not a matter of one or two more days. They seem to be asking for a lot more time."
An adviser to the king's delegation, Yusef Yaqoub, confirmed Qanooni's comments.
Mr Dobbins said the United States was pressing the Northern Alliance delegation to remove obstacles blocking the talks.
AP