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Afghanistan expels Briton for Taliban talks
United Nations officials were today lobbying the Afghan government to reverse its decision to expel two diplomats, one British and the other Irish, accused of holding talks with Taliban militants Muslim terrorists.
But can't we all be friends?
President Hamid Karzai's spokesman, Humayun Hamidzada, said the two men - named in reports as the acting European Union mission head, Michael Semple, and a senior UN official, Mervyn Patterson - were "involved in some activities that were not their jobs".
You don't say
A spokesman for the UN mission in Afghanistan, Aleem Siddique, said the two men would leave tomorrow as ordered but described the incident as a "misunderstanding".
Right...
He insisted that the UN "don't talk to the Taliban, full stop" and expressed his hope that the men could return "as soon as possible".
Send some replacements, these two are done.
The UN protest came as the Daily Telegraph reported that MI6 agents held discussions with the Taliban on "several occasions over the summer". Two weeks ago Gordon Brown told the House of Commons: "We will not enter into any negotiations with these people."

The Afghan government, and particularly Karzai, have voiced a growing interest in meeting with Taliban leaders to try to persuade them to renounce violence and enter politics. Splitting the extremist organisation is seen as one way of helping to bring the bloody insurgency to an end.
Talks with the Taliban? How's that working for you?
Posted by: Icerigger 2007-12-26
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=215489