he Prime Minister The emergency meeting of the G7 countries will be chaired to coordinate the response to the crisis in Afghanistan, as the race for evacuees continues.
Before the virtual meeting, Boris Johnson Commit to “using all humanitarian and diplomatic means” to protect human rights in the country, and continue Taliban take over.
He is expected to push the United States to extend its presence in the country after August 31 to allow more time to evacuate.
Downing Street says Mr. Johnson and the President Biden He delivered a speech before the G7 leaders’ meeting on Monday.
Our first task is to complete the evacuation of our citizens and those Afghans who have helped us in the past 20 years-but as we look forward to the next phase, it is vital that we, as an international community, unite and agree on a common approach long
Downing Street said in the phone call: “The leaders agreed to continue to work together to ensure that those who are eligible to leave can leave, including after the initial phase of the evacuation is over.”
The two leaders added: “Committed to promoting international action, including through the G7 and the UN Security Council, to stabilize the situation, support the Afghan people, and strive to establish an inclusive and representative Afghan government.”
In a statement issued before Tuesday’s meeting, Mr. Johnson said: “Our priority is to complete the evacuation of our citizens and the Afghans who have helped us in the past 20 years — but when we look to the next phase, this is It is essential that we, as an international community, come together to agree on a long-term joint approach.
“This is why I convened an emergency meeting of the Group of Seven-to coordinate our response to the immediate crisis, to reaffirm our commitment to the Afghan people, and to require our international partners to match the commitments of the United Kingdom to support those in need .
“Together with our partners and allies, we will continue to use all humanitarian and diplomatic means to uphold human rights and protect the achievements of the past two decades. The Taliban will judge them based on their actions rather than their words.”
Minister of Defense on Monday Ben Wallace He said that the Kabul evacuation was “reduced to a few hours, not weeks” because he admitted that the U.S. withdrawal would mean “we will also have to leave.”
He said that at the G7 meeting, the prime minister “will try to increase the possibility of seeing whether the United States will extend” the withdrawal.
A Taliban spokesperson said on Monday that any attempt to continue a military evacuation after August 31 will “provoke a reaction.”
President Biden said on Sunday that he does not want the U.S. armed forces to remain in this Central Asian country after August. He said: “We hope that it will not be extended, but we are discussing how far we can go.”
Government officials stated that there is “no set date” for when the United Kingdom will withdraw troops, but worry that without the presence of US troops, the remaining allied forces will not be able to protect the Hamid Karzai International Airport acquisition or other potential security from the crowd wishing to flee the Taliban. threat.
The former deputy speaker of the House of Commons, Lord Nasibi, urged Parliament to meet on Saturday, August 28, so that members of Congress and colleagues can assess the final days of the evacuation.
He told the PA News Agency: “Any government should recall the parliament for the second time on Saturday this week, which is very close to Saturday, August 31. It is in such a terrible situation that we can get a complete update.”
The Ministry of Defense (MoD) stated that the military evacuation operation Pitting, which began on Friday, August 13, has so far evacuated 7,109 people from Kabul.
According to the Ministry of Defence, this figure includes embassy staff, British nationals, persons in compliance with the Afghanistan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) plan, and nationals of some partner countries.
On Monday, Armed Forces Minister James Heappey stated that British nationals and more than 2,200 Afghans who helped the British army-the rest under the Arap (Afghanistan Relocation and Assistance Policy)-were responsible for the government’s evacuation from Afghanistan. Focus”.
Mr. Heappey said: “We will leave as much as possible, but we have always been clear that there is a harsh reality and we will not be able to let everyone we want to leave.”
He added: “Air transport is not the only way to leave Afghanistan, nor is it the only way to the UK.”
The Guardian reported that Sir Laurie Bristol, the British ambassador to Afghanistan, told MPs on Monday that the Taliban had sent a “very uncompromising” signal that they hoped to complete the operation by the end of this month.
According to reports, Sir Laurie said in a speech in Kabul that “at least at risk” exceeding the August 31 deadline could lead to “a more difficult and non-compliant environment”.
Taliban spokesperson Sohail Shaheen told Sky News on Monday: “President Biden announced this agreement and they will withdraw all troops on August 31. Therefore, if they extend it, it means they are expanding the occupation. , And there is no need to do so.
“This will create mistrust between us. If they intend to continue the occupation, it will cause a reaction.”
On the BBC’s “News Night” program, when asked if Boris Johnson had any bargaining chips to postpone, Lord Darrok, the former British ambassador to the United States, said: “I think there is a chance. I think the chance is small. I think he must show empathy.
“Because I think it will be a very difficult decision for President Biden to extend his term now. Of course, you have one more question, whether the Taliban will agree.”
At the same time, it was reported that an Afghan on the British no-fly watch list arrived in the UK as part of the evacuation operation.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior said: “As part of the strict inspection process, a person is flagged to the Ministry of the Interior, involving the police, security services and others.
“However, after further investigation, they are not stakeholders of security agencies or law enforcement agencies.”
