The G7 debates the future relationship with the Taliban and the arrival of refugees after the crisis in Afghanistan

A crowd of Afghans intends to access the Kabul airport facilities this Monday.

The extraordinary meeting on Afghanistan that the G7, under the British presidency, will hold virtually this Tuesday will draw with the chalkboard of urgency the position of the seven richest countries in the world in the face of the new Afghan reality. The first item on the agenda, the evacuation of vulnerable Westerners and Afghans, will be up for debate, as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will ask President Joe Biden to postpone the withdrawal of troops in order to repatriate as many as possible. possible of people. France and Germany second the British demand. The intention of the US president to conclude the operation on August 31, although open for consideration, is being the object in the last hours of increasing pressure from the allies.Biden and Johnson spoke on the phone again on Monday, following first contact last week.

More information

• Biden opens the option for US troops to leave Afghanistan after August 31

• Taliban warn against presence of US troops in Afghanistan after August 31

But beyond what is urgent is what is important, such as the management of the new migratory flow triggered by the flight of thousands of Afghans, as the German Foreign Minister, Heiko Maas, stressed on Monday; a reality that worries European foreign ministries, fearful of a new refugee crisis such as that of 2015. However, the issue that raises the most concern, and apparently the most difficult to answer, is how to approach the relationship with the new rulers of Kabul .Interlocution in specific cases or a possible formal recognition of the regime? The contacts that the US claims to maintain with the bearded men to allow access to the Kabul airport for those who are to be evacuated collide with the warning issued today by the Taliban that there will be consequences if the US does not definitively leave Afghanistan on August 31 .

That is why London, as host of the meeting, wants the G7 to comprehensively address the future relationship of the West with the Taliban, to which the role of China and Russia as important interlocutors in the region will not be alien. The United Kingdom is working with France on a draft resolution in the UN Security Council that could go ahead if it has the support of Beijing and Moscow, according to the

Financial Times

newspaper.

. The draft, which addresses issues such as the fight against terrorism, to prevent Afghanistan from once again being a refuge for jihadists, and humanitarian aid -when the international community has cut ties economically with the Central Asian country-, will also raise the terms of that new unequal relationship with the Taliban. Dominic Raab, British Foreign Minister, stressed this Sunday the key role of Russia and China and the convenience of having their "potentially moderating influence" on Kabul, "however uncomfortable it may be" for the West.

The fact that the Taliban are warning Washington that they will not tolerate a delay in withdrawal is seen by some as a bid, if not blackmail, in search of profit or, later, formal recognition. Regarding this last eventuality, both Washington and London insist that they will act according to the behavior of the bearded men. Voices within the British Executive emphasize that, regardless of peremptory challenges - those in which the physical integrity of thousands of people is at stake - the crux of the matter is dialogue with the Taliban. "Everyone should be clear that this is not just a discussion between the leaders of the G7 tomorrow [for this Tuesday], it is a discussion with the Taliban," stressed today the British Secretary of State for the Armed Forces, James Heappey.Berlin has demonstrated in the same direction. The meeting of the G7 will allow "to agree on the approach towards the Taliban or towards the future Afghan government, what should be the demands towards them, and perhaps even reach a common line", declared today the spokesman for the Executive in Berlin.

"The Taliban will have to choose: they can try to engage with the international community and show that they want to be part of the system, or turn around and say there is no opportunity for an extension" of evacuation efforts, Heappey added.

The UK is not considering staying in Afghanistan after the US departure, according to Defense Minister Ben Wallace, given the violent escalation around Kabul airport.

“I don't think there is any possibility of staying after [leaving] the United States.

If their program is extended for even a day or two, that will give us one or two more days to evacuate people, ”Wallace said Monday.

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London is also considering proposing to its allies the adoption of new sanctions against the Taliban, according to sources quoted by Reuters.

Biden would support the initiative based on the attitude of the new Kabul authorities;

also the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau.

After his initial silence, the US president has maintained bilateral contacts over the last week with his G7 Johnson partners, German Chancellor Angela Merkel;

French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.

Trudeau contacted former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by telephone a week ago, in a call that drew criticism among the conservative opposition for the level of dialogue.

Johnson pledges to give asylum to 20,000 Afghans

Boris Johnson's government has promised to give asylum to 20,000 Afghans considered vulnerable such as women, girls and aid workers, in a program that will span five or six years. The aim is to shelter some 5,000 refugees in the UK in the first year of its launch. London had evacuated more than 6,000 people from the airport in the Afghan capital as of Monday morning.

Johnson will try to get consensus on a "long-term" strategy in Afghanistan at the G7 leaders' meeting.

“Our priority is to complete the evacuation of our citizens and the Afghans who have contributed to our efforts over the past twenty years, but as we move towards the next phase, it is vital that we come together as an international community and agree on a joint approach to long term, "said the conservative president this Monday.

Johnson, who holds the rotating presidency of the bloc, extended the invitation to attend the virtual event to the secretaries general of the United Nations and NATO, António Guterres de Oliveiras and Jens Stoltenberg, respectively.

Johnson seeks the commitment of the leaders of the United States, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Canada in humanitarian assistance and refugee reception in order to "protect their human rights and contribute to the stability of the region." The conservative government this year cut the budget for foreign development aid to face the crisis of the coronavirus pandemic, but has guaranteed an injection of 286 million pounds (about 330 million euros) in programs destined for the region.

"Together with our partners and allies, we will continue to use all humanitarian and diplomatic levers to safeguard human rights and protect the achievements of the last two decades," the prime minister stressed on Monday.

Johnson will emphasize that the Taliban regime "will be judged on its deeds, not its words" with regard to citizenship - particularly women and girls - and in its dealings with radical Islamist individuals and organizations, such as al Qaeda.

In his recent talks with leaders in the region, from Pakistan to Qatar, the head of the British Government insisted on the urgency for the Taliban to form an inclusive government in Kabul.

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