but the idea that i think. the taliban might be very sympathetic to the idea of a multinational- humanitarian assistance programme | because they do not want to be seen to be running a government. that is failing catastrophically to the detriment of its own people. immediately as soon as the taliban took over, it was pointed out by a lot of commentators that china and russia see opportunity in afghanistan. there are huge mineral resources, big marble deposits, _ there will be no shortage of people queueing up to examine _ the opportunities there. i think one of the i other problems is... i am no afghan expert, believe me, | but one of the things we have seen| in terms of the conflicts we have | seen over the last few decades, | the idea of a centralised government i which knows exactly which bits, . which extremities, - what they are doing... some people have compared it. to a kind of narco gangster state, or what have you, and certainly it is full of regional people - who often have different i agendas to anyone talking to the international| press at the centre. so the idea that you can reason.