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TechnoratiThe families of the South Korean hostages held by Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan are disappointed in the outcome of the Bush-Karzai summit, which they say made insufficient efforts to secure the release of the Christian volunteers.
(Photo: White House / Chris Greenberg)President George W. Bush, addresses the media during a joint press availability with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai Monday Aug. 6, 2007, at Camp David near Thurmont, Md., saying, ''We’re working closely together to help the people of Afghanistan prosper. We work together to give the people of Afghanistan a chance to raise their children in a hopeful world. And we’re working together to defeat those who would try to stop the advance of a free Afghan society.''
(Photo: White House / Eric Draper)President Hamid Karzai poses for a photo at a joint press availability Monday Aug. 6, 2007, at Camp David near Thurmont, Md.
“We could not sleep at night due to our expectations, as the release and safe return of our families depended on the two leaders’ summit,” said the hostage families’ statement released Tuesday, according to Agence France-Presse.
“But the summit, which failed to concretely touch on the families detained in Afghanistan, made insufficient effort to actively save precious lives,” they said.
U.S. President George W. Bush and Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai met outside of Washington at Camp David for a two-day summit that concluded Monday. The leaders discussed Afghanistan’s deteriorating security problems and other issues including the 21 remaining Korean hostages held by Taliban rebels.
Following the summit, both leaders confirmed that exchanging Taliban prisoners for the hostages is not an option.
“Both leaders agreed that in negotiations for the release, there should be no quid pro quo for the hostages. The Taliban are brutal and should not be emboldened by this,” White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said, according to Reuters.
However, “President Bush expressed strong sympathy towards the relatives of the Koreans, especially those of the Koreans whose lives have already been lost," Johndroe said by telephone after the Bush-Karzai summit, according to AFP.
From the start of the crisis, Washington has held the position that it does not make concessions to terrorists. Afghan president Karzai has likewise repeatedly refused an exchange for rebels.
"We shouldn't encourage kidnapping by actually accepting their demands ... In this situation we are doing what is the best for the interests of the hostages, and government," said Humayun Hamidzada, spokesman for Afghan president Hamid Karzai, according to Reuters.
"If we keep on responding positively to the demands of terrorists, we will face more problems," he added.
Karzai had received criticism from the United States and European nations after he exchanged five Taliban fighters for an Italian reporter in March. Although the Afghan president has vowed that the trade was a one-time deal critics say the prisoner exchange incident was enough to encourage recent abductions in the country..
Regardless of how the current hostage situation turns out, however, the Taliban said they plan to continue their kidnapping policy to pressure the Afghan government.
“Whether the Kabul administration will do the (prisoner) exchange or not, it will not have any effect on our side,” said Ahmadi, according to The Associated Press. “The process of kidnapping (foreigners) will be ongoing.”
In response to Washington-Kabul’s hardline stance against the exchange, the Taliban said that it is still deliberating on how to proceed in the hostage situation.
Reportedly, the militants have proposed another, more feasible demand – the exchange of the female Korean hostages for imprisoned female Taliban supporters, according to Yonhap news agency in Seoul. The Afghan females are not linked directly to violence but are jailed for providing food and shelter to Taliban rebels.
“We do not know the exact number of Taliban women imprisoned by the Afghan government, but if (Kabul) lets them go, we will release the same number of females hostages,” said purported Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi, in a telephone interview with Yonhap. Continue »
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