UAE holds talks with Taliban to run Kabul airport: Foreign diplomats
DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates has held talks with the
Taliban to run Kabul airport, going up against Gulf rival Qatar in a diplomatic
tussle for influence with Afghanistan’s new rulers, according to four sources
with knowledge of the matter.
UAE officials have held a series of discussions with the
group in recent weeks to discuss operating the airport that serves as
landlocked Afghanistan’s main air link to the world, the foreign diplomats
based in the Gulf region told Reuters.
The talks demonstrate how countries are seeking to assert
their influence in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan even as the hardline Islamist
group largely remains an international pariah and its government not formally
recognised by any country.
The Qataris have been helping run the Hamid Karzai
International Airport along with Turkey after playing a major role in
evacuation efforts following the chaotic US withdrawal in August, and have said
they are willing to take over the operations.
Yet the Taliban has not yet formalised an arrangement with
Qatar, the four diplomats said.
A senior Emirati foreign ministry official said the UAE,
which previously ran Kabul airport during the US-backed Afghan republic,
“remains committed to continuing to assist in operating” it to ensure
humanitarian access and safe passage.
Abu Dhabi also aided recent evacuation efforts.
The Taliban and Qatari authorities did not respond to
requests for comment.
Two of the diplomats said the Taliban has also sought
financial assistance from the UAE, though they added it was not clear if this
was related to the airport discussions.
The Emirati foreign ministry official, Salem Al Zaabi,
director of international security cooperation, did not respond to a question
on whether the UAE was considering providing financial help to the Taliban.
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