UK seeks Afghan political drive

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk/8559034.stm

Version 0 of 1.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband is to call on the Afghan government to work harder to find a political solution to the conflict with the Taliban.

At a lecture in the US, he is expected to urge President Hamid Karzai to work harder to match international military and development effort in his country.

He is set to say a political settlement involving dialogue with the Taliban is as important as the military effort.

President Karzai is to hold a council of Afghan leaders next month.

In a lecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Mr Miliband is expected to say: "Now is the time for the Afghans to pursue a political settlement with as much vigour and energy as we are pursuing the military and civilian effort.

"The political settlement needs to be external as well as internal, involving all of Afghanistan's neighbours as well as those parts of the insurgency willing permanently to sever ties with al-Qaeda, give up their armed struggle and live within the Afghan constitutional framework."

'Political engagement'

The foreign secretary will tell his audience that while some insurgents are committed to al-Qaeda's violent extremist agenda and will never be reconciled, the majority are not.

He is expected to say: "They share conservative Islamic beliefs and, linked to that, strong views about what is a just social order.

"Their rallying cry is the expulsion of international forces. But they are also motivated by their intense dissatisfaction with the Afghan government and Afghan politics - which they see as corrupt and incompetent.

"The Afghans must own, lead and drive such political engagement. It will be a slow, gradual process. But the insurgents will want to see international support."

Military deaths

The BBC's James Robbins said officials worry that President Karzai is "dragging his feet over drawing as many Afghan leaders as possible into the peace jirga, or grand council, which he is convening next month.

Our correspondent went on: "The success of that meeting is crucial to the far wider strategy, which includes the current military surge, designed to offer Taliban fighters a clear choice between future involvement in peaceful politics or the increased risk of being killed.

"In short, London and Washington worry that President Karzai's political push may not match their military push, which would make it harder to make the case for the sacrifice of soldiers' lives."

Mr Miliband's speech comes amidst a backdrop of mounting casualties among British troops.

Six UK soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan's Sangin area since 1 March, and 272 UK service personnel have died in the country since operations began in 2001.