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Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has highlighted the importance of engaging with the Taliban as he acknowledged the need “to face up to the new reality in Afghanistan”.

While not recognising the militant group as the government in Kabul, the cabinet minister pointed to the necessity of having “a direct line of communication” to discuss a range of pressing issues, including the safe passage of remaining British citizens and Afghan allies.

Speaking during a visit to Pakistan, Mr Raab said it would not have been possible to evacuate some 15,000 people without some degree of cooperation with the Taliban, who seized power after the withdrawal of US forces, ending a 20-year military intervention.

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What weapons were left behind in Afghanistan?

He told a news conference: “We need to face up to the new reality in Afghanistan.”

Pointing to the appointment of a new chargé d’affaires for Afghanistan based in Doha, Qatar, the foreign secretary said: “The approach that we are taking is we don’t recognise the Taliban as a government… but we do see the importance of being able to engage and have a direct line of communication.

“The reason being is clearly there are a whole range of issues that need to be discussed, including first and foremost at the moment the question of safe passage of British nationals and the Afghans who worked for the UK government.

“We need to be able to convey direct messages on these things. We need to be able to have that dialogue.”

More on Afghanistan

He added: “The Taliban has made a series of undertakings. Some of them are positive at the level of words, but we need to test them and see that they translate into deeds. We cannot do that unless we have at least some channel of dialogue.”

Mr Raab said the Taliban need to create a “safe and secure environment” to allow aid to reach people in Afghanistan.

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Taliban’s mock funeral for Western nations

He said: “No-one wants to see the economic and social fabric of Afghanistan collapse, I can’t see how that would be in the interest of the Taliban let alone ordinary Afghans, we certainly don’t want to see that happen

“We would be willing not to fund aid via the Taliban, but through the humanitarian organisations that operate inside Afghanistan – for that to happen there needs to be a safe and secure environment, so that’s an early test for the Taliban.

“But we’re willing to make sure we do our bit, along with the national community to fund the humanitarian agencies, the lifeline for ordinary Afghans, but there needs to be a safe environment for that.

“We’ll also support those regional partners, particularly like Pakistan who I can imagine is very concerned about the risk of numbers coming across the border, we want to make sure we can support those partners in the region [to] deal with that.

“That’s the holistic approach, the strategic approach we are taking.”

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UK thought Kabul would not fall in 2021

Mr Raab, who has faced criticism over his handling of the Afghanistan crisis, also insisted there was “common widespread surprise”, even among the Taliban, at the speed in which they had taken over Afghanistan.

He said: “The takeover I think it’s fair to say was faster than anyone anticipated, not just the United Kingdom or NATO allies, but I was talking with our friends here.

“And I suspect the Taliban and ordinary Afghans were taken by surprise.

“I think there was a common widespread surprise at the speed with which the consolidation of power happened.”

Mr Raab’s comments came as the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee launched an inquiry into the chaotic retreat from Afghanistan.

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Taliban celebrates as last US troops leave Kabul

Committee chairman Tom Tugendhat said: “The fall of Kabul is a catastrophe for the Afghan people and for the reputation of those nations that were committed to its success.

“Our hasty withdrawal leaves a country in an acute humanitarian and human rights crisis.

“The Afghan people, who we worked alongside for many years, have been left at the mercy of the Taliban, a vicious fundamentalist group.”

He said that “big questions remain” and the inquiry aimed to provide “some much-needed clarity”.

“Lessons need to be learnt and the decisions the UK makes in the coming months will be crucial,” he added.

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Crypto among sectors ‘debanked’ by 9 major banks: US regulator

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Crypto among sectors ‘debanked’ by 9 major banks: US regulator

The nine largest US banks restricted financial services to politically contentious industries, including cryptocurrency, between 2020 and 2023, according to the preliminary findings of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).

The banking regulator said on Wednesday that its early findings show that major banks “made inappropriate distinctions among customers in the provision of financial services on the basis of their lawful business activities” across the three-year period.

The banks either implemented policies restricting access to banking or required escalated reviews and approvals before giving financial services to certain customers, the OCC said, without giving specific details.

The OCC initiated its review after President Donald Trump signed an executive order in August, directing a review of whether banks had debanked or discriminated against individuals based on their political or religious beliefs.

Crypto issuers and exchanges caught in restrictions

The OCC’s report found that in addition to crypto, the sectors that faced banking restrictions included oil and gas exploration, coal mining, firearms, private prisons, tobacco and e-cigarette manufacturers and adult entertainment.

Banks’ actions toward crypto included restrictions on “issuers, exchanges, or administrators, often attributed to financial crime considerations,” the OCC said.

Banking, Financial Services
Source: OCC

“It is unfortunate that the nation’s largest banks thought these harmful debanking policies were an appropriate use of their government-granted charter and market power,” said Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould.

“While many of these policies were undertaken in plain sight and even announced publicly, certain banks have continued to insist that they did not engage in debanking,” he added.

The OCC examined JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citibank, Wells Fargo, US Bank, Capital One, PNC Bank, TD Bank and BMO Bank, the largest national banks it regulates.

The OCC reported that it is continuing its investigation and could refer its findings to the Justice Department.

OCC debanking report leaves “much to be desired”

Nick Anthony, a policy analyst at libertarian think tank the Cato Institute, said in an emailed statement to Cointelegraph that the OCC’s report “leaves much to be desired” and didn’t mention “the most well-known causes of debanking.”

“The report criticizes banks for severing ties with controversial clients, but it fails to mention that regulators explicitly assess banks on their reputation,” he said.

Related: ‘Grow up… We debank Democrats, we debank Republicans:’ JPMorgan CEO

“Making matters worse, the report appears to blame banks for cutting ties with cryptocurrency companies, yet makes no mention of the fact that the [Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation] explicitly told banks to stay away from these companies,” Anthony added.

Republicans on the House Finance Committee reported earlier this month that the FDIC’s so-called “pause letters” it sent to banks under the Biden administration helped to spur “the debanking of the digital asset ecosystem.”