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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was playing a card near his chest as to whether he wanted to push the G7 to extend US military involvement in Afghanistan.
Trudeau attends a special virtual meeting of G7 leaders on the crisis in Afghanistan on Tuesday, and President Joe Biden faces calls from some leaders to extend U.S. military commitment beyond the August 31 deadline. Expected to do.
Trudeau said he was looking forward to a discussion before the meeting on how to protect as many people as possible.
“Obviously, conversations with our allies will continue,” said a Liberal Party leader when asked about the issue in the early morning suspension of the federal campaign in Hamilton.
“I look forward to talking about what we can do more, whether we can reliably protect as many people as possible, and how we can do it.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French Emmanuel Macron, who are hosting the summit, have more completely evacuated all foreigners and vulnerable Afghans who helped Americans and NATO allies before the country collapsed recently. The Taliban are among those seeking an extension to get them to.
Canada is one of more than a dozen allies participating in the evacuation of those facing the Taliban’s retaliation from the chaotic airports of Kabul, which are being secured by US-led troops for the time being.
Johnson called for an “emergency” summit of G7 leaders to discuss the evacuation crisis, plan long-term involvement with new Afghan Taliban leaders, and address the humanitarian crisis of refugees.
“We also need to discuss, as the international community explaining the Taliban, how to ensure the protection of those who cannot escape the Taliban in the coming weeks or weeks,” Trudeau said.
Trudeau also said the Taliban’s return would need to encourage a broader rethinking of Canada’s aid spending in Afghanistan.
“That’s absolutely what we’re seeing right now, and obviously the Taliban dominates the country. Our regular aid, investment and institutional support is not what we indirectly support. You need to think carefully to make sure, “said Trudeau.
“We obviously need to be there to help the people of Afghanistan. We will take Afghan refugees to Canada, so we need to make more investments when resettled. “He added.
“We are there for greater financial commitment because we expect Canadians to be there for Afghanistan to continue fighting for better Afghanistan and flee for a better life. increase.”
In January, a federal review evaluated the effectiveness of nearly $ 1 billion of development aid Canada poured into Afghanistan in the six years following the complete withdrawal of the country’s troops in 2014.
The review also found that Global Affairs Canada has not adapted to Afghanistan’s changing needs as the Taliban began to seize territory from the recently collapsed Afghan government between 2017 and 2020.
In November, Canada promised Afghanistan $ 270 million in aid for another three years.
All Canadian aid spending comes through international organizations and has never been provided directly to the Government of Afghanistan. Funds are sent directly through international trust funds run by the World Bank and projects by non-governmental organizations in Canada, their international counterparts, and other multilateral organizations.
Mike Blanchefield
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