LONDON, Aug. 22 (Reuters) – Britain plans to push world leaders to consider new sanctions on the Taliban when the G7 meets on Tuesday to discuss the crisis in Afghanistan, sources told Reuters.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who currently leads the group that includes the United States, Italy, France, Germany, Japan and Canada, convened the virtual meeting on Sunday, following the Taliban’s swift capture of Afghanistan.
Britain believes the G7 should consider economic sanctions and withhold aid if the Taliban commit human rights abuses and allow their territory to be used as a refuge for militants, a British government official said on Sunday, speaking with anonymity.
Taliban militants took control of Kabul last weekend in a convulsion that sent Afghan civilians and military allies fleeing for security. Many fear a return to the austere interpretation of Islamic law imposed during the previous Taliban government that ended twenty years ago.
“It is vital that the international community work together to ensure safe evacuations, prevent a humanitarian crisis and support the Afghan people in achieving the gains of the past 20 years,” Johnson said on Twitter on Sunday.
Sanctions against the Taliban are likely to be adopted immediately, a Western diplomat said. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab first raised the possibility of sanctions for pressuring the Taliban last week. Read more
Biden, under fire at home and abroad for his treatment of the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, told reporters last week that G7 leaders will launch a joint Taliban approach and has held talks with Johnson, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
Biden is scheduled to make statements on Afghanistan at the White House on Sunday afternoon. The U.S. military said Sunday it had ordered commercial planes to help transport people who have already been evacuated from Afghanistan.
Biden told reporters on Friday that he and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken would work with other countries to establish “tough conditions” for any Taliban cooperation or recognition, depending on how they treat women. and girls and the global human rights registry.
Reports by Andrew MacAskill in London and Andrea Shalal in Washington; additional writing by Susan Heavey; Edited by Susan Fenton, Giles Elgood, Grant McCool, Heather Timmons and Daniel Wallis
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