Brahimi outlines UN role further

UN Special Representative for Afghanistan Lakhdar Brahimi told reporters in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Tuesday that the military campaign had compounded problems for innocent Afghans, reiterating the UN Secretary-General's call for the bombing campaign to stop as soon as possible. Now that the world had realised that a country like Afghanistan could not be left to rot with its problems without consequences for the world, the UN's mission was to see if it could help Afghans avail themselves of the opportunity, he said. As such, the mission was pursuing three tracks - humanitarian, political and post-conflict resolution. Brahimi said the UN was trying to do everything possible to help millions of people in desperate need of help, describing the humanitarian situation as "very urgent and dramatic". Referring to the political and reconstruction process, he hoped there would be a new opportunity for Afghans to overcome their internal conflicts. "The international community has understood and is determined to act on the recognition that a political solution will be greatly enhanced and reinforced by a determined, serious, lasting effort to help the people of Afghanistan reconstruct themselves," he said. Brahimi said he was not talking to the Taliban movement on political issues as he did not feel this would be of much benefit to the people of Afghanistan. In the event of a post-conflict situation, the question of security would be paramount, he said. A traditional UN peacekeeping force, in which full agreement by all parties to the peace process was required, was the least likely scenario, he added. A multinational force from willing member states, with a Security Council mandate and "capable of taking much more robust action", was more likely, he explained. While in Tehran, the Special Representative met Iran's president, Mohammad Khatami, who called for a pivotal role for the UN in Afghanistan. Brahimi is also expected to stop in Rome to hold talks with the former Afghan king, Mohammad Zahir Shah, before travelling on to New York for meetings with the Six plus Two, a group comprising Afghanistan's six neighbours, the US and Russia. Last year, Brahimi chaired an independent panel established to review UN peace operations. Known as the "Brahimi report", it served to address shortcomings in UN peacekeeping operations. According to UN officials, many of the recommendations for overall political and operational strategy, have already been implemented.