UN chief recalls deputy head of Afghan mission

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Peter Galbraith, the deputy United Nations special representative for Afghanistan and the highest American official in Afghanistan, was removed from his post, according to a statement from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued here Wednesday.

Just on Tuesday Ban had expressed his hope and confidence in Galbraith during a news conference.

"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)," read the statement.

Ban thanked Galbraith for "his hard work and professional dedication" and recognized his "important contributions to the work of the mission and throughout his distinguished career as an international civil servant," said the statement. "The secretary-general has made this decision in the best interest of the mission."

It was widely known that Galbraith, who was in charge of electoral matters at the UN mission in Kabul, clashed with his supervisor, Kai Eide, the head of the United Nations' mission to Afghanistan over the recount in the Aug. 20 Afghan presidential election. It had been acknowledged for a while that the two men had different approaches which often clashed.