Kabul: The top UN official in Afghanistan
said today he will not renew his two-year contract when it
expires in March.
Kai Eide, a Norwegian diplomat, said he is not
stepping down but has asked UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon
to start searching for a replacement.
"I`m not resigning," Eide told AP in a telephone
interview. "It`s a question of telling New York that I`m
not renewing my contract."
Eide`s tenure was tarnished by allegations from his
American deputy, Peter Galbraith, that he was not bullish
enough in curbing fraud in the August presidential election.
Eide denied the charge and said controversy over the election
was not linked to his decision not to renew his contract.
"The election controversy was between Peter Galbraith
and the rest of the international community," he said, adding
his plan when he took the job was to stay two years, as did
his predecessors.
PTI
