SKorea puts faith in direct talks with Taliban

GHAZNI, Afghanistan (AFP) - South Korea's embassy said yesterday it had "high hopes" for face-to-face talks with Afghanistan's Taliban militia holding 21 of its citizens, one of whom has been able to speak to a negotiator.

The extremist group said meanwhile it would await the outcome of a meeting between the Afghan and US presidents to see if its demand for the release of Taliban militants from jail in exchange for the hostages' liberty would be met.

South Korean negotiators in Afghanistan were able to speak with one of the hostages on Saturday, the embassy said, in the first known contact between the captives and their government.

"The telephone conversation was very brief and we cannot disclose the contents of the conversation due to the safety of the hostages," an official said on condition of anonymity.

The Taliban seized 23 South Korean church aid workers on July 19 and have murdered two of them to try to force the Afghan government to release Taliban prisoners.

Asked about a new threat from the extremists Saturday that more of the captives could be killed if there was no progress in negotiations, the embassy official said: "We are worried all the time for the safety of the hostages."

The South Korean delegation was still looking towards a face-to-face meeting with the Taliban, pending a decision on a venue and finalisation of the agenda, he said, adding: "We have very high hopes."

Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi said South Korean negotiators had "assured" the militants that their President Roh Moo-Hyun had asked US President George W. Bush "for help to free Taliban prisoners in exchange for the hostages".

The issue is likely to have been raised in two days of talks between Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karzai that were to end later Monday.

"We are waiting for the result of the talks," Ahmadi said. "If any of the hostages face any problem, Bush and Karzai are responsible for it."

The United States was the leading critic of a deal in March that freed five Taliban prisoners in exchange for an Italian journalist, whose Afghan driver and translator were beheaded.