'No plans' for Starmer to meet with Taliban at COP29

Sir Keir Starmer has "no plans" to meet with the Taliban during the COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan, Downing Street said.

The militant group confirmed on Sunday that it will be sending delegates to the UN-led conference for the first time since their takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, which took place as the US, UK, and their allies retreated from the country.

Asked what the prime minister thought of that, and whether he would come face to face with its leaders, a Number 10 spokeswoman said: "No plans to meet with them."

She said that attendance was "a matter for the organisers", adding: "More broadly the summit I think is bringing together 96 different delegations from across the world and the objective is obviously to strengthen global climate action and engagement on that issue.

"It is obviously vital that we approach the talks and the event with that common purpose (at the) forefront of our mind."

COP summits are the world's most important meetings on climate change and this year's event, the 29th COP (Conference of the Parties), is taking place in Azerbaijan's capital Baku.

While Sir Keir Starmer is heading there, the US and Chinese presidents are not attending the talks.

Several G7 leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, as well as the EU president Ursula von der Leyen, have also confirmed they will not be attending.

A key aim of this year's talks is to get more cash to poorer countries impacted by climate change.

Afghanistan is one of the world's most affected nations, with flash flooding killing over 300 people in March this year.

Matuil Haq Khalis, who is head of the country's environment protection agency, told The Associated Press that Afghanistan needs the world's support to deal with its extreme weather, including erratic rainfall and prolonged droughts.

He added that the Afghan delegation was grateful to the Azerbaijan government for inviting them to the climate talks.

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They will only have an observer status, as the group's government is not formally recognised by the UN and the international community due to its restrictions on the basic rights of citizens, particularly women.

The talks today begin amid a warning from the UN that the world is on track for a "catastrophic" 3.1C of warming.

However, with many leaders choosing not to attend the opening summit, and oil and gas-rich Azerbaijan hosting, it is unclear how much progress will be made on key issues, including emissions cuts and phasing out fossil fuels.

Countries will also be grappling with Donald Trump's return to the White House, in what analysts say is a trend of climate scepticism in elections this year.

The president-elect is expected to boost fossil fuels, roll back green incentives domestically and take America out - again - of the global Paris Agreement on tackling climate change, which commits countries to pursue efforts to curb warming to 1.5C.