By IRNA
London : An all-party group of MPs Thursday expressed concern about the recent deterioration in political relations between Afghanistan and the UK.
“We recognise that the civilian and military effort is entirely dependent on the goodwill of the Government and people of
Afghanistan,” the International Development Committee said.
“But there is a risk that the tone and timing of recent comments by the Government of Afghanistan which are critical of the UK could undermine British public support for the UK’s long-term commitment to Afghanistan,” the parliamentary committee warned.
Apart from concern about difference in strategy, the most visible sign in the deterioration of relations between Nato and Afghanistan was last month’s rejection by President Hamid Karzai in the appointment of British peer, Lord Ashdown as the UN’s special envoy.
In a report on Reconstructing Afghanistan, the committee said it was “disappointed that sufficient international momentum could not be gained for the appointment of a high level joint UN, NATO, EU coordinator for Afghanistan.”
“If the international community will not agree the appointment of a super-envoy, ways must be found to ensure that the role of UN Special Representative is properly resourced and that the incumbent has sufficient weight in dealing with partner countries,” it said.
The MPs spoke of recent differences have emerging between the Afghan government and the UK and Nato “over the effectiveness of the military strategy in Helmand, the choice of governor and who should take the lead in any dealings with the insurgents.”
“Such disagreements highlight the importance of ensuring that the process of reconstruction becomes an Afghan-led one,” they said in the report.
The committee also said they were disappointed that the Counter- Narcotics Trust Fund has not been more successful in its efforts to provide alternative livelihoods to opium poppy cultivation.
“There has been insufficient attention to and funding for the agricultural and livestock sectors which could provide a range of alternatives to poppy cultivation,” it said.
Chairman of the committee, Malcolm Bruce, referred to Afghanistan still remaining a desperately poor country after suffering years of conflict and said the UK had to be “realistic about what can be achieved in the short term.”
“It is vitally important that the UK and other donors stay committed to the reconstruction effort since the insurgency will not be defeated without tangible improvements in people’s lives,” said Bruce, who is a Lib Dem MP.