The political package under discussion includes the installation of an Afghan chief executive at Karzai’s shoulder in the government and closer international cooperation by a permanent “contact group”…
Some European officials, including senior British figures, argue that the gains in efficiency achieved by appointing an international envoy with vice regal authority would be outweighed by the Kabul government’s further loss of legitimacy.
“This has to be Afghan-owned or it’s not going to work,” a top European official said. European states and Canada have a more positive view of the UN’s performance than the US…
A European diplomat portrayed the initiative as an attempt to restore US influence at the heart of the international co-ordination effort after Peter Galbraith, an American diplomat, was forced out of his job as the second-in-command at the UN mission in September because of a personality and policy clash with Eide.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member