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U.N. Urges Multinational Force in Afghanistan by December 22
With additional reporting by Ayesha Ahmad, IOL Washington Correspondent
LONDON, Dec 7 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - The U.N.'s senior peacekeeping official said Friday he wanted a multinational force to begin deploying in Afghanistan by December 22, when the country's interim government takes power.
Jean-Marie Guehenno said that it was important that the force, which would act as a "stabilizing" influence under U.N. authority, was put in place "as soon as possible".
He suggested it operate along the lines of the Australian-led force sent to East Timor under U.N. mandate in 1999.
"The sooner it is in place the better for that [new Afghan] government," he added.
"It would be very good that some elements of the force be in place by then [Dec. 22]. It's important there not be too much delay in deployment."
Guehenno refused to speculate on which countries would take part, how many troops they would send - there will be "no shortage," he promised - whether and which Muslim nations might contribute, and how robust their mandate would be.
"It will be a multinational force, a coalition of the willing, not a 'blue helmet' force" led by the U.N., he told reporters.
He said discussions were going on between countries on contributions, and it was up to them to decide on a command structure and the exact role of the troops.
Once a concrete proposal was on the table, the U.N. Security Council would be able to pass a resolution "within a matter of days" authorizing deployment.
He said he would be "surprised" if the force included soldiers from any of Afghanistan's immediate neighbors.
In Washington on Friday, U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan James Dobbins echoed Guehenno's information, adding that while he also did not expect Afghanistan's neighbors - such as Pakistan and Iran - to send in peacekeeping troops, he expected a substantial presence of forces from other nations around the world.
Explaining his optimism for the reconstruction process ahead, Dobbins, who returned from Bonn recently, said, "After 20 years of civil war, there is an immense yearning for peace in Afghanistan."
The agreement for an interim administration in Afghanistan, signed in Bonn earlier this week, was endorsed Thursday by the Security Council.
It delayed a decision on authorizing an international force to support the deal, although U.N. chief Kofi Annan said he hoped it could be done quickly.
Diplomats said the United States tried, but failed to persuade other Council members to include a reference to the force in Thursday's resolution.
They said the Security Council was unlikely to give a mandate until it was clear which country would lead the security force and how it would coordinate with the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan.
Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany and Italy have offered to take part, "but nobody is volunteering to take the lead," one diplomat said.
Guehenno, the U.N. Under Secretary-General for peacekeeping issues, was due to meet later Friday with Britain's defense and aid ministers.
He said the peacekeeping forces would be deployed initially in the Afghan capital Kabul as the priority before spreading progressively to other centers.
But he insisted there was a "red line" between assisting in Afghanistan and taking on responsibilities that should be left to the Afghans themselves.
Guehenno denied that the U.N. should be in place already. "When you are in the middle of a shooting war, the idea of a [U.N.] force to stabilize the situation would not make much sense."
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