UN and EU try to fix Afghan misunderstanding

The United Nations and European Union were Wednesday trying to settle a "misunderstanding" that led Kabul to order the expulsion of two senior European diplomats after claims they contacted Taliban militants.
Michael Semple, the second most senior EU official in Afghanistan, and a UN political advisor whose name was withheld, were to leave Thursday but efforts were being made to have them back as soon as possible, a UN spokesman said.
The Afghan government announced Tuesday it had declared the pair-Semple, an Irish national, and the British UN official-persona non grata because they "posed threats to the national security of Afghanistan."
Some Afghans working with them were arrested, Afghan officials said, but it was not clear how many. UN spokesman Aleem Siddique said the affair was a misunderstanding that arose after the men visited the Helmand province town of Musa Qala, which was recaptured this month after 10 months under Taliban control.
They had gone there in coordination with the Afghan government to assess "stabilisation" efforts after the military offensive, he said. They spoke with a range of locals including "people who are perhaps undecided whether they are supportive of the government of Afghanistan," Siddique said.
"We have subsequently been informed that our presence in Helmand was detrimental to national security interests. We disagree with this assessment," he said. "We view this as a misunderstanding between us and the government of Afghanistan," Siddique said. The spokesman flatly rejected there had been talks with Taliban insurgents. "We do not talk to the Taliban-full stop. That is not what we were in Helmand province to do," he said.
"Efforts are ongoing in talks with the ministry of interior and ministry of foreign affairs so we can clarify what we are doing in Helmand province, so these people can stay here and do the important work they do," he said.
In Brussels, EU spokeswoman Cristina Gallach said Tuesday: "We are in touch at a diplomatic level with the Afghan authorities. We are hoping for a resolution soon." The diplomats speak Afghan languages fluently and have been working in the country for several years.
News of their expulsion caused concern in the international community, which provides the aid and troops to keep back Taliban insurgents, and with which the government has sometimes clashed. Asked to comment, foreign ministry spokesman Sultan Ahmad Baheen said internationals working in Afghanistan "have to observe our law." "All the measures which the government of Afghanistan takes are according to its national and security interests," he said.
Britain's Daily Telegraph meanwhile reported that agents from the British secret service, MI6, had held secret talks with senior insurgents on several occasions this year. With the Taliban-led insurgency at its bloodiest this year since the hard-liners were driven from government in 2001, Karzai has been pushing reconciliation with rebels who agree to lay down their arms. His government relies on international aid but there have been differences with foreign supporters, including on some of his appointments to government and failed efforts to rein in Afghanistan's opium production.