Franks on the UAE and the Taliban

Tim Graham at NewsBusters noted an interesting snippet of an interview with General Tommy Franks. Franks argued that permitting UAE management of the ports is no security risk:

I personally believe that we have had no greater ally in seeking a resolution of problems in the Middle East, the Palestinian issue, the Israeli issue, than we have found in the United Arab Emirates. With regard to maintaining contact with the Taliban, even before Sept. 11 — and I'll exercise caution how I say this — but I'll say that I believe we had every reason to be thankful for the relationship and the dialogue that existed between the United Arab Emirates and the Taliban, as it assisted us in our efforts to understand what was going on in Afghanistan.

Hmmm.