New York - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday terminated the appointment of a UN deputy representative in Afghanistan, who apparently left his job in disagreement with his superior.

Ban said he decided to recall Peter Galbraith, a US diplomat, and ended his posting as deputy to the UN chief of mission in Afghanistan, Kai Eide. News reports said Galbraith had disagreed with Eide over the recent elections in Afghanistan.

Ban had maintained until Wednesday that Galbraith would continue his appointment after weeks of news reports about the split between the two officials.

Ban expressed in a statement his "thanks to Mr Galbraith for his hard work and professional dedication."

"The secretary general recognizes Mr Galbraith's important contributions to the work of the mission and throughout his distinguished career as an international civil servant," Ban said, adding his decision was in the best interest of the UN mission in Afghanistan.  dpa