Asselborn for refugee admission into EU policy


After the withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan, the Islamist Taliban took power in the country – and are redesigning it according to their ideas. The most important developments in the news blog.

Before an EU ministerial meeting on Afghanistan, Luxembourg’s immigration minister, Jean Asselborn, campaigned for tens of thousands of Afghan refugees to be accepted into the EU. “The European Union should be ready to provide 40,000 to 50,000 resettlement places for Afghan refugees,” Asselborn said world. “With this we would bring girls, women, former judges, human rights activists or other people whose lives are in immediate danger to the EU in a legal and safe way in cooperation with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). “

With a view to the meeting of the EU interior ministers on Tuesday, Asselborn expressed criticism of Austria’s Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and the Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa: “I hope that there is resistance to Mr Kurz from Austria and Mr Janša from Slovenia, who are both clear and are definitely in line with Orban, Salvini and Le Pen. They all reject direct human solidarity at this extremely dramatic moment with the tortured people in Afghanistan. ” He continued: “You lose the quality of being a European. In contrast, the majority of the member states must stand for the values ​​of the European Union.”

Kurz had spoken out against granting refugees from Afghanistan protection. Jansa had declared on Twitter that one should only accept people “who helped us during the NATO operation”. Slovenia currently holds the EU Council Presidency. The EU Commission recently called on all EU countries to accept more people from Afghanistan through the resettlement program of the UN refugee agency.

Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) wants to continue his talks on the admission of Afghan refugees in Pakistan on Tuesday. Before his visit, Maas held talks in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan on Monday. The three neighboring countries of Afghanistan are among the first port of call for people who want to get to safety from the militant Islamist Taliban by land. The federal government is trying to take in more than 40,000 of them in Germany.

Pakistan has taken in millions of Afghan refugees over the past 40 years. Government officials recently stated that they did not want to allow any more refugees to enter the country because Pakistan could not afford it. (08/31/2021)

Flashing about local staff: “Our obligation to you has no deadline”

After the end of the evacuation mission of the US armed forces, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, there are still more than 100 Americans in Afghanistan who want to leave the country. It is believed that their number is “under 200, probably closer to 100,” said Blinken in Washington. He stressed that the US government would continue to seek them. This also applies to US citizens who have family roots in Afghanistan and may not decide to leave the country until later. “We’ll help them leave.”

Blinken said there had also been intensive efforts to rescue Afghans who had worked with the US. “We got a lot out, but a lot are still there.” One will continue to work to help them. “Our commitment to you has no deadline.” Blinken emphasized that the Taliban had promised to allow Afghans to leave the country, “including those who worked for the Americans”.

With the withdrawal of troops from Kabul, the US ended its diplomatic presence in Afghanistan and relocated its activities to the Qatari capital Doha, as Blinken explained. “In view of the uncertain security and political situation in Afghanistan, this was a prudent step.” From Doha one wants to regulate consular affairs, but also manage humanitarian aid and organize cooperation with the allies. Humanitarian aid will not be provided through the Taliban government, but through independent organizations such as the United Nations or aid organizations. “We expect that these efforts will not be hindered by the Taliban.”

According to Blinken, a Taliban-led government in Afghanistan must earn international legitimacy and support. “The Taliban can do that,” said the foreign minister. To do this, they would have to keep their promises of freedom to travel, respect fundamental rights and form an inclusive government. They are also not allowed to give refuge to terrorists or take revenge against their opponents. The USA would maintain “solid” counter-terrorism options in the region even after the US troops withdrew, Blinken said without further details. (08/31/2021)

US troops withdrawn completely from Afghanistan

According to the Pentagon, the last US soldiers have withdrawn from Afghanistan. “I am here to announce the completion of our withdrawal from Afghanistan,” said US General Kenneth McKenzie on a video link with journalists at the Pentagon.

The last C-17 military aircraft took off from Kabul airport one minute before midnight (local time). The US ambassador also left the country with this machine. This also ends the military mission to evacuate Americans, allies and Afghans seeking protection. “Even if we stayed ten more days, we couldn’t have gotten everyone we wanted,” McKenzie said. However, at the time the last aircraft took off, there were no more people to be brought to safety on the airport grounds.

US President Joe Biden had set this Tuesday as the deadline for the US troop withdrawal. The Bundeswehr ended its rescue operation on Thursday, France, Spain and Great Britain followed on Friday and Saturday.

Almost 120,000 people, called the White House, have been flown out of Afghanistan by the US and its allies since August 14th. There are still tens of thousands of people in Afghanistan who want to flee the Taliban – most of them are Afghans. The USA and the Western partners have repeatedly emphasized that there should be the possibility of bringing people to safety even after the end of the mission. “The military phase of this operation has ended,” said General McKenzie. Now the diplomatic continuation begins. In fact, not all Americans would have wanted to leave the country. The Foreign Ministry will now work to enable the remaining citizens to leave the country. McKenzie estimates that there are a few hundred people.

The Taliban celebrate the withdrawal of US troops. “We’re making history again. The 20-year occupation of Afghanistan by the US and NATO ended tonight. God is great,” wrote senior Taliban member Anas Hakkani on Twitter. (08/30/2021)

UN Security Council adopts Afghanistan resolution

The UN Security Council is increasing pressure on the Taliban to allow Afghans to leave their homeland unhindered. A corresponding resolution was passed with 13 votes in favor, Russia and China abstained. In the resolution, the Security Council refers to the Taliban’s pledges on Friday that Afghans are free to leave the country at any time and by any means possible. The Security Council “expects the Taliban to honor these and all other commitments,” it said.

At the same time, the resolution demands that Afghanistan should not become a haven for terrorists and their attack plans. The need for unhindered humanitarian access and respect for human rights, in particular “the rights of women, children and minorities”, is also emphasized. A UN security zone in Kabul recently brought into play by French President Emmanuel Macron is not mentioned in the resolution.

As Western diplomats report, a rare unity emerged on this resolution. In most of the major crises in recent years, the permanent members – especially the USA, China and Russia – have often been at odds and blocked common solutions. (08/30/2021)

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