New York, Jan 4, SPA -- To succeed in Afghanistan, the internationalcommunity and Kabul need to change their mindset on how to end theconflict in the war-torn nation, dpa quoted the United Nations as saying today. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a report to both the UNGeneral Assembly and Security Council that maintaining the status quois a recipe for failure in Afghanistan. An international conference is to be held in London on January 28,with a second one in Kabul, to review foreign assistance andAfghanistan"s taking over of security responsibility frominternational forces now operating in that country. "We are at a critical juncture," Ban said in the report. "Thesituation cannot continue as is if we are to succeed in Afghanistan." "There is a need for a change of mindset in the internationalcommunity as well as in the government of Afghanistan," Ban said."Without that change, the prospect of success will diminish further." The report called on Kabul and the international community to makethe best use of the coming months "in a concerted effort to focus onagreed priorities and to coordinate in a way that avoids waste ofresources and is impact-oriented." One proposal is to reinforce international cooperation under theUN umbrella in Afghanistan, which is headed by Kai Eide, a Dutchdiplomat. Eide has called for the appointment of a senior civilianofficial in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) toimprove coordination of political and development efforts. ISAF, composed mostly of NATO troops, is responsible for securityin Afghanistan but it has been criticized for causing high numbers ofcivilian deaths during military raids. "I believe that in order to be successful, any form ofinternational coordination must be properly linked to the governmentof Afghanistan," Ban said emphasizing the need for a civiliancoordination structure. The report defended UN involvement in the presidential electionslast September, in which President Hamid Karzai won a runoff afterhis rival withdrew. Both the UN and Kabul"s electoral commission haddenounced fraud during the electoral process. The report rejected reports and analyses that condemned Kabul"sstate-building process because of the flawed elections.--SPA 23:26 LOCAL TIME 20:26 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/734729