Afghanistan chides Eide on comments

KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry says U.N. Special Representative Kai Eide is overstepping his bounds in the country.

Government officials said Saturday that Eide, who recently issued demands for a series of reforms he expects from Afghan President Hamid Karzai, is out of bounds by making comments that "exceeded international norms," the Los Angeles Times reported.

A statement issued by the foreign ministry said the U.N. representative's moves "violated respect for Afghanistan's national sovereignty," the newspaper said.

"We can't afford any longer a situation where warlords and power brokers play their own games," Eide had said Thursday, adding, "We have to have a political landscape here that draws the country in the same direction, which is in the direction of significant reform."

The spat came as Afghan officials were trying to determine if a NATO airstrike was responsible for the deaths of eight Afghans and injuries sustained by 22 others, including five U.S. troops, the Times said.