NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Monday expressed personal and the alliance's confidence in Kai Eide and full support for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), Xinhua reported.
"The alliance, and I personally, also have full confidence in the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General, Kai Eide, and commend him for the effort and commitment he has shown to helping Afghanistan build a better future," said the NATO chief.
Rasmussen made this remark after Eide's deputy, Peter Galbraith, had accused him of favoring incumbent Afghan President Hamid Karzai in the run-up to and after the elections by allowing voting irregularities to occur.
The Afghan presidential and provincial council elections on Aug. 20 therefore sparked a feud within UNAMA.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had to recall Galbraith from Afghanistan and already removed his deputy duty after this public row.
The NATO chief reiterated the alliance's support to the UN mission in Afghanistan.
"NATO fully supports the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, including the role it is playing, in accordance with its mandate, in support of the Afghan elections," said Rasmussen in a statement.