US, Russia seek tougher Afghan sanctions

Members of the United Nations Security Council have begun exploratory and informal talks about the possibility of introducing tougher sanctions against the ruling Taleban movement in Afghanistan.

The talks were initiated by the United States and Russia which are reported to have joined forces against what they regard as the growing threat of terrorist activity associated with Afghanistan. Moscow objects to the alleged presence of Chechen rebel training camps there, while Washington has failed to persuade the Taleban to hand over the chief suspect the dissident Saudi, Osama Bin Laden in the bombing of two of its embassies in Africa. They're proposing an international arms embargo and a ban on Taleban officials from travelling abroad, as well as a tightening of existing sanctions.

A BBC specialist on the region says that the reaction of the other Security Council members appears so far to be lukewarm.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service