In the wake of the Taliban’s swift takeover of Afghanistan, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called for a virtual meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) countries with reports saying he’s planning to urge leaders to consider adopting sanctions against the Taliban, Reuters reported.
Johnson, who currently leads G7, wrote on Twitter on Sunday that he’ll convene G7 leaders to meet virtually on Tuesday for urgent talks on Afghanistan, pointing it’s vital that the international community ensure safe evacuations and prevent a humanitarian crisis.
Sources noted that Britain reportedly believes G7 countries – the US, France, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada- should consider adopting punitive action against the Taliban, who practically took over Afghanistan after 20 years of Western presence in the country, if they commit human rights abuses and allow its territory to be used as a haven for militants.
According to an anonymous British government official and a second Western diplomat, Britain believes the G7 should consider measures that even US President Biden has supposedly supported – depending on Taliban’s conduct- in a form of economic sanctions and withhold aid.
Biden reminded that the Taliban are seeking legitimacy to determine if they’ll be recognized by other countries and don’t want foreign diplomatic presence to move our completely, but noted Taliban would have to move from words to action though they have so far, by and large, followed through what they said with regard to allowing US troops safe passage.
Sanctions against the Taliban that British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab first raised the possibility of last week- like holding back the Official Development Assistance (ODA) pending reform and a more inclusive government- are unlikely to be adopted immediately.
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