US, UK lost legitimacy to lead Afghan solution: British MP
The United States and Britain have lost the legitimacy and trust necessary to find a resolution to the conflict in Afghanistan, a British MP said on Sunday as Asia's largest literary event turned to politics.
January 23, 2011 / 17:59 IST
The United States and Britain have lost the legitimacy and trust necessary to find a resolution to the conflict in Afghanistan, a British MP said on Sunday as Asia's largest literary event turned to politics.
The US-led foreign military presence in Afghanistan is scheduled to begin withdrawal in July, as Washington commits to handing over control to local security forces nearly a decade after US-backed Afghan forces overthrew the Taliban."After nine years, the international community needs to recognise it lacks knowledge, it lacks power, it lacks legitimacy," said Rory Stewart, a member of parliament for the Conservative party, the senior partner in Britain's ruling coalition.Stewart, a former diplomat who worked on rebuilding Iraq after the 2003 invasion, also walked the length of Afghanistan shortly after the fall of the Taliban and wrote a best-selling book on the experience."There is no confidence in the ability of the United States to sort this out," he said. "It no longer has the trust or the legitimacy. I think it is extremely unlikely that the United States is going to develop a coherent focused policy towards negotiation."Stewart also said it was "very difficult" to see any progress on talks with Aghanistan's Taliban leadership."It's one thing to say we're going to negotiate with the leadership of the Taliban, but in particular the British government is unlikely to have the leadership or the legitimacy to make that happen," he said.Stewart was speaking at the Jaipur Literature Festival on a panel on regional instability emanating from Afghanistan and Pakistan, which included Pakistani journalist and Taliban expert Ahmed Rashid and India's ambassador to Kabul Jayant Prasad.Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan have clashed over New Delhi's involvement in Afghanistan. India is looking to establish influence to hedge against the close relationship between Islamabad and Beijing, who it fears seeks increased strategic power in the greater South Asian region.Prasad stressed the importance of regional powers supporting a political settlement."There is absolutely no reason for (India's) running away from peace and reconciliation," he said. "We must have the country's neighbours contribute to the sovereignty and independence of Afghanistan rather than subvert it."Jaipur, now in its seventh year, has drawn speakers and attendees from across India and the world, including Nobel laureates J.M. Coetzee and Orhan Pamuk. Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
