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Canada says it needs more support from NATO allies in Afghanistan

Its threat to remove its troops from the south comes amid friction over bid to appoint UN 'super envoy.'

Canada has threatened to pull its troops from insurgency-plagued southern Afghanistan unless NATO allies send reinforcements. Prime Minister Stephen Harper, whose Conservative minority government faces increasing opposition in parliament, said NATO's reputation was on the line. The mandate for 2,500 Canadian troops deployed in Kandahar Province, a Taliban stronghold, is set to expire next year.

Last week, an independent panel chaired by John Manley, a former Liberal deputy prime minister and foreign minister, advised Mr. Harper that to Kandahar, reports the Associated Press. The panel also demanded more helicopters and surveillance aircraft for the mission.

NATO has 42,000 troops in Afghanistan. One-third are from the US, in addition to a separate US combat mission. Troops in the south and east of the country have borne the brunt of escalating Taliban violence.

Other NATO allies with forces already deployed in southern Afghanistan include Britain, the US, the Netherlands, and Denmark, The Times of London reports. However, . Since 2002, 78 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have died in Afghanistan.

The Winnipeg Sun reports that Stephane Dion, and will turn up the pressure on Harper's Conservative government. The Liberals want Canada to stop fighting the Taliban in Kandahar and concentrate instead on training and equipping Afghan security forces.

Dissatisfaction over Canada's slowing economy is also costing Harper support in parliament, , reports Bloomberg. Harper has promised to hold a vote on the NATO mission extension, as well as introduce a supplementary budget amid growing criticism over fiscal policy. Under parliamentary protocol, a budget defeat represents a no-confidence vote.

by seven points since last October, to 37 percent, in a poll conducted after the release of the panel's recommendations, reports Canada.com. The number of Canadians willing to extend the mission if it shifts to a noncombat role rose by five points to 45 percent. Only 14 percent want to stick with the current combat mission.

The friction over NATO troop levels comes as the Afghan government rebuffs the appointment of a prominent British diplomat to head the United Nations mission in Kabul while also serving as a NATO representative. Paddy Ashdown, a veteran British politician, headed the UN mission to Bosnia in 2002-05 and was promoted as a "super envoy." But his candidacy was opposed by Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who reportedly feared the creation of a Western "viceroy" who could undercut his administration, which is frequently accused of being a pawn of Western powers.

The Financial Times reports that to coordinate international development and security efforts in Afghanistan. But, on Sunday, Mr. Ashdown formally withdrew his candidacy, saying he lacked political support.

US Secretary of State , saying a "stable figure" was needed, Agence France-Presse reports.

Mr. in restless Helmand province last week, The Times of London reported. He said Britain's insistence on replacing the provincial governor was a mistake that played into the hands of the Taliban.

Relations between Karzai and NATO countries, particularly Britain, have also been frayed by Afghan civilian casualties from coalition raids on militants, says Asia Times Online. and has signaled that he will not be bypassed by impatient foreign powers. Karzai may fear for his political future amid speculation that the US ambassador to the UN, Zalmay Khalilzad, an ethnic Afghan, might consider a run as president of Afghanistan, according to the author, a retired Indian diplomat.

The BBC says that . Gen. John McColl is currently NATO commander in Europe. However, the UN is unlikely to accept a serving military officer to take a civilian job. In its analysis, the BBC argues that the international community wants someone in Kabul with a proven track record in trouble spots and a forceful personality, qualifications that Ashdown had. But his clout in dealing with Western allies posed a threat to Afghan elites.