16 Apr. 
Ambassador Kai Eide, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Afghanistan, visited NATO on 16 April 2008. He met with the NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, and addressed the North Atlantic Council and Partners contributing troops to the ISAF mission.
The NATO Secretary General reiterated the Alliance’s support for an enhanced UN role in coordinating civil and military efforts aimed at promoting Afghan development.
“It gives me and the ISAF troop contributing nations great pleasure to welcome Ambassador Kai Eide, given the very important role he is playing and going to play, being the face of the comprehensive approach we want for Afghanistan“, said Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.
Ambassador Eide raised a number of issues where the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and the United Nations (UN) have important roles, including supporting preparations for the 2009 and 2010 elections and promoting more effective support for the Afghan National Development Strategy.
Addressing the cooperation between NATO and the United Nations in Afghanistan, Ambassador Eide stated: “We can maintain a strong and frank dialogue as we had today in Brussels. We will do that in Kabul and we will also do that at the local level in Afghanistan.”
The visit of Ambassador Eide follows the Bucharest Summit, 2-4 April 2008, during which the ISAF troop contributing nations agreed on the Comprehensive Political-Military Strategic Plan for Afghanistan and the public declaration outlining ISAF’s Strategic Vision.
Ambassador Kai Eide of Norway was appointed by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as his Special Representative for Afghanistan and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on 10 March 2008.
