SOUTH KOREA/ AFGHANISTAN: No deal yet on Afghan hostage talks venue say Taliban with South Korean parents tearfully read letter to their children

Tearful South Korean parents of two hostages read a letter to their son and daughter held by the Taliban in Afghanistan while Taliban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousuf says no agreement on venue for South Korean hostage negotiations. South Korean parents whose kidnapped son and daughter are held in Afghanistan by the Taliban read out a letter to their children on Sunday (August 5) at Saemmul Church in Bundang, south of Seoul. The Taliban kidnapped 23 South Korean church volunteers, 18 of them women, in Ghazni province on the main road south from Kabul on July 19. Two male Koreans have since been killed after their captors accused the Afghan government of not negotiating in good faith and ignoring their demand to release rebel prisoners. They have repeatedly threatened to kill the rest if their demands are not met. Parents Suh Jeong-bae and Lee Hyon-jae read a letter to their son and daughter kidnapped and held in Afghanistan for more than two weeks. "Our beloved daughter Young-hwa and our beloved son Kyong-seok. You have been held for almost 20 days, we are really sorry that we cannot do anything for you," read Lee Hyon-Jae mother of two of the hostages. "Our beloved children, please return safely and in good health," Lee added and burst into tears. But Taliban insurgents said there was still no agreement on where to hold direct talks with South Korean diplomats seeking the release of the hostages. A South Korean delegation was in Ghazni province, southwest of Kabul, where the church volunteers were snatched on July 20, seeking face-to-face talks with the kidnappers. The Taliban want negotiations either in areas they control or with United Nations guarantees for their safety if held elsewhere. Taliban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousuf said by telephone from an unknown location that talks and contacts were still going on to decide on a venue for talks, but there had been no agreement. "We offered the Koreans two choices, either to come to our area for talks, we are ready to negotiate with them without any condition, or if they are not ready to come to our area they can choose Kabul or some other place outside Afghanistan for negotiations. We are ready to come but we want the United Nation to guarantee our safety. So far we have not heard from the Koreans and UN about the venue of talks," he said. South Korea requested the talks as a way of trying to break the deadlock over the hostages. The Taliban have already killed two of their captives and are threatening to kill the rest if the Afghan government fails to release rebel prisoners. Kabul has refused to free jailed Taliban, saying that would only encourage more kidnappings.

ITN Source | August 5, 2007

Tags:. .demands. .safety. .contacts. .seeking. .fails