TRANSCRIPT

Colin Brazier, Presenter: So with no sign of the violence in Afghanistan ending, what next for the international community?  Well the United Nations Special Representative in Afghanistan, who also happens to be head of UN's Assistance Mission in the country, Kai Eide, is in our central London studio.  A very warm welcome to you.  There we are, reporting on the deaths of two British service personnel down in Kandahar province, but the truth now of course, for Afghanistan, that even the capital Kabul is a dangerous place.  I believe you were there in January when a hotel was attacked and a... a Norwegian journalist not very far away from you was killed.

Kai Eide, UN Special Representative: That's right, in fact, but I left the hotel 22 seconds before the attack took place.  I was lucky, but the journalist was not unfortunately, and also a number of other Afghans were killed during that... that attack.

CB: What impressions, then, have you formed?  Not just of the security situation in Kabul itself, but in Afghanistan more generally?  I mean what direction is it travelling?  Are things improving or getting worse?

KE: I think the security situation is certainly demanding, that we can all see.  I think overall it's improving.  It will take time, but it is improving.  And we see also that some... a number of the security incidents that now happen are not only from insurgents, but also, is from criminal activity.  But all this comes down to the same; we have to work hard not only on security side with the international forces, but also spend more resources in building the Afghan institutions.  The Afghan Army is doing relatively well, I must say, and I'm very optimistic on that.  But you can see that the police, the justice sector, the rule of law sector, they are all weak, as they often are in these kind of situations, and we have to devote much more resources to building them up quickly.

CB: Yeah.  I mean in a sense part of your mission is to look at the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.  Of course we know that you can't improve that situation until reconstruction improves; you can't have reconstruction, the point is often made, unless you have security.  On that security question, we know that Nato recently met in Bucharest.  The French have said they're going to send more troops now.  But what about those countries, particularly within Nato, who are point blank really, refusing to send their infantry men and women into dangerous parts of Afghanistan?

KE: Well I don't think it's my job to comment on decisions having been made by European governments or other governments with regard to where they position their forces.  I think it's clear that some are taking a very heavy burden here, as you are, as we just heard.  But every government has his own situation and domestic situation to... to pay attention to.  I think though, the less there is... [sounds like] there is now a... a good build up of Isa forces [sounds like] in Afghanistan.  But as I said, the security forces can do their part, but we have to give more prominence to the other dimensions, which is, as you said, development.  It's not going as good as we should. [sounds like] And also for the political dimension, which needs now to have greater prominence.  And I think we are moving on both these scores, in fact.  Much remains on the development side, and we have to do our best to get more out of the resources that we use in the country, and then we also, as I said, we have to initiate processes on the political side.  Because we all know that the solution to the problems of Afghanistan will not be a military solution, it will have to be a political solution.

CB: Well the Taliban of course don't want those solutions.  They don't want reconstruction.  And they have, it's said by some, changed or allowed their tactics to evolve over recent months even... and as we see there's been the... this roadside bomb that's claimed the lives to two British service personnel.  Their tactics have changed.  They're using more of these improvised explosive devices.  They are definitely changing as an organisation which needs to be defeated.

KE: Well I see this change in tactics as a result of them feeling to be on the defensive.  So I think we are making progress on the security side, but as you said, the tactics that are now being employed are dangerous and exposing our troops and civilians to... to new dangers.  But as I said, we... we now have to continue meeting that on the security side, but we have to also devote more attention on development and the political side of it all.  And that I see as my two most important challenges.  To have the international community act more in unison, spend the money better so that the Afghan people can see progress across the country.  And also initiate a reconciliation process, see to it that governance across the country becomes better, and also see to it that the regional cooperation becomes... improves, so that we can also... that can also contribute to greater stability inside of Afghanistan.  Those are tremendous challenges, but we have to devote much more effort to those at this moment.

CB: You mentioned the political situation.  Some people say that ultimately, the woes of Afghanistan require a political solution, that eventually you'll need to talk, or the Afghan government will need to talk to the Taliban; they'll need to sit down and actually negotiate with these people.  That's something which Hamid Karzai has very much set his face against.  What about his political prospects now?  I don't know whether you've met him; whether you've had any talks with him.  But what are his prospects?

KE: I met him several times over the last few weeks.  I think he's a very determined leader who has a vision for his country.  With regard to the political processes, I think it's clear that there's more talk about it now.  That has to be an Afghan led process.   We cannot impose any kind of reconciliation process from outside; it has to be his and we have to support it as best as we possibly can.  And we in the UN certainly intend to do that, whenever requested by the Afghan government.  But that kind of political process has to come underway.

CB: That's the UN Special Representative in Afghanistan, Kai Eide.  Thank you very much.

KE: Thank you.

Ends