LONDON - The former British ambassador to Afghanistan has said that the country will remain a fragile, unstable, corrupt state long after British troops have departed.
Sir William Patey told BBC Radio 4's World At One that Afghanistan would for some time remain "A fragile, unstable state with weak institutions and higher levels of corruptions than is healthy for any country."

He added that he was, however, "cautiously optimistic" about the future of Afghanistan - provide that the international community continues to support the embattled country financially.
Britain plans to withdraw the majority of its 9,500 troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

Sir William, who was ambassador to Kabul from 2010-2012, described the end of 2014 as a time when "the training wheels will be well and truly off."

He said : "Afghanistan, having suffered decades of conflict, is not about to become, after one decade of international help, a modern liberal democracy."

He said that nevertheless "there will still be high levels of support for training and logistics and more importantly financial support."

Sir William stressed the need for the international community to commit to sustained financial support in Afghanistan, in return for a commitment from the country to tackle corruption.

He said: "The Afghans will have to show that they continue to be worthy of such support by addressing issues of corruption and by ensuring that the money we provide goes where it is intended: on providing security and supporting the country's development needs."

He also suggested that Britain should be prepared to negotiate with the Taliban for an end to insurgency and an "inclusive political process."

He said: "I was encouraged by a statement attributed to a senior Taliban figure by Michael Semple that the Taliban no longer believed it could take power by force. I have been saying this for some time.

"If this becomes a widely held view among the Taliban leadership then there is scope for a negotiated end to the insurgency and a more inclusive political process that will hand us the prospects for a more secure future for Afghanistan." (BBC)