China opposes exceptions for Taliban sanctions

The veto powers China and Russia have rejected „humanitarian exceptions“ on a case-by-case basis in the UN Security Council’s sanctions regime against the radical Islamic Taliban. The stumbling block for Beijing and Moscow was a paragraph in the draft resolution tabled by the US, reports AFP, citing diplomats. This paragraph should allow the committee responsible for the Afghanistan sanctions to decide on exceptions to the financial sanctions against the Taliban if necessary. China is „opposed in principle to sanctions“ and thus also against mechanisms that allow exceptions in individual cases, writes AFP.