TALLINN, Mar 06, BNS - In the opinion of the foreign ministers of the countries contributing to the effort in southern Afghanistan, assistance to Afghanistan should be coordinated by the United Nations.
Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet on Thursday attended a working lunch of the foreign ministers of the countries involved in southern Afghanistan, held in the framework of an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, spokespeople for the Estonian Foreign Ministry said.
The ministers emphasized that they consider increasing civilian participation in Afghanistan as important, particularly the assuming of bigger responsibilities in the southern part of the country by the EU and the United Nations.
Paet backed the overall stance that the UN must become the main coordinator of international assistance in Afghanistan. "We expect the appointment of a UN special representative soon and hope that he can start work already in the near future," the Estonian minister said according to spokespeople.
The ministers also considered increasing the responsibility of Afghans as important, through increased involvement of locals in the ensuring of security and in civilian projects.
Paet outlined to fellow ministers the nature of the work and the duties of the Estonian health care expert who started work in Afghanistan earlier this week.
The civilian and military contributors in southern Afghanistan are Holland, Canada, the United States, Britain, Denmark, Estonia, Romania, and non-NATO member Australia.
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