Afghanistan: Under pressure Dominic Raab ignores calls to resign, continues diplomatic scramble | politics news

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Under pressure, Dominic Raab continued UK pressure for an international response to the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

Influenced by demands to resign over his handling of the crisis, the foreign minister on Thursday continued a series of calls with his counterparts around the world.

Raab spoke with Wang Yi, China’s foreign minister, and Maryse Payne, Australia’s foreign minister, as well as chairing a virtual meeting of G7 foreign ministers.

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“Are you going to quit, Mr. Rapp?”

His diplomatic conflict came when opposition parties invited him to go after revelations last week that he had refused to contact the Afghan foreign minister – as the Taliban approached Kabul – while he was vacationing in Crete.

Downing Street said they had “full confidence” in Mr Raab.

And asked by reporters Thursday morning if he intended to resign because of this matter, the foreign minister replied: “No.”

The virtual meeting of G7 foreign ministers, which took place on Thursday, chaired by Mr Raab as the UK currently holds the G7 presidency, was preceded by a planned virtual meeting of G7 leaders early next week – which will now take place at least seven days after the Kabul government took control of the capital Afghani. Taliban.

Talk to @MarisePayne this morning about the situation in Afghanistan. The UK and Australia are uniting in evacuating our citizens and the Afghans who have worked with us, and working together for a coordinated international response to address the security threats and humanitarian crisis.

– Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) on August 19, 2021

In a statement after Thursday’s meeting, Raab said the G7 ministers “stressed the importance of the Taliban upholding their obligations to ensure the protection of civilians” and were “deeply concerned by reports of violent reprisals in parts of Afghanistan”.

“The G7 ministers called on the Taliban to ensure safe passage for foreigners and Afghans wishing to leave,” he added in a statement.

The G7 ministers also discussed the importance of close and effective cooperation among us in order to allow the evictions from Kabul.

“The G7 ministers discussed the importance of the international community providing safe and legal pathways for resettlement.

They agreed that the Taliban must ensure that Afghanistan does not become a host country for a terrorist threat to international security.

Photo: The foreign minister also chaired a meeting of G7 foreign ministers PIC: Simon Dawson/Downing St

After Mr. Raab contacted Mr. Wang, the Chinese foreign minister was quoted as telling the foreign minister that the international community should “encourage and guide” Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power, rather than “exercise more pressure”.

China has not officially recognized the Taliban as the new rulers of Afghanistan, but Mr. Wang last month hosted Mullah Baradar, head of the Taliban’s political office, in Tianjin, and said the group is expected to play an important role in the peace and reconstruction process in Afghanistan.

In the call with Raab, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the international community should not use Afghanistan as a geopolitical battleground, but should respect its independence and the will of its people.

After Downing Street released photos of Raab’s call with Mr Wang, Labor Deputy Leader Angela Rayner tweeted: “You’re a bit late. Unless you’re calling the PM to resign, we don’t really bother about your PR photos pretending to be on the phone.”

“Wipe your desk and do us all a favor.”

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