Britain and its Nato allies are in danger of undermining Afghan president Hamid Karzai by cutting their own side-deals with local leaders, a leading foreign affairs think tank has warned.
Agreements such as the appointment of a former Taliban commander as the mayor of a key strategic town on the recommendation of the British were undercutting President Karzai's authority, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said.
05 February 2008: PA
Britain and its Nato allies are in danger of undermining Afghan president Hamid Karzai by cutting their own side-deals with local leaders, a leading foreign affairs think tank has warned.
Agreements such as the appointment of a former Taliban commander as the mayor of a key strategic town on the recommendation of the British were undercutting President Karzai's authority, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said.
IISS director general John Chipman warned that the tensions between Nato and the Afghan government were surfacing at a time of "worrying fragility" in the alliance's commitment to the continuing mission in Afghanistan.
"President Karzai lacks the authority to govern in all areas," he said. "He has sought an accommodation with moderate Taliban as recognition of the fact that they have some political constituency. But he has been frustrated by other 'deals' brokered by international allies."
Speaking at the launch in London of the IISS's annual Military Balance survey, Dr Chipman highlighted the appointment of former Taliban commander Abdullah Salaam as the mayor of the recently-recaptured town of Musa Qala on the recommendation of the British.
Although the appointment was initially approved by the Afghan government, it was subsequently renounced by President Karzai.
Dr Chipman said: "This lack of coherence bedevils many aspects of the campaign and further undermines President Karzai's authority."
His comments came after President Karzai gave vent publicly to his frustration, criticising the British and US military effort at the World Economic Forum summit in Davos last month.
Mr Karzai has also blocked the appointment of former Liberal Democrat leader Lord Ashdown as a United Nations envoy with responsibility for co-ordinating the international effort in Afghanistan.
The IISS also highlighted the way the continuing shortage of military resources was hindering Nato's efforts. It said that around 50 coalition members operating in Afghanistan - including Germany, Italy and Spain - had "national caveats" restricting the operations of their troops.
