UN to expand activities in Afghanistan: Envoy

ISLAMABAD (NNI): New UN Secretary Generals envoy for Afghanistan, Francesc Vendrell has said he will discuss host of issues, confronting Afghan peace process in Afghanistan during his upcoming visit to the region, including Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Vendrell told BBC that he did not think the Afghan conflict would be resolved so rapidly, describing his new job as a challenging but said that he would continue efforts for fulfilling his responsibilities.

The UN envoy is scheduled to arrive in Islamabad on February 3 on his first visit to the region to familiarize himself of the situation in Afghanistan. He plans to also visit Afghanistan and a Central Asian state.

Explaining objectives of his proposed Mr. Vendrell said he does not intend to persuade Afghan factions to do anything in the beginning. "I am going to listen to their stands and then will resume my job". He said the UN activities in Afghanistan would further expand adding that UN offices will be opened in Kabul, Kandahar and Iran.

One of the issues Mr. Vendrell will be discussing with leaders of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asian countries, is the future of the "Six Plus Two" group. Tremendous dissatisfaction has been expressed regarding the working of the group by several quarters. Some of its member-countries are supporting different Afghan groups.

Vendrell said that besides maintaining the group, ways to be explored to bring about changes into it. He will hold talks with the member-countries in the next several weeks for bringing about changes in its structure. One of the proposals is the expansion of the group. The remaining members of the UN Security Council, including France and Britain may also be included in the "Six Plus Two".

Some people inside the UN may say that Francese Vendrell has been assigned the most difficult job in the United Nations. He is the seventh person during the last decade to be appointed as special UN envoy for Afghanistan. None of these could succeed in ending the war or forcing the foreign countries to stop insisting the warring groups for fighting.

Earlier, the job was assigned to Lakhdar Brahimi, who resigned last year. Brahimi had said both Taliban and the neighbouring countries had rendered the Afghan peace process as ridiculous. Vendrell accepted that the UN jobs were upsetting but he has faxed a target for himself.