THERE certainly seems to be some misunderstanding between the Afghan authorities and UN and EU over what two European officials were doing near Musa Qala talking with tribal leaders, but it may not be precisely the misunderstanding the UN and EU are claiming.
The demand by Kabul that the two Europeans quit the country by today was, say the Afghan government, because these men had been behaving in a manner that jeopardized national security. One source claimed Briton Mervyn Patterson who holds a senior UN post and Irishman Michael Semple, who is acting head of the EU mission in Afghanistan had met with Taleban leaders and given them money. Up to 50 Afghans who had been working with the two men have been detained and questioned.
The UN and EU maintain Patterson and Semple were acting with the full knowledge of the government and deny that there was any direct contact with the Taleban. Yesterday it seemed both men would quit the country as demanded but major diplomatic efforts were under way to ensure that they could return after a brief “holiday”. Given that both are Afghan experts, speaking a number of the country’s languages and have lived there for some ten years, including during the Taleban government, it would seem that men of such local knowledge and understanding can play a valuable role in the search for peace.
The question has to be why the Afghan government has chosen to make this very public move at this time. If it were angry at these talks and what it thinks was said and done there, it could have acted privately. The timing may be significant because the expulsions were announced when President Hamid Karzai was away visiting Pakistan. This suggests either that he did not wish to be directly associated with the action or that he was unaware of it and the initiative has come from others.
Karzai backs reconciliation but publicly limits this to Taleban who quit fighting his government. When British Premier Gordon Brown visited Afghanistan earlier this month, he too called for reconciliation but said there could be no direct talks with the Taleban. Yet the British press this week revealed UK intelligence chiefs have had at least six secret meetings with Taleban leaders at locations guarded by British troops.
It is right the government and its allies should be talking to the Taleban because only talks will end the fighting and hopefully get Al-Qaeda out of the Afghan political mix. But the key issue is when such talks become public knowledge. Afghans fed up with the violence and wanting peace recognize it will only come through negotiations. And they doubtless prefer the deals are cut Afghan to Afghan, not by outsiders. That may be why someone in the Karzai government has reacted so vigorously to the UN/EU talks either directly or indirectly with the Taleban. It must be hoped, however, that this very public censure of both organizations, does not dampen Taleban’s interest in a deal.
