The Taliban will hold a new round of face-to-face talks with South Korean officials on Thursday to discuss the 19 church volunteers still held by the group in Afghanistan, a spokesman said, according to AP. Qari Yousef Ahmadi, who claims to speak for the Taliban, said the militants will demand the release of eight Taliban prisoners held by Afghan authorities before any of the remaining South Korean hostages can be freed _ a demand so far rejected by Afghan authorities. Three South Korean delegates arrived Thursday morning at the office of the Afghan Red Crescent, where previous negotiations with the Taliban have been held. International Red Cross officials were also at hand to facilitate the talks, said Franz Rauchenstein, an official with the International Committee of the Red Cross. However, there was no sign of the Taliban delegation, and Afghan officials said the talks might start in the late afternoon. It was not immediately clear what caused the delay. The plan for the new round of face-to-face talks comes after the release on Monday of two women who were among the 23 South Koreans kidnapped by the militants on July 19 as they were traveling by bus from Kabul to the former Taliban stronghold of Kandahar. The kidnappers have executed two male hostages, and 14 women and five men are still being held. Two militant representatives held two rounds of face-to-face talks with South Korean officials last Friday and Saturday at the Red Crescent office, after the Afghan government agreed to guarantee the safety of the militant delegation. The Taliban want South Korean officials to pressure the Afghan government to free the imprisoned militants and will not harm the rest of the hostages while the talks are ongoing, Ahmadi said.
