By Emal Pashtunyar
Special to Korea Times
KABUL _ After several days of hiatus, Taliban militants and Korean officials are set to resume talks on the fate of the remaining 19 Korean hostages, who are about to complete their sixth week of captivity in war-torn Afghanistan.
The armed militants kidnapped 23 church volunteers while they were returning from the volatile Kandahar Province in the south to the central capital of Kabul on July 19.
Zabeehullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, told The Korea Times that the militants were ready for the next phase of talks to amicably resolve the issue.
However, he said, their demands will remain the same and the Korean side should assure them that they will not stick to their stance of being unable to put pressure on the Afghan government.
The militants are demanding the release of Taliban prisoners in exchange for the safe release of the hostages. However, Kabul, apparently under pressure from its allies, says a prisoner swap with the Taliban will embolden the militants and encourage more kidnappings in the country, which is already grappling with security problems.
Mujahid denied that there had been any mediation by the Saudi Arabian government, however, he said they would not reject any such move for a peaceful resolution of the problem. He said they had not come to any settlement with Korean officials when asked about a report carried by a local news agency, the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP), that an agreement had been reached.
The spokesman 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 second round of face-to-face talks ended without any progress almost two weeks ago. As a result of the first round, the two sides achieved the release of two female hostages who were reportedly sick.
The Korean Embassy in Kabul and the Afghan government did not issue any comment on the fresh Taliban offer. Aziz Mangal, the spokesman for the Ghazni Province governor, said the government would welcome any step to save the lives of the innocent Korean citizens, but at the same time would not bow to any illegal demands made by terrorists.