Brahimi clarifies UN facilitating role

The United Nations Secretary General's Special Representative for Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, told reporters on Thursday in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, that the task facing the UN was to find a sustainable solution to the Afghan crisis truly reflecting the aspirations of all the people of Afghanistan. "A time will come, we hope very soon, when Afghans will reconstruct their country with the assistance and advice of the United Nations," Brahimi said in the press conference. He clarified that the UN was not trying to craft a new government, but was preparing for a transition from humanitarian assistance to long-term reconstruction and development. Brahimi said the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan was the UN's immediate concern. He added that the shortages of food and other supplies to the northeastern provinces of Faryab, Sar-e Pol, Ghowr and Badghis were alarming, with estimates that 400,000 people had sufficient food for only three months. A further 500,000 internally displaced persons, scattered all over the northern region were dependent on food aid for survival. "It must be assumed that 900,000 people will be in a very precarious position in the future," he said. Commenting on the former king's formula for peace in Afghanistan, Brahimi emphasised that the UN was working to bring together all such efforts and initiatives into one single process for Afghanistan. "We have had some very intensive discussions with Afghan representatives, civil society members and women's' groups," he said. Reflecting on Brahimi's visit, Farhan Bokhari, a journalist and regional expert on Afghanistan, told IRIN on Friday that Brahimi was not close to any settlement. "In this kind of diplomacy, perceptions can matter more than reality. Brahimi at best can provide a forum to Afghans where they meet, but he can never impose an agreement," said Bokhari, adding that Brahimi's previous attempt at peace in 1999 had set him at a disadvantage.