G-7 agrees Taleban must let Afghans leave after Aug 31: Johnson

LONDON • British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said yesterday that the Group of Seven (G-7) wealthy nations had agreed on a plan to deal with the Taleban, with their number one condition being that the militants must allow safe passage to Afghans wanting to leave the country even after an Aug 31 deadline.

"What we've done today, the G-7, is we've... agreed not just a joint approach to dealing with the evacuation, but also a road map for the way in which we're going to engage with the Taleban," Mr Johnson said after an emergency virtual meeting of the leaders of the G-7.

He added: "The number one condition we're setting as G-7 is that they've got to guarantee right the way through, through Aug 31 and beyond, safe passage for those who want to come out.

"Some of them will say that they don't accept that, some of them I hope will see the sense of that, because the G-7 has very considerable leverage, economic, diplomatic and political."

Mr Johnson said the "huge leverage" which the G-7 could wield over the Taleban after it seized control of Afghanistan just over a week ago included withholding substantial funds.

"What we're saying is Afghanistan can't lurch back into becoming a breeding ground of terror, Afghanistan can't become a narco state, girls have got to be educated up to the age of 18," he said.

Mr Johnson sidestepped a question about whether other G-7 leaders had expressed frustration at US President Joe Biden over his handling of the crisis and refusal to extend the deadline for US troops remaining in Afghanistan.

"Let's be clear the immediate phase of the evacuation is actually... a very considerable success by the military," he said. "We're confident we can get thousands more out. But the situation at the airport is not getting any better. It's harrowing scenes for those who are trying to get out."

The G-7 comprises Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.

President Biden addressed the leaders on the call for about seven minutes.

He has decided to stick to his Aug 31 deadline to pull American forces out of Afghanistan, US media reported yesterday.

Mr Biden made the decision after talks with his G-7 counterparts and a demand by the Taleban that the US not extend its stay past the end of this month, CNN, Fox News and other media reported, citing senior US officials.

A Pentagon recommendation to stick with the current date was made on Monday, based on concerns about security risks to American forces, an administration official has said.

Mr Biden's decision means that civilian evacuations at Kabul airport must end within the next few days to allow enough time to get the remaining American and other troops out.

Italy has, meanwhile, said it hoped to organise a Group of 20 (G-20) meeting on Afghanistan, to widen the global discussion on the crisis to countries including Russia and China.

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio emphasised the importance of the wider G-20 meeting, over which Italy currently presides and which includes countries such as China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS