To the Editor:

“U.A.E. Competed With Qatar to Host Taliban Embassy, Leaked Emails Show” (news article, Aug. 1) had only half the story about how the Taliban came to call Qatar their second home.

At the encouragement of the United States, the United Arab Emirates was prepared to host a Taliban presence in Abu Dhabi. But the U.A.E. offer also had firm conditions:

First, the Taliban must denounce Al Qaeda and its founder, Osama bin Laden.

Second, the Taliban must recognize the Afghan Constitution.

Third, the Taliban must renounce violence and lay down their weapons.

The Taliban refused all three conditions, and the U.A.E. withdrew its offer. True to form, Qatar imposed no restrictions, and the Taliban eagerly set up shop in Doha, which remains the region’s most active financing, ideological and media hub for extremists.

YOUSEF AL OTAIBA, WASHINGTON

The writer is the United Arab Emirates’ ambassador to Washington.