Blinken said the new Afghan government “definitely does not stand the test of inclusivity and includes people who have very challenging track records.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that any legitimacy or international support for the Taliban would “have to be earned” after Afghanistan’s new rulers announced an interim government that drew a deeply skeptical Western response.
The foreign minister and his German counterpart met at a US base in Germany that has become a major transit point for those evacuated from Afghanistan.
He hosted a virtual meeting of officials from 22 countries as well as NATO, the European Union and the United Nations, a day after the Taliban announced its all-male interim government.
Mr Blinken said the new Afghan government “definitely does not stand the test of inclusivity and includes people who have very challenging track records.” The administration is filled with veterans of a 20-year battle against the harsh Taliban regime and the US-led coalition since the 1990s.
Initial reactions suggested it may struggle to win international support, with new leaders desperately needing to survive an economic downturn.
This includes Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is wanted by the FBI for questioning as Interior Minister.
The announcement of a new government came hours after the Taliban fired their guns in the air to disperse protesters in the capital of Kabul and arrested several journalists, the second time in less than a week that demonstrations were broken up. A heavy-handed strategy was used.
“The Taliban wants international legitimacy and support,” Mr Blinken told reporters.
“Any legitimacy, any endorsement, has to be earned, and we heard from everyone who participated in today’s session, across the board.” US engagement with the Taliban and a new government would be “for the purposes of advancing national interests” and partners, and “in ways that are consistent with our laws,” he said.
Mr Blinken and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called on the Taliban to allow Afghans to travel freely and to respect their basic rights, including that of women.
He also called on the Taliban to ensure that Afghanistan is not used to launch attacks, refraining from retaliatory attacks, and allowing humanitarian access.
Mr Blinken said the US was still “assessing the announcement” and noted that the Taliban billed it as a caretaker cabinet. “We will judge it, and them, by its actions,” he said.
Mr Maas said the new government’s makeup so far “is not indicative of greater international cooperation.” “It should be clear to the Taliban that international isolation cannot be in their best interest,” Mr Maas said.
He, however, said that no one was interested in turning away from Afghanistan and that the international community should use its ability to influence the group.
As for formal diplomatic recognition, Mr Maas said: “I don’t see it at the moment.” The French government said the Taliban’s “action did not match their words.” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Agnes von der Mühl told an online briefing that France and others had called for the safe departure of Afghans who want to leave, free access to humanitarian aid, a “total severance” of ties with terrorist groups and human rights. respect for, especially women’s rights.
“We can only note that these demands have not been met,” she said.
Pakistan’s foreign minister urged the international community to help prevent the humanitarian and economic crisis in Afghanistan.
Qureshi told a virtual meeting in neighboring Afghanistan that since the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul, “there hasn’t been a lot of terrible bloodshed,” and the prospect of a protracted conflict and civil war has been averted. He said that till now there is no fear of migration of refugees.
However, the situation in Afghanistan remains complex and fluid, and requires “abandoning old lenses, developing new insights, and moving forward with a realistic and practical approach,” he said.
Mr. Qureshi later spoke at a meeting organized by Mr. Blinken and Mr. Maas.
Mr Blinken met with Mr Maas at Ramstein Air Base, where he traveled after visiting Qatar, another important staging post in the evacuation effort.
More than 34,000 people have been deported to Ramstein under a transit agreement with Germany; as of Wednesday, about 23,000 people had been deported from Ramstein to the US or elsewhere. There were approximately 11,200 people at the base and the nearby Rhine Ordnance Barracks awaiting onward travel.
Officials say about 90 people have requested asylum during their stay in Ramstein in Germany, and officials in both countries say it is in line with existing rules and practices. Maas stressed that there are less than 1 percent of those brought to the base, and that the German-US transit agreement is being fully respected.
Mr Maas said there are many reasons why those people have sought asylum, for example that they have relatives in Germany, and noted that the transit operation is not expected to last more than a few weeks.
So he expects that “this situation will remain completely manageable.”