|
U.S President George W. Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karazi agreed on Monday morning not to give in to Taliban kidnappers of 23 Koreans in Afghanistan. In a meeting at the U.S. presidential retreat of Camp David in Maryland, the two made it clear there will be no release of Taliban prisoners in return for the freedom of the surviving 21 Korean hostages, White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said. ¡°The Taleban are brutal and should not be emboldened by this,¡± he added.
In a press conference after their meeting Monday, the two presidents vowed to continue to fight terrorism, and crack down on and root out extremists. Prior to the summit, the Taliban said in a statement carried by the Afghan Islamic Press the two presidents would be responsible for the ¡°dreadful¡± result if they did not agree to the militants¡¯ demand for a prisoner swap.
 |
|
U.S. President George W. Bush (L) and Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai wave from a golf cart after Karzai's arrival at the Presidential retreat, Camp David, outside of Thurmont, Maryland, for a two-day visit on Sunday./ REUTERS
|
 |
|
Meanwhile, the Korean government is considering proposing a face-to-face meeting with the militants with an international NGO as mediator. The Red Crescent Society -- the Red Cross equivalent in the Islamic world -- or a hospital run by a Korean aid organization in southern Kandahar are being cited as candidates. The Taliban want the UN to mediate and guarantee the safety of Taliban negotiators in direct talks. But the world body classifies the Taliban as a terrorist group und will unlikely accept, so Seoul is mulling assistance from an NGO instead.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
|
