'Embattled UN rethinking Afghan-Pakistan role', The Associated Press, 6 November 2009
EXCERPT: "Earlier this week, the U.N. announced it was pulling some expatriate staff from Pakistan after a deadly attack in the capital, Islamabad. It also suspended long-term development work in such fields as health, education, agriculture and the environment in key areas of the lawless border area with Afghanistan. The Phase IV threat level the U.N. assigned to Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal region and North West Frontier Province is only one level below full evacuation. The U.N. said the distribution of food would continue through non-governmental organizations...The U.N. insists the staff relocations — which affect more than half the organization's foreign staff in Afghanistan and a modest number in Pakistan — are temporary. Norwegian diplomat Kai Eide, the top U.N. official in Afghanistan, told reporters that 'we are not talking about evacuation' - language similar to that used by U.N. spokesmen in 2003 when the world body announced a 'temporary relocation' from Iraq after bombings against U.N. facilities. The draw down lasted for years. Nevertheless, insurgents can claim a psychological victory. Hampering the international community's ability to carry out aid and development work makes it much harder to win the hearts and minds of the people, a key ingredient for success on the battlefield."
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Related articles:
UN calls on govt to ensure security for IDPs, aid workers, The Daily News, 6 November 2009
UN suspends development work in Northwest Pakistan, Radio Europe // Radio Free Liberty, 2 November 2009
35 killed in Rawalpindi attack, The Daily Times, 2 November 2009
Suicide bomb hits UN in Pakistan, BBC News, 5 October 2009
