Talks Over Evacuations With Taliban Do Not Indicate Recognition: Emmanuel Macron

The Taliban needed to respect humanitarian law by allowing those who qualify for asylum to leave, and also take a "very clear line" against all terror movements, the French President said.

President Emmanuel Macron Sunday said discussions France is having with the Taliban over evacuations from Afghanistan do not indicate recognition of the hardline Islamist group as the country's new rulers, saying it needed to fulfil conditions on rights and rejecting terror. France and other Western states have in the last days revealed they are talking with the Taliban, following the group's takeover of Kabul this month, over how to extract foreign citizens and Afghans in danger even after the pullout of international troops. "We have operations to carry out in Afghanistan -- the evacuations. The Taliban are the ones in control... we have to have these discussions from a practical point of view. This does not mean there will be recognition," Macron told TF1 television during a visit to Iraq. "We have set conditions," said Macron, outlining three key areas.