The Taliban's hopes for transformation from a band of Islamic zealots to the internationally recognized government of Afghanistan lie as shattered as the historic statues they have labelled un-Islamic.
"I'm sure the Taliban would like international recognition," Dimitri Loundras, the Greek ambassador to Pakistan and head of a committee dealing with the Taliban on archaeological issues for the UN, commented bitterly.
"But that will never come."
Afghanistan's Taliban rulers said yesterday they had demolished major collections of the country's historic statues and were knocking down two famous giant Buddhas at the central town of Bamiyan piece by piece.
Taliban's culture minister Qudratullah Jamal exulted yesterday over the ease with which the destruction had been carried out so far. He talked of a piece-by-piece demolition of the two soaring statues of Buddha in Bamiyan -- the tallest in the world and Afghanistan's best-known archaeological treasure.
World outrage has gone far beyond Western countries to encompass those with large Buddhist populations and even Muslim countries alarmed at the image of Islam spread by the Taliban.
Taiwan's National Palace Museum said yesterday that it was willing to buy or accept the statues to save them from destruction.
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