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Brown seeks Clinton's

support for removal

of Mahmood Mestiri

WASHINGTON: Hank Brown has called on President Clinton to support the removal of the U.N. Special Envoy on Afghanistan, Mahmood Mestiri, charging that he has little influence on warring factions that have reduced the country to chaos.

In a letter to President Clinton on his return from a visit to Afghanistan, Brown, Chairman Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee, said Mestiri should be replaced because he is ineffective.

The senator also urged President Clinton to increase the U.S. presence in Afghanistan by opening a consulate in Jalalabad, which is relatively stable.

The United States has reduced staff of its consulate in Karachi because of violence and has no embassy in Kabul, which is under frequent attack.

In his letter Brown said Mahmood Mestiri " does not enjoy sufficient support of those with whom he is to negotiate a solution to the conflict. He said the Afghan leaders he met "raise concerns about the current UN envoy's lack of availability, his frequent absence from Afghanistan and his inability to deal effectively with the various Afghan factions."

"During my visit", Brown wrote, " the Afghan leaders as well as the United Nations representatives made it clear that an increased U.S. presence in Afghanistan would provide an impetus for renewed attempts to reach a solution to the conflict."

The Clinton administration on Friday began a new initiative 'sending Assistant Secretary of State Robin Raphel to Afghanistan for talks with various factions. The visit comes after years of US apathy towards Afghanistan since the withdrawal of Soviet troops, leading to a perception that it has abandoned a region which remained at the centre stage of Cold War and contributed enormously in the collapse of former Soviet Union.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Sardar Assef Ahmed Ali made a special trip to Washington last month to urge active participation of the United States in the U.N. peace process for ending civil war in Afghanistan.-APP