By Emal Pashtunyar
Special to Korea Times
KABUL _ Despite day-long negotiations between Taliban militants and Korean officials Thursday, there has been no breakthrough regarding the release of the 19 remaining Korean hostages being held in Afghanistan.
The two sides resumed the suspended talks in the morning but at the end of the day no announcement was forthcoming, although some insiders said negotiations were still ongoing and nothing could be said at this juncture.
Waheedullah Mujaddid, who had led the Afghan government's delegation in previous talks, told The Korea Times that there had been visible progress and he was hopeful of a peaceful solution to the issue.
Mujaddid stopped representing the government after continued deadlock in the talks on releasing the hostages, and the death of a second Korean citizen at the hands of the Taliban.
Speaking over the telephone from Ghazni Province, where the militants seized the hostages, Mujaddidi said the Taliban leadership also wanted an end to the crisis now. While acknowledging he was no longer part of the talks and could not comment with full confidence, he added he was sure of a peaceful outcome.
Although the main mediator between Taliban and the Korean delegations, Haji Muhammad Zahir, was not available, a source close to him said the talks may continue for another few days if the two sides failed to reach an agreement on Thursday or Friday.
The source said intentions were good on both sides, as the Koreans and the Taliban are committed to going ahead with the dialogue to reach a solution.
Asked about the militants' continued demand for the release of Taliban prisoners in an exchange deal, the source said: ``All that I know is that the two sides are nearing some agreement. But they need to adopt a policy of give and take.'' He said both sides must show flexibility in their stances to get the safe release of the hostages.
Earlier, the same source told this reporter that the Taliban were demanding a huge ransom, larger than that offered by the Korean officials.
The Taliban have not announced whether they will continue the talks Friday and the days ahead, however, it is believed that this will be the case, as earlier their spokesman Yousaf Ahmadi said the dialogue would continue.
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