U.N. should lead Afghanistan peace effort: Britain

By Patrick Worsnip

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Britain lobbied U.N. officials on Thursday with a proposal for the world body to lead a comprehensive "campaign plan" for peace in Afghanistan, where NATO-led troops are struggling against Taliban insurgents.

Defense Secretary Des Browne said the United Nations was best placed to coordinate a peace-building effort he said had until now largely fallen on military commanders.

About 40,000 foreign troops are in Afghanistan, whose Taliban rulers were overthrown by U.S.-backed forces in 2001. Some 32,000 belong to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), in which Britain plays a prominent role.

But Browne told the Council on Foreign Relations in New York that the conflict could not be solved by military means alone and challenges from stamping out narcotics to policing and establishing the rule of law needed a strategic approach.

"An overarching campaign plan is required to develop all these disparate strands together. It has to be a strategic plan, not just a military plan," he said.

"The international community then needs ... to coordinate resources, ensuring coherence in what we do ... And this needs leadership. And in my view ... there is no organization better placed than the UN to take that role."

Browne said "a visible leader representing the international community" was also needed.

At present, he said, Afghan President Hamid Karzai spent at least 60 percent of his time in individual meetings with all 42 countries involved in Afghanistan. "If you want to see President Karzai you have to go and join the queue."