U.S. says Taliban will have to earn international support
Interim government doesn’t meet inclusivity test, top diplomat says
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, GERMANY— U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that any legitimacy or international support for the Taliban “will have to be earned” after Afghanistan’s new rulers announced an interim government that drew a deeply skeptical western response.
The secretary of state and his German counterpart met at a U.S. base in Germany that has become a key transit point for evacuees from Afghanistan. They hosted a virtual meeting of officials from 22 countries as well as NATO, the European Union and UN the day after the Taliban announced their allmale interim government.
Blinken said the new Afghan government “certainly does not meet the test of inclusivity and it includes people who have very challenging track records.”
The administration is stacked with veterans of the Taliban’s hard-line rule from the 1990s and the 20-year battle against the U.S.-led coalition. Initial responses suggested that it may struggle to win the international support the new leaders desperately need to avoid an economic meltdown. It includes Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is wanted for questioning by the FBI, as interior minister.
The announcement of a new government came hours after Taliban fired their guns into the air to disperse protesters in the capital of Kabul and arrested several journalists, the second time in less than a week that heavy-handed tactics were used to break up a demonstration.
“The Taliban seek international legitimacy and support,” Blinken told reporters. “Any legitimacy, any support will have to be earned, and we heard that across the board, from everyone participating in today’s session.”
U.S. engagement with the Taliban and a new government “will be for purposes of advancing the national interest” and those of partners, and “in ways that are fully consistent with our laws,” he added.
Blinken and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas pressed demands for the Taliban to allow Afghans to travel freely and to respect their basic rights, including women’s. They also pushed the Taliban to ensure that Afghanistan is not used to launch attacks, refrain from reprisal attacks and allow humanitarian access.