Taliban resumes talks with SKorea on fate of 19 captive church volunteers

GHAZNI, Afghanistan (AP) - A new round of face-to-face talks have begun between South Korean officials and the Taliban on the fate of 19 captive church volunteers.
Three South Korean delegates arrived Thursday at the office of the Afghan Red Crescent, where previous negotiations with the Taliban have been held.

A Taliban delegation arrived late in the afternoon, several hours after the talks were scheduled to start.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi says his group is still demanding the release of eight Taliban prisoners held by Afghan authorities before any of the remaining South Korean hostages can be freed. That demand has so far been rejected by the Afghan government.

The fresh talks come after the release Monday of two women among 23 South Koreans kidnapped by the insurgents on July 19 on the road from Kabul to Kandahar.

The kidnappers have killed two male hostages. Fourteen women and five men are still being held.

Two representatives of the Taliban held two rounds of face-to-face talks with South Korean officials Friday and Saturday at the Red Crescent office after the Afghan government agreed to guarantee their safety.

The Taliban want South Korean officials to pressure the Afghan government to free their imprisoned comrades and will not harm the rest of the hostages while the talks are ongoing, Ahmadi said.

The Afghan government was heavily criticized in March for freeing five Taliban prisoners to win the release of an Italian journalist, and have ruled out any further such deals, saying it would only encourage more kidnappings.

Ahmadi said the release of the two women was a show of goodwill. South Korean officials have called for the unconditional release of the rest of the hostages, while also calling on Afghan authorities to show flexibility.

© The Canadian Press, 2007