Gordon Brown is lining up Lord Ashdown, the former Liberal Democrat leader, for a role coordinating international efforts to stabilise Afghanistan.

It is the second attempt to bring Ashdown into a “government of all the talents” after an offer to give him a cabinet post as Northern Ireland secretary was rebuffed in June.

The move comes as many experts fear Afghanistan is sliding into chaos because the European Union, the United Nations and Nato are not working closely enough together.

Brown visited the country in March before taking over as prime minister and has been privately emphasising the need to “get a grip” on the many different agencies.

Ashdown, who has previously held a key coordinating role in Bosnia, is seen as the ideal man for the job and discussed the role with David Miliband, the foreign secretary, last month.

One senior Foreign Office official said: “We’re keen to get Paddy on board but we know he won’t do it unless he gets the right mandate. The international community needs to see sense and work together.”

Another official said American forces had until now concentrated on hunting for Osama Bin Laden and quelling violence while Nato forces had focused on winning hearts and minds. “We now need to find a common purpose for us to make any progress in that country,” he said.

Mandarins have already briefed Ashdown on the threat posed by a resurgent Taliban.

While not commenting directly on the proposed job Ashdown said: “My view, for what it is worth, is that there needs to be a single figure out there pulling all the strands together. At the moment there is little or no coordination and the country is starting to work against itself.”

It is understood that approval from the United States will be decisive in whether Ashdown accepts the role.

Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, today travels to Washington to meet President George W Bush to discuss how best to consolidate his leadership and confirm the support of international agencies.

Senior Lib Dems accused Brown of “dirty underhand politics” when he made the offer of a cabinet post to Ashdown. It came after Sir Menzies Campbell, the Lib Dem leader, had made it clear that no member of his party should take a job in Brown’s government.

However, it is understood Campbell has been kept informed about the Afghan discussions.

Ashdown was the international community’s high representative for Bosnia and the European Union’s special representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina between 2002 and 2006. He is credited by many at the Foreign Office with bringing together the factions in the country.

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