Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
USA Today
March 13, 2008
Pg. 4
The Afghan insurgency has been worse than expected and a sharper United Nations mandate is needed if international efforts to stabilize Afghanistan are to succeed, the U.N. peacekeeping chief said Wednesday.
"We face an insurgency that has proven to be more resilient than we expected and more ruthless than we ever imagined," Undersecretary-General Jean-Marie Guéhenno told the Security Council.
He said governmental institutions in Afghanistan remain fragile, partly because of corruption, and the illicit opium trade continues to flourish, undermining the government by helping fund the Taliban.
The international community often has not been united on key policy issues, he said. Guéhenno called for a U.N. "course correction" in Afghanistan to improve coordination of international civilian efforts to help promote peace.
March 13, 2008
Pg. 4
The Afghan insurgency has been worse than expected and a sharper United Nations mandate is needed if international efforts to stabilize Afghanistan are to succeed, the U.N. peacekeeping chief said Wednesday.
"We face an insurgency that has proven to be more resilient than we expected and more ruthless than we ever imagined," Undersecretary-General Jean-Marie Guéhenno told the Security Council.
He said governmental institutions in Afghanistan remain fragile, partly because of corruption, and the illicit opium trade continues to flourish, undermining the government by helping fund the Taliban.
The international community often has not been united on key policy issues, he said. Guéhenno called for a U.N. "course correction" in Afghanistan to improve coordination of international civilian efforts to help promote peace.