UN call for Afghan security force

There is distrust running throughout the Northern Alliance

By BBC diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall

The United Nations Deputy Representative to Afghanistan, Francesc Vendrell, has warned that some kind of international force might be needed in Afghanistan to maintain security there.

He was speaking to reporters in Islamabad after his return from several days in Kabul, and after a brief meeting to exchange notes with the British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.

Vendrell warned against expecting too much from the talks

Mr Straw was in Islamabad on the second day of a two-day mission to urge two of Afghanistan's neighbours to bury their differences and work together to urge Afghan factions to forge a broad-based government.

But the still shaky situation in Afghanistan means all plans for Afghanistan's future are still provisional.

Serious disagreements

After several days in Kabul, Mr Vendrell's assessment of the situation there was sober.

Leaving aside the question of territory still being held by the Taleban, he said there was not only general distrust between the rival tribal groups in Afghanistan - even within different groups there were serious disagreements.

The Hazaras he said outside Kabul were not happy that the country's capital was being controlled by Tajiks - supposedly their allies in the Northern Alliance.

And Pashtun tribal forces were in places uncomfortably close to Northern Alliance positions.

Low expectations

For that reason he warned against expecting too much progress at next week's meeting of Afghan factions in Germany, even though the mere fact the main rival groups from Afghanistan had agreed to turn up and talk to each other was an encouraging beginning.

An international force may be required

But he said it was highly unlikely they would manage to reach agreement on the detailed plan as drafted and approved by the UN Security Council.

What is more, given the security situation, he suggested perhaps some international security force was needed.

"Peacekeepers? No, not at this point," he said, "There is no peace to keep, and it would take a long time to put blue helmets on the ground. But some kind of force under a UN mandate might well be the right approach."

Mr Vendrell added that he did not think ordinary Afghans would object if the foreign presence was discreet enough, and indeed some parts of the country might prefer it to some home-grown alternatives.

Misunderstandings

If there had been earlier misunderstandings about foreign troops, he added, that did not exclude them altogether.

That oblique reference was of course to the British special forces who turned up unannounced to secure Bagram airport near Kabul last week.

The Northern Alliance, in charge in Kabul, left the world in no doubt of its annoyance.

Jack Straw is maintaining a careful balance

And Mr Straw, who was standing next to Mr Vendrell as he spoke in Islamabad, had been forced to spend much of the day fending off questions about future possible deployments.

Earlier in Tehran it seems his private talks with the Northern Alliance Foreign Minister, Dr Abdullah Abdullah, even included a reassurance that something like that would not be allowed to happen again. The British position is now pretty transparent.

There would be no further deployment of British troops without proper consultation, Mr Straw insisted.

He also made it clear that is unlikely to happen before next week's UN gathering, when the rival factions would be able to discuss together whether they wanted foreign troops keeping the peace on their soil.

Hated foreign troops

"Don't forget," noted one British official, "it was the foreign troops of al-Qaeda - Arabs, Chechens and Pakistanis - that made them such a hated force to many Afghans."

Western powers are now trying hard not to make a similar miscalculation.

And Mr Straw is indeed having to tread carefully on his diplomatic mission.

His main aim in visiting Tehran and Islamabad has been to urge both Iran and Pakistan - regional rivals when it comes to Afghanistan - to bury their differences and join Britain in pushing for urgent progress towards a broad-based government.

But at the same time Britain does not want to be seen to be unduly interfering in what is supposed to be a decision taken by the fiercely proud Afghan people.

Trying to be helpful without offending rival sensibilities is not proving easy.