Taliban, "Bush and Karzai Gave Nothing but Threats"

Taliban militants holding Korean hostages issued an intimidating statement on August 7 that read, “There will be no changes to our original demands (regarding the hostage-prisoner swap deal) and there will be grave consequences if our demands are not met.”

This is the first official response from the Taliban upon the results of the summit meeting between U.S. President George W. Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, which was held on August 6. Both presidents reconfirmed in the summit meeting that they will make “no concessions to the Taliban.”

The Taliban said in a statement released in the name of the Taliban leadership committee, through the Afghan Islamic Press, “They (President Bush and President Karzai) have done nothing but make threats like military commanders. The statement denounced the two presidents, saying, "Instead of providing new offers to ameliorate the situation, they held a summit meeting only to repeat what they have said for the past six years.”

After releasing the statement, Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi said, in an act of further intimidation, “We will murder the hostages unless our demands are accepted.”

However, Mullah Sabil, the Taliban’s senior commander in Ghazni Province, said in a phone conversation with Dong-A Ilbo’s local correspondent, Aminulah Khan (pseudonym), “We are willing to release sick hostages in return for freeing sick female prisoners.”

Khan said, “Sabil did not mention how many hostages will be exchanged, but the Taliban are easing their demands, planning a hostage-prisoner exchange between females or those in poor physical condition.” “However, for male hostages to be freed, it will take time,” he added.

Regarding the Taliban’s revision to a more feasible level of its original demand for the exchange of high-level prisoners, Korean authorities said, “It is hard to confirm the details.”

Prior to today’s Cabinet meeting, Foreign Minister Song Min-soon told reporters regarding the possibility of face-to-face negotiations with the Taliban, “We are making every possible effort, in a variety of ways.” As for the likelihood of a prolonged hostage standoff, he replied, “Whether it will take a long or short time, these are relative terms. In similar cases in the past, it took an average of 35 days for hostages to be released.”

Meanwhile, U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton sent a statement to the rally held by Korean Americans in the square in front of the U.N. headquarters, on August 6, calling for the “Bush Administration, the Afghan government, and the international community to cooperate with the Korean government to ensure the safe release of the Korean captives.”

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