may need to play a role in Afghanistan after its military campaign is concluded, how will it affect the U.Ns efforts to establish a broad-based post-Taliban government?
It facilitates the task. If one really can get rid of the terrorist problem in Afghanistan, one will need to make sure that there is a new Afghanistan with institutions to support a government that, in turn, reflects the wishes of the population. We are a very much talking of a long period of nation-building. Of course, it needs to be done by Afghans. But it requires the full support of the international community, and that means the U.N. And the U.N. cannot act without the full support of its key member states, [including the U.S.]. Q: What are the minimum conditions needed for the U.N. to play an interim role? A: We need some Afghan body that reflects the main [political] trends [among] the Afghan people. What kind of body it [will be] is not possible to [predict] at the moment. It ought to lead to some kind of loya jirga [supreme council]. Q: What kind of timetable are you working under? A: It’s impossible to give you any idea. It’s very much in the hands of the military planners. I
