France, Britain to propose Kabul safe zone 

France and Britain on Monday will urge the United Nations to work for the creation of a "safe zone" in the Afghan capital, Kabul, to protect humanitarian operations, French President Emmanuel Macron said.

"This is very important. This would provide a framework for the United Nations to act in an emergency," Macron said in comments published in the weekly Journal du Dimanche.

Above all, such a safe zone would allow the international community "to maintain pressure on the Taliban," who are now in power in Afghanistan, the French leader added.

The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council — France, Britain, the U.S., Russia, and China — will meet on Monday to discuss the Afghanistan situation.

Paris and London will take the opportunity to present a draft resolution that "aims to define, under U.N. control, a 'safe zone' in Kabul, that will allow humanitarian operations to continue," Macron said.

Macron announced on Saturday that discussions had been "started with the Taliban" to "protect and repatriate" Afghan nationals at risk beyond August 31.
In the article published by the French Sunday newspaper, Macron said he envisaged targeted evacuations in the future, "which would not be carried out at the military airport in Kabul" but perhaps via civil airports in the Afghan capital or from neighboring countries.