Afghanistan again rules out prisoner exchange

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One of the family members of the South Koreans kidnapped in Afghanistan delivers a letter appealing for assistance to free the hostages to Sulaiman Lee Haeng Lae, Imam of Seoul Central Mosque.

GHAZNI, Afghanistan, Aug 4 (AFP): An Afghan negotiator again ruled out Saturday an exchange of Taliban prisoners to free 21 South Korean hostages, whose families made a new appeal for their release.
Negotiations over the church aid workers were being conducted mainly by a South Korean delegation, said parliamentarian Mahmood Gailani, who last week described the Afghan side's talks with Taliban as "stuck."
"They can only talk about money, ransom," he told the news agency, referring to the militants. "Not only the Americans are opposed to an exchange of prisoners, it's against the policy of the government."
The Taliban originally kidnapped 23 South Koreans but killed two of them and have threatened to execute more of the hostages, whose health is said to be deteriorating, unless at least eight of their men are released from jail.
The United States was the leading critic of a prisoner exchange in March that freed an Italian hostage but is now seen as having encouraged a recent rash of abductions, some said to have been carried out by criminals.
A 62-year-old German engineer is being held, along with four Afghans, by separate militants who are believed to be closely linked to the Taliban. He was seized July 18 with another German, who collapsed and was then shot dead.
Seoul last week sent eight senior legislators to lobby Washington for help over the hostage crisis, which is likely to feature in talks due to start Sunday between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and US President George W. Bush.
The Taliban said after their latest deadline expired Wednesday they had not killed any more hostages because they were hoping for results from talks with the South Koreans.
"They told us that they are in negotiations with the Afghan and American governments to convince them to free Taliban prisoners in exchange for the South Korean hostages," spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi said Friday.
Ahmadi said a Taliban delegation was ready to meet the South Koreans face-to-face -- in another country if necessary as long as the United Nations guaranteed the "safe return" of its negotiators.
The UN mission in Kabul was meeting Saturday about the hostage crisis but said it had not been contacted directly about the issue.
The South Korean embassy said meanwhile it could not report any progress in the standoff.
The aid workers, most of whom are women, are said to be ill after being held for more than two weeks in sweltering southern Afghanistan where they were captured July 19.
Two are said to be in a serious condition, but the Taliban has refused to allow an Afghan medical team to see them.