France and Britain on Monday will urge the United Nations to the creation of a “safe zone” in the Afghan capital Kabul to protect humanitarian operations.
France wants to work with Britain to create a secure U.N. zone in Kabul to enable the continued evacuations and to protect humanitarian operations after U.S. troops withdraw from Afghanistan, French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday in comments published in the Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper.
Paris and London will take the opportunity to present a joint resolution when the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) convenes for a crisis meeting on Monday to consider the situation in Afghanistan, which “aims to define, under UN control, a ‘safe zone’ in Kabul, that will allow humanitarian operations to continue,” Macron told Dimanche newspaper.
“This is very important. This would provide a framework for the United Nations to act in an emergency,” Macron said.
“What we are trying to do is to be able to organize targeted humanitarian operations for evacuations that are not handled through the military airport in Kabul,” Macron said.
“It’s about protecting these Afghans who are under threat and getting them out of the country in the coming days or weeks.”
Above all such a safe zone would allow the international community “to maintain pressure on the Taliban,” who are now in power in Afghanistan, Marcon added.
His comments come as international efforts to airlift foreign nationals and vulnerable Afghanis out of the country come to an end.
US troops are due to withdraw from the country by Tuesday. This has left governments worldwide trying to work out how to evacuate those who remain behind after the end of their military missions.
Macron announced on Saturday that discussions had been “started with the Taliban” to “protect and repatriate” Afghan nationals at risk beyond this deadline.
The five permanent members of the UN Security Council — France, Britain, the US, Russia, and China — will meet on Monday to discuss the Afghanistan situation.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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