US Department of State Sissy Begs Taliban to be INCLUSIVE, promote women EQUALLY

Frail US Department of State Sissy Begs Taliban to be INCLUSIVE and promote women EQUALLY & Obey International LawShow more

The United States organized a joint statement with 98 signatories, calling on all parties to respect and facilitate the safe and orderly departure of foreign nationals and Afghans who wish to leave the country.

Additionally, the UN Security Council issued a joint press statement earlier today calling for a new government that is united, inclusive, and representative – including with the full and meaningful participation of women. The council spoke with one voice to underscore that Afghanistan must abide by its international obligations – including to international humanitarian law – and ensure the safety and security of all Afghans and international citizens.

https://www.state.gov/briefings/department-press-briefing-august-16-2021/

MR PRICE: Good afternoon. Let me say a few things at the top, and then I will turn to your questions.
You just heard directly from the President regarding the context, the current situation, and what the United States is seeking to do in the coming hours and the coming days.
Let me offer just a few additional details from the Department of State.
The safety and security of U.S. Government employees and U.S. citizens overseas is our top priority. All remaining U.S. direct hire embassy personnel, including the ambassador, have relocated to Hamid Karzai International Airport, where they are secure.
The Department of Defense is working to restore a safe and secure environment so that military and commercial flights can resume.
Now, of course, the situation is evolving quickly, and we will communicate information to U.S. citizens as rapidly as possible. In the meantime, we are asking U.S. citizens to shelter and not to travel to the airport until they hear otherwise from the Department of State.
We also continue to pursue all options to relocate interested and qualified Afghan SIV applicants and their immediate families, as well as other vulnerable Afghans.
We remain closely coordinated with our international partners on the ground and around the globe.
We’ve been engaging tirelessly with our partners and the international community. You may have seen last night the United States organized a joint statement with 98 signatories, calling on all parties to respect and facilitate the safe and orderly departure of foreign nationals and Afghans who wish to leave the country.
Today, Secretary Blinken spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, PRC State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Pakistan Foreign Minister Qureshi, UK Foreign Secretary Raab, NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg, Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu, and EU High Representative Josep Borrell.
Yesterday he spoke with Australian Foreign Minister Payne, French Foreign Minister Le Drian, German Foreign Minister Maas, and Norwegian Foreign Minister Soreide. Other senior officials have been making calls to their counterparts as well around the clock.
Additionally, the UN Security Council issued a joint press statement earlier today calling for a new government that is united, inclusive, and representative – including with the full and meaningful participation of women. The council spoke with one voice to underscore that Afghanistan must abide by its international obligations – including to international humanitarian law – and ensure the safety and security of all Afghans and international citizens.
The situation will continue to remain fluid in the coming hours and likely in the coming days. Nevertheless, we are operating on multiple fronts and around the clock to protect our people, those who have worked side-by-side with the United States over the years, and other vulnerable Afghans.
Now before I take your questions, I do want to speak to one additional issue that is of great importance to us, and that is the U.S. response to the earthquake in Haiti. The United States is closely monitoring the situation following a magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck the southwestern part of the country on August 14th. We offer our deepest condolences to all who suffered the loss of loved ones or saw their homes or businesses destroyed. We are in close contact with Haitian authorities to respond to the earthquake and any requests for assistance.
On Saturday, USAID deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team – or a DART – to lead the U.S. Government’s humanitarian response efforts. And yesterday, at the request of the Government of Haiti, USAID deployed members of Fairfax County Fire Department’s Urban Search and Rescue – USAR – team to join the DART.
So far, the DART conducted an aerial assessment and is continuing to assess the damage. They will also identify priority needs and coordinate with the Government of Haiti and humanitarian partners.
U.S. Coast Guard aircrews are transporting medical personnel and supplies from Port-au-Prince to Jeremie and Les Cayes, and are evacuating injured citizens to higher level of care facilities in Port-au-Prince.
At the request of USAID, SOUTHCOM is sending two UH-60 and two CH-47 helicopters from Joint Task Force-Bravo to provide critical airlift support to ongoing relief efforts.
We are also closely tracking Tropical Storm Grace, which is expected to reach Haiti today, potentially exposing people to further devastation.
The United States remains a close and enduring friend to the people of Haiti, and we will continue to provide assistance in the aftermath of this tragedy. We are committed to helping the Haitian people build a better future.
With that, I’m happy to take your questions.
QUESTION: Thanks, Ned. Can I ask two real quick logistical ones? And I hope they’re – really hope they’ll be real quick.
One, other than the threat – I guess you would call it – to respond militarily if the Taliban interfere or get in the way of any of the evacuation efforts, do you – is there any kind of agreement that’s been reached or any kind of an arrangement that has been reached with them about the presence of the U.S. military at the airport, or are they just basically there at kind of the pleasure of the Taliban, as it were, until they decide that they’ve had enough and they start – I don’t know if they will or not, but when they start to resist the fact that the airport is not under their control?
MR PRICE: Well, let me take the opportunity to offer a bit of context on our diplomatic efforts over the past 72 or so hours. Ambassador Khalilzad and his team remained in Doha. They still remain in Doha following consultations that we talked about last week with a number of countries from the region – the UN and countries much farther afield. They continued and they still continue to engage with the Taliban. They continue to engage with the Islamic Republic, that is to say, the Government of Afghanistan representatives.
When it became clear that the Government of Afghanistan was on the verge of collapse, that President Ghani had fled, and that the Taliban were encroaching on Kabul, the focus, of course, changed. It shifted from supporting peace negotiations along with the international community to working assiduously and urgently to do all we can with the international community on an urgent basis to avert violence, to attempt to maintain order in Kabul, and very, very