Afghanistan (Hansard, 19 December 2001)

HC Deb 19 December 2001 vol 377 c307W 307W

§ Mr. Ben Chapman
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about British diplomatic representation in Kabul. [24543]

§ Mr. Bradshaw
Following discussions with the incoming Interim Administration, we expect to renew diplomatic relations with Afghanistan on 22 December and to re-designate the Office of the British Representative in Kabul as an embassy, headed by a Chargé d'Affaires. We last had permanent diplomatic representation in Kabul in 1989. We did not have normal government-to-government dealings with the Taliban regime.