South Korea is in dilemma over the hostage crisis as U.S. President George W. Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karzai have refused to exchange Taliban prisoners for the release of Korean abductees. Many Korean people and families of the captives had hoped for a workable solution to the kidnapping issue from the Monday summit between the two leaders.
However, Bush and Karzai only reaffirmed their firm policy of holding no negotiations with terrorists, casting a dark cloud over Seoul’s efforts for the freedom of the captives. U.S. National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said, ``Both leaders agreed that in negotiations for the release, there should be no quid pro quo for the hostages.’’ This means that Washington and Kabul have officially turned down the kidnappers’ demand for exchanging Taliban prisoners for the South Korean hostages.
Now, we have to closely watch the Taliban’s next move since they threatened to kill more abductees unless Bush and Karzai accept their prisoner-for-hostage swap formula. The Islamic insurgents have already shot to death two of the 23 Korean Christian aid workers. Before the summit meeting, the rebels tried to hold the two presidents accountable for any failure to find a negotiated solution.
It is fortunate that the captors have yet to translate their threat into action. Instead, they have come up with fresh demand to swap two women hostages for an equal number of female Taliban prisoners held by the Afghan government. It is apparent that the militants have not much leeway to continue to press for their illegitimate political aim. They must realize that they can never achieve anything by playing a hostage-taking game.
Some analysts cautiously said the Taliban might have felt the international and domestic pressure to free the innocent Korean volunteers. In fact, Afghan people, Muslims in many other countries and international organizations have turned their backs on the Taliban since they frequently engaged in cold-blooded schemes such as killing civilians, kidnapping, terrorism and other crimes against humanity. They are the former governing party of Afghanistan that is increasingly losing their cause for retaking power.
Against this backdrop, the Seoul government is trying to have face-to-face talks with the Taliban to persuade them to give up their excessive demands and set free their captives. One of the top priorities for Korean negotiators is to ensure the safety of the hostages. They have to make all-out efforts to prevent the insurgents from going to extremes. They must exercise their negotiations skills to produce successful results in talks with the militants.
The Roh Moo-hyun administration is endeavoring to appeal to international organizations such as the Red Crescent for help. Tribal leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan are scheduled to hold a meeting in Kabul on Thursday. They are likely to discuss the hostage issue. We hope the leaders will have a positive influence on the stalled negotiations.
Seoul ought to make the utmost diplomatic efforts to have the abductees freed. We welcome the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) for denouncing the hostage-taking. U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon has called for Iran’s help in resolving the kidnapping crisis. The Roh government has also decided to ask the African Union to play an active role in mediating in the negotiations.
The hostage case has been drawn into a prolonged crisis. We hope the government’s diplomatic initiatives will bear fruit in securing the safe return of the captives.