| Submit your comments on this article |
| Afghanistan |
| Swede Rejects Offer of UN Afghan Post |
| 2010-01-24 |
| [Quqnoos] Swedish diplomat has turned down an offer to become the new UN special envoy to Afghanistan. Staffan de Mistura, the UN former envoy to Iraq, has turned down the Afghan job offer due to "family reasons," according to reports. Diplomats said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had wanted de Mistura to replace his outgoing envoy in Kabul, Norwegian diplomat Kai Eide. Eide was accused by his former deputy, US diplomat Peter Galbraith, of playing down the extent of the fraud in last year's presidential election. Eide denied the allegations and Ban fired Galbraith. Diplomats said it was not clear who would get the job now. Possible candidates are former Slovak foreign minister, Jan Kubis, and Ian Martin of Britain, the former UN envoy to Nepal and previous head of Amnesty International. "He says it's for family reasons," a senior Western diplomat told Reuters on condition of anonymity. "Now we're back to square one." The new envoy is expected to play an important role supporting US President Barack Obama's new policy in Afghanistan, which includes more US and NATO troops a "civilian surge". Ban had hoped to announce de Mistura's appointment during an international conference on Afghanistan in London next week. |
| Posted by:Fred |