KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- There is no time to waste in moving forward with reconciliation and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, NATO's civilian administrator said.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen appointed Mark Sedwill, the former British envoy to Afghanistan, as the new civilian administrator in Kabul in January.

The administrator will direct non-military aid and government efforts to bring moderate Afghan insurgents into the political process.

U.S. President Barack Obama as part of his revised war strategy for Afghanistan included civilian reconstruction efforts in his counterinsurgency campaign.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai, for his part, said he would call on tribal elders to develop plans to integrate some members of the Taliban into the political fray while advocating a policy of conscription to bolster the Afghan military.

Sedwill said he plans to spend a significant portion of his time in Kabul working with the Afghan government and representatives from the international community to make sure the counterinsurgency strategy of U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal moves forward, NATO announced.

"We know this is the critical year, we have a great opportunity, we don't have time to waste and I look forward to playing my part in driving this through to success," he said.

His appointment comes as U.S. and international forces prepare for one of their largest military campaigns in Afghanistan to date.

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