Britain in secret talks with the Taliban

[sabra]

Source: UK Telegraph

Agents from MI6 entered secret talks with Taliban leaders despite Gordon Brown's pledge that Britain would not negotiate with terrorists, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.

Officers from the Secret Intelligence Service staged discussions, known as "jirgas", with senior insurgents on several occasions over the summer.

An intelligence source said: "The SIS officers were understood to have sought peace directly with the Taliban with them coming across as some sort of armed militia. The British would also provide 'mentoring' for the Taliban."

The disclosure comes only a fortnight after the Prime Minister told the House of Commons: "We will not enter into any negotiations with these people."

Opposition leaders said that Mr Brown had "some explaining to do".

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/12/26/wafg126.xml

[bemildred]

1. I guess they are not "secret" any more. nt

[EVDebs]

2. The old Enron pipeline connections will resurface soon ? Laili Helms et al ?

http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0124,ridgeway,25512,6.html

[Eugene]

3. Diplomatic row as Afghans expel European pair

Source: Reuters

Diplomatic row as Afghans expel European pair
Wed Dec 26, 2007 6:54pm GMT

By Sayed Salahuddin

KABUL (Reuters) - A diplomatic row erupted on Wednesday
between Afghanistan and key aid partners after Kabul
declared "persona non grata" a Briton and an Irishman
working for the EU and the U.N., accusing them of
threatening state security by meeting Taliban insurgents.

With Afghan President Hamid Karzai away in neighbouring
Pakistan, a government official said acting European
Union mission head Michael Semple and senior United
Nations official Marvin Patterson had been expelled and
must leave by Thursday.

"It is the government's last decision. They are persona
non grata," the official told Reuters on condition of
anonymity.

Western diplomats in Kabul closed ranks and insisted
the row was merely a "misunderstanding", adding they
hoped the pair would only have to leave for a short
period.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKSP33170320071226

[bemildred]

4. Hmm. Did they look like this:

http://img.photobucket.com.nyud.net:8090/albums/v226/JeffWells/uk-basra.jpg

[mogster]

5. Out to hatch new terror cells, perhaps?

Or is this really internal Brit politics? It's always difficult to know with the MI65 complex, because they are such a formidable force in Britain's sub-political world, and live a life of their own outside anybody's control. The significance of the expulsion of EU diplomats and this episode happening at the same time can't be understated.

British official arrested in Afghanistan
Two European diplomats, a Briton and an Irish citizen, have been asked to leave Afghanistan after they traveled to the troubled southern province of Helmand.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=3JNM30IWDA50BQFIQMFSFFWAVCBQ0IV0?xml=/news/2007/12/25/wafg125.xml

[pinniped]

6. These are senior insurgents, not junior insurgents.

They know what they're doing.

[DCKit]

7. Yeah, but to what ends? n/t

[bemildred]

8. US signals support for Taliban talks

The US on Thursday signalled its support for holding secret talks with the Taliban in Afghanistan despite a long-held publicly stated policy of never negotiating with the Islamic militant group.

Speaking in Kabul as two top European diplomats were thrown out of Afghanistan amid claims they had held unauthorised meetings with the Taliban, a US official said there was a “place for this type of conversation” providing there was “Afghan buy-in”.

The official was talking shortly after William Wood, US ambassador to Afghanistan, said the two expelled diplomats from the European Union and United Nations had been acting “with absolutely the best intentions”.

The ambassador stressed that the US would only support a reconciliation programme with “those elements of the Taliban who are prepared to accept the constitution and the authority of the elected government of President Karzai”.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/11a008ca-b4ac-11dc-990a-0000779fd2ac.html