UN Leader Ban Gives Hook To Afghan Special Envoy Galbraith
Peter Galbraith, the United Nation's special envoy to Afghanistan, was fired by Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon.
Peter Galbraith, now the former UN special envoy to Afghanistan, just fired by Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon. JOERG KOCH/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Galbraith found himself on the losing end of a key Afghanistan argument. Following that country's irregular elections, Gabraith called for the entire election to be redone. Ban and the senior U.N. envoy to Afghanistan, Kai Eide, thought that went too far supporting instead a partial recount.
As recently as a few hours ago, after rumors started swirling that Galbraith was getting the ax, he said he hadn't heard. This from the BBC:
Mr Galbraith, a US diplomat, said: "The secretary general appointed me and has not fired me so far as I know."
Mr Galbraith angered Afghan President Hamid Karzai by reportedly calling for a complete recount of the vote.
Last week the top UN Afghan envoy, Kai Eide, said Mr Galbraith had left the country after a row between them.
But he denied he had ordered him to go.
Here's the brief statement from Ban:
The Secretary-General has decided to recall Mr. Peter Galbraith from Afghanistan and to end his appointment as the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for UNAMA (United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan).
He expresses his thanks to Mr. Galbraith for his hard work and professional dedication. The Secretary-General recognizes Mr. Galbraith's important contributions to the work of the mission and throughout his distinguished career as an international civil servant. The Secretary-General has made this decision in the best interest of the mission.
He reaffirms his full support for his Special Representative, Kai Eide.