Evacuation of Afghanistan: criticized, the head of the British diplomacy was on vacation
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab arrives at the Foreign Office in London on August 19, 2021. REUTERS - HANNAH MCKAY
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
In the United Kingdom, Foreign Minister Dominic Raab has come under fire for his absences in the management of the crisis in Afghanistan.
And for good reason: the minister was thousands of kilometers from Westminster, on vacation in Crete.
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With our correspondent in London,
Claire Digiacomi
"
Cold
", "
indecent
", "
mediocre
".
Here is the portrait of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, drawn up by political sources in the British press this Friday, August 20.
All tell of Dominic Raab's detachment as the
Taliban regained control
of Afghanistan.
And describe the frustration of his teams who couldn't get his support, or even his attention, as he vacationed in a five-star hotel in Crete.
"
He refused to be contacted for anything,
" assures a diplomatic source.
“
Not returning earlier was his biggest mistake,
” even a minister of his camp judges.
The opposition demands his resignation
One particularly controversial episode: a phone call to his Afghan counterpart that Dominic Raab delegated to one of his collaborators, a junior secretary of state.
A call which was to make it possible to organize the
evacuation of translators
who had helped the British.
Why did the minister not want to do it?
He replies that he actually wanted to focus on securing the Kabul airport.
And specifies that the phone call did not take place anyway.
But the opposition is united to demand his resignation.
Let him know he didn't intend to.
For his part, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has renewed his confidence in him.
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