link DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United Arab Emirates cut diplomatic relations with Afghanistan's Taliban rulers on Saturday, the official Emirates News Agency reported.

The move leaves only two countries that recognize the Taliban as Afghanistan's government — Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

The agency quoted an unidentified Foreign Ministry official as saying the Emirates severed ties after failing to persuade the Taliban to hand over Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect in last week's terror attacks in New York and Washington, for prosecution abroad.

"The United Arab Emirates does not believe that it is possible to continue to maintain diplomatic relations with a government that refuses to respond to the clear will of the international community,'' the official said.

The decision to sever relations took effect immediately, and Afghan diplomats were ordered to leave the Emirates within 24 hours, the agency reported.

The hard-line Islamic Taliban militia has controlled most of Afghanistan since 1996, and the Emirates followed its large neighbor Saudi Arabia in recognizing the Taliban as its government in 1997. Most other countries recognize the government-in-exile of President Burhanuddin Rabbani.

The Emirates, which has no diplomatic representation in Kabul, downgraded its relations with the Taliban in 1999, when the U.N. Security Council imposed sanctions on Afghanistan after it refused to surrender bin Laden, who had been indicted for the deadly bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998.

The Emirates has strongly condemned last week's attacks in the United States and said it would support Washington's fight against terrorism.

-- Anonymous, September 22, 2001