KABUL - The new Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Afghanistan, Peter Galbraith arrived in the country today with a pledge to listen closely to the concerns of ordinary Afghans.
Dari - Pashto

Mr Galbraith said: “I come to Afghanistan with the utmost respect and admiration for its people, religion and history. I want to listen closely to the needs of ordinary Afghans and step up efforts in support of all Afghans.

“I am grateful for the support and confidence of the Secretary General, his Special Representative, Kai Eide and the international community. I look forward to working with the Government and people of Afghanistan in the coming weeks and months.”

Mr Galbraith will be heading up the political affairs unit at UNAMA which supports political outreach, conflict resolution, disarmament and regional cooperation, as well as an Election Support Unit and a Military Advisory Unit.

The unit also includes a Governance Unit, a Police Advisory Unit, and a Rule of Law Unit, which are responsible for coordinating international support for institution-building in each of those sectors.

Mr Galbraith, an American national with many years of humanitarian and security policy experience, was appointed by the UN Secretary-General on 25 March 2009.

Prior to his appointment, Mr Galbraith served as a Senior Diplomatic Fellow at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation and was a founder of the Windham Resources Group LLC, a firm that specializes in international negotiations. He is also the author of two critically acclaimed books on the Iraq War.

Mr Galbraith has also previously held the post of Director for Political, Constitutional and Electoral Affairs for the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) and, concurrently, Cabinet Member for Political Affairs and Timor Sea in the first East Timor Transitional Government in 2000-2001.

He served as the first United States Ambassador to Croatia from 1993 to 1998 and was the co-mediator of the 1995 Erdut Agreement that ended the Croatia war.

From 1979 to 1993, he was a senior adviser to the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, with major responsibilities for the Near East, South Asia and international organizations.