ID :
129205
Tue, 06/22/2010 - 16:52
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/129205
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UK envoy to Afghanistan suspended after criticising US policy
London, June 22, IRNA – The UK's most senior diplomat in Afghanistan, special envoy Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, was reported Tuesday to have been suspended following recent criticism of Nato and US policy.
Cowper-Coles, who was appointed special envoy including for Pakistan in February 2009 after serving as ambassador to Kabul, was said to have taken “extended leave” over the summer, but according to the BBC, he has not been sacked as some newspapers have claimed.
The former ambassador clashed in recent months with senior Nato and US officials over his insistence that the military-driven counter-insurgency effort was headed for failure, and that talks with the Taliban should be prioritised.
He also courted controversy in 2008 when a leaked French diplomatic cable suggested he had been sharply critical of Afghan President Hamid Karzai and US policy.
The Guardian newspaper linked the timing of his suspension coming ahead of next month’s critical international conference in Kabul, being hosted by Karzai and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, which is expected to focus on the controversial question of talks with the Taliban.
Cowper-Coles, who shadowed US special representative Richard Holbrooke, is being replaced on a temporary basis by Karen Pierce, Foreign Office director for Afghanistan and South Asia.
The BBC said that it was not clear what role he will return to in the autumn as Foreign Secretary William Hague is reviewing the post and how the Afghan dossier is handled./end
Cowper-Coles, who was appointed special envoy including for Pakistan in February 2009 after serving as ambassador to Kabul, was said to have taken “extended leave” over the summer, but according to the BBC, he has not been sacked as some newspapers have claimed.
The former ambassador clashed in recent months with senior Nato and US officials over his insistence that the military-driven counter-insurgency effort was headed for failure, and that talks with the Taliban should be prioritised.
He also courted controversy in 2008 when a leaked French diplomatic cable suggested he had been sharply critical of Afghan President Hamid Karzai and US policy.
The Guardian newspaper linked the timing of his suspension coming ahead of next month’s critical international conference in Kabul, being hosted by Karzai and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, which is expected to focus on the controversial question of talks with the Taliban.
Cowper-Coles, who shadowed US special representative Richard Holbrooke, is being replaced on a temporary basis by Karen Pierce, Foreign Office director for Afghanistan and South Asia.
The BBC said that it was not clear what role he will return to in the autumn as Foreign Secretary William Hague is reviewing the post and how the Afghan dossier is handled./end
