Draghi asks UN mandate for Afghanistan at G20 summit

(ANSA) - ROME, OCT 12 - Premier Mario Draghi told a press conference after an extraordinary G20 summit on Afghanistan he hosted Tuesday that "there is the awareness that the humanitarian emergency is extremely serious".
    Describing the summit talks as "satisfying and fruitful", Draghi said "there was an accord, a great willingness to act and a convergence of views" on the need to address this humanitarian emergency" in a joint way via a mandate to the United Nations, "of a general type, to coordinate the response and also act directly".
    Draghi added "everyone touched on the issue of rights for women, to guarantee them the right to an education and not go back 20 years".
    He also said that contacts with the Taliban do not mean recognition; that it was essential that Russia and China take part in the G20 in Rome at the end of this month; that there was a common commitment on setting up humanitarian corridors from Afghanistan; and that there was a "strong will on the part of the G20 to act immediately".
    Premier Draghi chaired the extraordinary G20 summit on the crisis caused by the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan after US troops pulled out after 20 years.
    The Italian presidency of the G20 pushed hard for the extraordinary summit, which was held via video-conference and lasted for about three hours.
    A statement said the issues on the agenda included "urgent humanitarian support for the Afghan population; the fight against terrorism, freedom of movement within the territory and open borders".
    The White House said the summit made commitments to fight terror and defend human rights.
    It said President Joe Biden, along with leaders of G20 guest countries and international financial institutions discussed "the critical need to maintain a laser-focus on our enduring counterterrorism efforts, including against threats from ISIS-K, and ensuring safe passage for those foreign nationals and Afghan partners with documentation seeking to depart Afghanistan".
    It said the Leaders also "reaffirmed their collective commitment to provide humanitarian assistance directly to the Afghan people through independent international organizations, and to promote fundamental human rights for all Afghans, including women, girls, and members of minority groups.
    The United States remains committed, the White House said, to working closely with the international community and using diplomatic, humanitarian, and economic means to address the situation in Afghanistan and support the Afghan people.
    Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the summit that Turkey could not continue to take in Afghan refugees. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the G20 should act "on the basis of respecting Afghanistan's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity".
    Speaking for President Xi Jinping, he said China thought that interfering in internal affairs would only bring disorder. The EU on Tuesday earmarked one billion euros in aid for Afghanistan. (ANSA).