LONDON: An emergency meeting of the G7 leaders agreed that the Taliban will be held accountable for their actions in Afghanistan on protecting women’s rights and preventing terrorism.
“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,” said a statement issued by Downing Street after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson convened the meeting.
The Taliban must “guarantee” safe passage for those fleeing Afghanistan beyond the current August 31 evacuation deadline, the G7 agreed.
Johnson said that he and his colleagues had agreed “a roadmap for the way in which we’re going to engage with the Taliban” in the future.
But he added that the “number one condition” was “to guarantee… through August 31 and beyond, a safe passage for those who want to come out.”
The UK chaired the emergency talks among the group of wealthy countries on Tuesday, saying it would urge Biden to extend his August 31 deadline to pull American forces out of Afghanistan.
France also called on Washington to push back the timeline.
However, Biden decided after the G7 talks that he would stick to the deadline, US media reported.
Britain’s Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said earlier Tuesday it was “unlikely” evacuations from Afghanistan would be extended beyond August 31.
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