The foreign ministers of the United Nations Security Council's five permanent members have discussed the Taliban's interim government in Afghanistan.

They agreed to urge the Taliban to uphold women's rights, but were apparently split about whether to provide financial aid.

The meeting took place on Wednesday in New York. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attended in person. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi took part online.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was also present.A high-ranking US State Department official says they agreed to urge the Taliban to ensure Afghanistan does not become a hub for terrorism.

Foreign assets belonging to the Afghan government have been frozen since the Taliban took power last month. The UNSC's Western powers are cautious about lifting the measure, but China and Russia say it should be lifted immediately to provide humanitarian aid.

The senior US official said there are no Afghan government assets in China, making it easy for Beijing to claim the measure should be lifted.

The official said his country believes the Taliban must first deliver on their promises.

Source: NHK