By Yoon Won-sup
Staff Reporter
Korean officials and Taliban militants holding 19 Korean hostages continued their negotiation by phone, Monday, trying to arrange face-to-face talks for the captives' release, according to reports.
Qari Yousaf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, said in an interview with YTN that the two sides contacted each other only by phone. But they have not yet agreed on details for face-to-face negotiations.
Zabeehullah Mujahid, another Taliban spokesman, also said that the militants were ready for the next phase of talks to peacefully resolve the hostage crisis.
Mujahid reiterated the militants' demand that the Afghan government release Taliban fighters imprisoned in Afghanistan in return for the release of the Korean hostages.
However, the Afghan government repeatedly said it would not accept the kidnappers' demand, saying that it would encourage more kidnappings.
Mujahid told AFP that direct talks may take place at any time as long as the Korean side brings new options to the table, intimating that previous negotiations were not fruitful.
He demanded the Korean negotiators to take a more active attitude in persuading the Afghan government to set free the Taliban prisoners.
Meanwhile, Mujahid denied a report that the Taliban agreed with the Korean government to free the hostages after mediation by Saudi Arabia. He said they had not come to any settlement with Korean officials as reported by the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP).
AIP said under an alleged agreement for the release of the hostages, Korean troops would leave Afghanistan in the coming weeks and all Korean people in Afghanistan would return home.
About 200 Korean troops, mostly medics and engineers, are officially scheduled to return home from Afghanistan by the end of this year.
Mujahid said their leadership had ordered them to initiate a fresh round of talks with the Korean delegation provided the latter comes out with some solid proposals for a solution.
``It is no use if the other side has nothing new to offer to the Taliban during the talks,'' said Mujahid.
The Taliban have killed two male hostages and freed two female hostages.
The remaining captives, mostly in their 20s and 30s, went to Afghanistan on July 13 to offer volunteer medical services.