UNITED NATIONS, Oct 19: A top US official downplayed the differences with the UN officials that have emerged over the last week on the role of the United Nations in a post-Taliban scenario in Afghanistan.

Following consultations with the UN secretary-general Kofi Annan, and his special representative on Afghanistan Lakhdar Brahimi on Thursday, Richard Haas, the US secretary of state’s personal representative for Afghanistan said: “I don’t see differences between the United States and the United Nations.”

“Our goals in Afghanistan are clear,” he said. “We are obviously most concerned about the Al Qaeda network, about making sure that Afghanistan is never again a country that harbour terrorism or provides a sanctuary for terrorists. And that is essentially our focus here.”

Mr Haas said that discussions had covered a full range of issues involving Afghanistan, including what could be done to ease the humanitarian situation there. “Tomorrow, ambassador Brahimi will be coming to Washington DC for a full set of meetings, and we look forward to continuing the dialogue then, and more generally to continuing our conversation with the United Nations on this issue,” he said.

Asked about the potentially conflicting positions between the UN and the US, Mr Haas said that while it was too early to present plans, “we did discuss various aspects of the evolving situation that would have to be addressed.”

“I don’t see differences between the United States and the United Nations,” he added.