RUSHES: Taliban takeover of Afghanistan: Dominic Raab interview
Taliban takeover of Afghanistan: Dominic Raab interview; ENGLAND: London:
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Dominic Raab MP (Foreign Secretary) interview SOT. (part 2 of 2)
- On Afghan refugees - working very carefully, we're a big-hearted nation, got criteria for asylum / we've been there for 20 years, our first priority is to the British people, we haven't seen a terrorist attack from Afghanistan since 2001 / we've worked very hard, huge amounts of British taxpayers money has gone in to clearing landmines, getting children into education, bringing down the maternal mortality rate which has almost halved since 2001 / the situation on the ground and the Taliban takeover is a new reality, it is not what we wanted / we will hold the Taliban to account to its commitments to having new start in Afghanistan / not going to be to the values the UK, the West, the EU, the Americans believe in, but we can have a moderating influence / [on his holiday] as we've described, everybody was caught by surprise by the pace and the scale of the Taliban takeover, I think the important thing to understand, right the way through last week, and I arrived, I was on a flight last night to get back, I've been directly in touch with my team, directing them, which has paid dividends, you can see what we've delivered / I've been engaged with all the COBRA meetings and I've been engaged with our international partners / the modern business of being foreign secretary, whether you're away on travel or the very occasional time you get to go away on leave, I can always be in direct control of what the foreign office is doing / [on sanctions] relief of the existing sanctions as well, all of the financial means at our disposal will depend on the behaviour of the Taliban