Discussions have opened behind the scenes at the UN in New York to put together a multinational peacekeeping force for Kabul following Thursday's Security Council approval of the Bonn agreement on an interim Afghan government.
Among those likely to be part of such an operation are the British, French and Germans, as well as contingents from Turkey and some other Muslim nations like Jordan and Bangladesh. To date, however, diplomatic sources say, no lead country has emerged for the operation which will be a UN-mandated "coalition of the willing", akin to the East Timor and Bosnian forces, rather than a UN force.
The mandate for what is expected to be a relatively small force will probably be agreed next week or early the following week but is not expected to pose diplomatic problems as the Bonn agreement limits its scope to peacekeeping in Kabul and its surrounding area, with only a possible role "as appropriate" in other cities. It is expected that the force will be replaced eventually by units from a newly-formed Afghan army.
Funding has yet to be agreed and may prove problematic for countries like Bangladesh which will want assurances their costs are covered. In informal discussions the US has in the recent past been reluctant to pick up the tab - its own involvement is likely to be very limited. The US has also been concerned that such a force not interfere with its mission to search out al-Qaeda leaders, but the confining of the force's mandate to Kabul should ease such fears.
The UN's senior peacekeeping official said the first elements of a force should be be in Kabul in two weeks, in time to launch the new interim government.
Mr Jean-Marie Guehenno, UN undersecretary general for peacekeeping operations, said: "It would indeed be very good that some element of the force be in place by then. After the political momentum created by the talks I think there is a need for a quick deployment of that multinational force," he said in London.
The UN envoy who brokered the deal reached in Germany, Mr Lakhdar Brahimi, told France's Europe 1 radio yesterday he hoped to see peacekeepers in Afghanistan "as soon as possible".
Taking time out yesterday from his trip to Norway to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, the UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan, gave Sesame Street's Elmo a lesson in conflict resolution, brokering a deal on who was to sing the Alphabet Song.
