UN Afghan envoy opts not to extend job contract

[maddezmom]

Source: BBC

UN Afghan envoy opts not to extend job contract

Kai Eide said he always intended to leave after two years
The United Nations envoy to Afghanistan, Kai Eide, will not continue in his role once his term expires in March, the UN says.

A UN spokesman said Mr Eide never intended to stay beyond two years, and that a replacement was being sought.

Mr Eide asked the UN to start looking for a replacement now to ensure a smooth transition.

He had recently been criticised over his handling of the October elections which were marred by fraud allegations.




Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8407897.stm

[Turborama]

1. U.N. Afghan Mission Chief to Resign

Source: NYT

KABUL, Afghanistan — The top United Nations official in Afghanistan, Kai Eide, said Friday that he would leave when his contract expired early next year, as the organization was already looking for a replacement.

Mr. Eide, a 60-year-old Norwegian diplomat who came under criticism for his handling of the fraud-ridden Afghan presidential election in August, said that he had never planned to renew his contract, which expires in March, and that his departure had nothing to do with the tumultuous aftermath of the national ballot.

In September, Mr. Eide’s deputy at the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, the American diplomat Peter W. Galbraith, accused Mr. Eide of concealing electoral fraud that benefited the president, Hamid Karzai. Mr. Eide sharply disputed the assertions, saying he never sought to cover up fraud and had always adhered to Afghan law. The United Nations dismissed Mr. Galbraith in late September.

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One influential research organization, the International Crisis Group, called for Mr. Eide’s resignation several weeks ago, saying he had “lost the confidence of many on his staff and the necessary trust of many parts of the Afghan polity.”

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/12/world/asia/12afghan.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

[EFerrari]

2. Now, this is change. Bush would have given him a medal. n/t