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10.10.

Published: February 18, 2010 KABUL, Afghanistan -Senior United Nations officials

in Afghanistan on Wednesday criticized NATO forces for what one referred to as

"the militarization of humanitarian aid," and said United Nations agencies would

not participate in the military's reconstruction strategy in Marja as part of its

current offensive there. "We are not part of that process, we do not want to be

part of it," said Robert Watkins, the deputy special representative of the

secretary general, at a news conference attended by other officials to announce

the United Nations' Humanitarian Action Plan for 2010. "We will not be part of

that military strategy." The American commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley A.

McChrystal, has made the rapid delivery of governmental services, including

education, health care and job programs, a central part of his strategy in Marja,

referring to plans to rapidly deploy what he has referred to as "a government in

a box" once Marja is pacified. Mr. Watkins did not specifically criticize the

Marja offensive, saying, "It is not the military that will be delivering the

services, they will be clearing the area so the government can deliver those

services." However, the United Nations would not be participating, he said. Wael

Haj-Ibrahim, head of the United Nations' Office for the Coordination of

Humanitarian Affairs here, said the military should not be involved in providing

health care or schools. "If that aid is being delivered as part of a military

strategy, the counterstrategy is to destroy that aid," Mr. Haj-Ibrahim said.

"Allowing the military to do it is not the best use of resources." Instead, he

said, the military should confine itself to clearing an area of security threats