Interview with UAE ambassador

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) along with Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with the Taliban following the events of 11 September. Along with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the UAE had been one of only three countries worldwide to recognise the regime. The UAE has said it will continue to commit itself to helping to ease the suffering of innocent Afghans as the humanitarian crisis in their country looks set to worsen in the winter months. In an interview with IRIN, the UAE ambassador to Pakistan, Ali Mohammed Al Shamsi, urged the international community to step up and speed up aid for those trapped inside. QUESTION: Why did the UAE withdraw its recognition of the Taliban following 11 September? ANSWER: We gave the Taliban lots of chances to try and get them to follow UN resolutions and to accept all resolutions. But the problem that we saw was that they were still keeping terrorists in their country and are not listening to anybody, so that's why we decided to cut diplomatic relations with them. Q: What is your view on the military action on the terrorist training camps, with regard to the effect on the humanitarian crisis? A: We hope these attacks finish as soon as possible, because most of those dying are innocent civilians. We have heard reports that there are a lot of casualties, and most of them are civilian; obviously we do not want this to continue. So we hope that it will stop soon, but we know they [US-led air strikes] have to continue until they can hit the targets they are looking for. We will not accept terrorism. Q: With reports of mass displacement and a deteriorating crisis in Afghanistan, what is the UAE's view on the international aid community's efforts inside Afghanistan? A: It is not enough. The UAE is trying to help these innocent people in Afghanistan. We feel that Pakistan should take the maximum number of refugees they can, although we know they already have a burden. But we have built two camps in the Chaman area [southwestern Pakistan] to receive 45,000 refugees from Afghanistan. We have sent aid twice - 500 mt of food and medicine each time - through our Red Crescent Society, but we know it is not enough. We know they will be facing hardship this winter, so we are working on providing more for them. We've sent blankets, medicine and foodstuff, and we have had problems in getting aid in because of the Taliban, because they now have even tighter controls, and we have to make a lot of preparations in sending aid there. Q: Have the Taliban been difficult in allowing the UAE to send aid to Afghanistan since you decided to cut diplomatic ties with them? A: No, we have managed to send our people [Red Crescent Society] to assist the vulnerable in Afghanistan. We immediately received visas for our people. It was unfortunate that we had to cut ties with them, but we had to do it. Q: Do you think Pakistan is doing the right thing by keeping relations going with the Taliban? It is now the only country with diplomatic ties with the Taliban. A: Not for political negotiations, but definitely for humanitarian reasons. To keep [in] contact with the innocent people and help those who have nothing. Q: What sort of new government should be in place in Afghanistan? A: Trying to set up a new government in Afghanistan and bringing in all parties of Afghan people will be good for the future of the country. But this plan should have approval from the parties involved for it to succeed in the future. If there are some reasonable Taliban with [a] modern mentality, they should be included. The Taliban are Pashtun, they make up an estimated 50 percent of the population of Afghanistan. You cannot keep them away, they have to be included, otherwise the war will not stop in Afghanistan. I don't think women would be accepted in a government straight away. They need to start with giving them their rights back, the right to education, let them live a normal life. Maybe in the future they would be accepted. The men, too, need to be educated to accept women, but it will take a long time. Q: Do you think there are moderates in the Taliban? A: In my personal opinion, I don't think there are any. They are very strict Muslim people. We don't agree with the way they treat women, and the abuses of human rights there. Their restrictions on women in education are not right. Q: Do you think the military action will lead to peace in Afghanistan? A: Yes, we think so. The UN has the power to help with the peace-building, and it has support from nations around the world, so it should facilitate this peace-building programme.