Roh Thanks Afghan, Indonesian Leaders for Help in Release
President Roh Moo-hyun Saturday thanked leaders of Afghanistan and Indonesia for their cooperation in the release of South Korean hostages from the Taliban, the presidential office said.
In separate telephone talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Roh expressed gratitude for their active cooperation in the release of hostages held in Afghanistan, Cheong Wa Dae said.
In reply, Karzai and Yudhoyono congratulated Roh on the return of the captives and expressed their condolences regarding the two victims, the office said in a press release.
In talks with the Afghan president, Roh explained the government's plan to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan this year, it said.
Roh promised to keep supporting Afghanistan's peace and reconstruction efforts and invited the Afghan leader to visit Seoul, Cheong Wa Dae said.
During his talks with Indonesian President Yudhoyono, Roh called for the deepening of bilateral economic cooperation, it said.
The Afghan and Indonesian governments actively supported Seoul's hostage release negotiations with the Taliban, according to officials at Cheong Wa Dae.
The Taliban abducted 23 South Korean aid workers July 19. They killed two and freed two others by mid-August. After being released Thursday, the remaining 19 Koreans arrived in Seoul Sunday.