The G7 countries called upon the Taliban to adhere to “international human rights law” on Tuesday in a joint statement.
The calls came amid reports of violence towards civilians in Afghanistan, which was discussed when the leaders of the G7 countries and the secretaries general of the United Nations and NATO engaged in a virtual call last night.
Releasing a statement following the call, the counties reaffirmed their commitment to the people of Afghanistan and called for the “rights of women, girls, and minority groups” to be respected.
It added that their immediate priority was to ”ensure the safe evacuation of our citizens and those Afghans who have partnered with us and assisted our efforts over the past twenty years, and to ensure continuing safe passage out of Afghanistan”.
“We will work together, and with our allies and regional countries, through the UN, G20 and more widely, to bring the international community together to address the critical questions facing Afghanistan,” the statement concluded.
“As we do this, we will judge the Afghan parties by their actions, not words. In particular, we reaffirm that the Taliban will be held accountable for their actions on preventing terrorism, on human rights in particular those of women, girls and minorities and on pursuing an inclusive political settlement in Afghanistan. The legitimacy of any future government depends on the approach it now takes to uphold its international obligations and commitments to ensure a stable Afghanistan.”
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden confirmed that there would be no extension to the August 31 deadline for the withdrawal of US troops from Kabul, despite calls to the contrary from UK prime minister Boris Johnson during the meeting.
A statement from Biden’s press secretary Jen Psaki after the call on Tuesday read: “During a meeting this morning with the G7 leaders, the president conveyed that our mission in Kabul will end based on the achievement of our objectives.
“He confirmed we are currently on pace to finish by August 31 and provided an update on progress in evacuating Americans who want to come home, third-country nationals, and Afghans who were our allies during the war.”
