Afghan president rejects envoy Ashdown

Last Modified: 25 Jan 2008
By: Jonathan Rugman

At the World Economic Forum, President Karzai rejected a new role for Paddy Ashdown in his country.

The former Liberal Democrat leader, Ashdown, was in line for a job as the UN special envoy to Afghanistan.

But Channel 4 News understands that in private conversations in Davos, Hamid Karzai has ruled this out.

A fortnight ago it seemed almost certain that Paddy Ashdown would be the new UN envoy to Afghanistan. But now it seems just as certain he will not take up the role.

Channel 4 News understands Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president no less, has told his fellow politicians meeting at Davos in Switzerland that the deal is off.

British officials suggest Karzai feared a powerful UN envoy like Ashdown would challenge the system of patronage and corruption which dominates Afghan politics.

Karzai persuaded the Americans to tone down the job description. But that still wasn't enough.

It's understood that Paddy Ashdown had second thoughts anyway about becoming the UN's so-called super envoy. Now it seems he needn't worry.

So why the change of heart over Ashdown? British officials suggest Afghan factions may have pressured Mr Karzai into changing his mind.

One member of the Brown government today told Channel 4 News that Mr Karzai was "losing his mind" and failing to tackle corruption.

Only last month Mr Karzai hosted Gordon Brown amid much fanfare in Kabul.

Karzai is a lynchpin of British policy. His Afghan forces were working alongside British troops in recapturing the Taliban stronghold of Musa Qala last year.

Mr Karzai met Gordon Brown in Davos today. But not before he'd told this morning's papers that inefficient British forces had made mistakes in Musa Qala 18 months ago, which had allowed the Taliban to retake it.

Downing Street hit back, saying that British troops had suffered losses and shown great bravery working closely with Afghan forces.

We understand that British troops along with Afghan forces are fighting the Taliban in Helmand province - 7,000 British troops are in Afghanistan and 78 British personnel have lost their lives in one of the toughest provinces.