Afghan gov't says UN representative out of line

AP - By HEIDI VOGT

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Pushing back against international criticism, Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry said Saturday that the top U.N. official in the country overstepped his authority by giving instructions on how to rid the government of corruption and warlords.

Norwegian diplomat Kai Eide joined a host of international figures, including President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who have called on the Afghan government to take concrete steps to clean up the government following a presidential election that was marred by fraud.

But the comments of Eide, head of the U.N. mission in Afghanistan, prompted the foreign minister to issue a weekend statement saying the U.N. official "exceeded international norms and his authority as a representative of an impartial organization."

Eide warned Thursday that the Afghan government should not assume that it will have the support of international donors and troops if it continues to accept corruption and welcome warlords into the administration.

"Troop countries are looking very carefully, and more carefully and more intensively, than before at what is happening and that will certainly determine the public mood at this critical juncture. And that's a factor of conditionality that governments cannot ignore," he said.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai's collection of advisers and ministers "should be composed of competent, reform-oriented personalities that can implement a reform agenda," he added.

U.N. mission spokesman Adrian Edwards said Saturday that Eide had made similar comments before, urging the Afghan government to curb corruption and rein in regional leaders who often wield more power than the government. He said the U.N. mission in Afghanistan is mandated by the U.N. to provide advice.

"Sometimes our advice is not going to be palatable, but we have to advise in good faith to the best of our abilities," he said.

The Foreign Ministry condemned such comments as interfering in national sovereignty.

"Over the last few days some political and diplomatic circles and propaganda agencies of certain foreign countries have intervened in Afghanistan's internal affairs by issuing instructions concerning the composition of Afghan government organs and political policy of Afghanistan," the statement said. "Such instructions have violated respect for Afghanistan's national sovereignty."

Karzai was re-elected this month, but the vote took two and a half months to resolve because of ballot-box stuffing and the unwillingness of Karzai and election officials he appointed to accept results that would have forced him into a runoff vote. Karzai ultimately accepted the runoff under U.S. pressure but the ballot was canceled after his challenger dropped out.