U.N. agrees Afghan war cannot be won militarily

By Jonathon Burch

KABUL (Reuters) - The war in Afghanistan cannot be won militarily and success is only possible through political means including dialogue between all relevant parties, the U.N.'s top official in the country said on Monday.

His comments come a day after Britain's top military commander in Afghanistan told the Sunday Times that the war could not be won and that some form of insurgency would exist even after international troops left the country.

Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith said if the Taliban were willing to talk, that might be "precisely the sort of progress" needed to end the insurgency.

"I've always said to those that talk about the military surge ... what we need most of all is a political surge, more political energy," Kai Eide, the U.N. special envoy to Afghanistan, told news conference in Kabul.

"We all know that we cannot win it militarily. It has to be won through political means. That means political engagement."

Eide said success depended on speaking with all those involved in the conflict but did not say whether this included the Taliban.

"If you want to have relevant results, you must speak to those who are relevant. If you want to have results that matter, you must speak to those who matter," he said.

TALIBAN REJECT TALKS