Semple talks on Afghanistan

Relatively unknown in this his own country, Michael
Semple made worldwide headlines on Christmas Day last
year when he and Mervyn Patterson were expelled from
Afghanistan by the country’s government.

Semple and Patterson were expelled after they were
said to be a threat to national security by engaging
with Taliban members in Helmand. Although called a
misunderstanding at the time, negogiations were unable
to find a resolution and Semple and Patterson were
ordered out of the country.

Semple had spent the best part of the past 20 years in
Afghanistan. Working for Oxfam and as Deputy EU
representative to Afghanistan Semple had immersed
himself in the Afghan way of living. Mervyn Patterson,
from Northern Ireland, was in the country as a member
of the UN team in Afghanistan.

In a talk given in the Unitarian Church in Dublin
yesterday Semple neglected to mention the events
surrounding his expulsion from Afghanistan. He did
comment on how it has “been a rollercoaster from
Christmas onwards.” Semple’s speech focused on
Afghanistan and reconciliation and when he talks about
reconciliation he means “talking, listening, trying to
understand and finding common ground.”

Semple gave an informative view of life in Afghanistan
from the army coup of the late 1970s through to Soviet
control, the rise of the Taliban in the 1990s and the
current situation today.

However, in his speech Semple did acknowledge that in
order to support the Afghan’s reconciliation process,
which is part of his EU mandate, you need to talk with
all sides. He confirmed he had meet Talibs and that
there were “good Talibs and bad Talibs.” He also
stated that “being a Talib is not a sin or a crime.”

Semple spoke of how he meet a mid level Talib who went
underground at the time of the collapse of the Taliban
and who has since gone on to become a human rights
defender. He also explained “I do not think I have
encountered members who are directly involved in
atrocities.”

Highlighting the reconciliation process currently
taking place in Afghanistan Semple said it “is not
about negotiation….what it is about is trying to find
what grievances have driven people into a stance of
armed struggle.”

Michael Semple will be holding a talk in All Souls
Church Belfast on Friday 15th February at 7.30pm