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US expresses concern over new Taliban government, China ready to engage
A State Department spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday that the US government reiterated “its clear expectation that the Taliban ensure that Afghan soil is not used to threaten any other countries and allow humanitarian access in support of the Afghan people."
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) attends a press conference with Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab following their bilateral meeting in London on May 3, 2021, during the G7 foreign ministers meeting. Britain this week hosts the first face-to-face meeting of G7 foreign ministers in two years, joined by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, as world powers tackle pandemic recovery plus growing tensions with Russia and China. (AFP/Ben Stansall)
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he United States government has expressed concern about the "affiliations and track records" of some of the people named by the Taliban to fill top posts in Afghanistan's new government, while China said it is ready to maintain communication with the leaders of the new government in Afghanistan.
A State Department spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday that the US government reiterated “its clear expectation that the Taliban ensure that Afghan soil is not used to threaten any other countries and allow humanitarian access in support of the Afghan people."
On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will hold talks in Germany with nations shaken by the Afghanistan withdrawal as the Taliban announced a hardline new government. Many US officials have stressed that any official recognition of a Taliban government is far off.
The top US diplomat flew out of Qatar, the largest transit hub in a massive airlift from Afghanistan, to tour another processing hub for thousands of evacuees at the US airbase in Ramstein, Germany.
Blinken will meet in Ramstein with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas before they lead a 20-nation virtual meeting of ministers on the way forward in Afghanistan.
The United States will likely seek to shore up international pressure on the Taliban to make good on their commitments to let Afghans leave freely if they choose.
The talks could also bring coordination on how to deal with the caretaker government announced Tuesday, which has no women or non-Taliban members and includes an interior minister who the United States is seeking to arrest on terrorism accusations.
