Taleban seek talks on bin Laden

Pakistan and two other countries recognise the Taleban

By Susannah Price in Islamabad

The Taleban authorities in Afghanistan have again emphasised the need for a discussion on the future of the Saudi dissident, Osama bin Laden, Pakistan says.

The Pakistani Interior Minister, Moinuddin Haider, said the Taleban had again called for talks with two other Islamic countries about the issue. He was speaking in Islamabad after a two-day visit to Afghanistan.

Bin Laden: Blamed for US embassy bombings

The fate of the Saudi exile, Osama bin Laden, lies at the heart of the Taleban authorities' relations with the international community.

The United Nations sanctions on Afghanistan are partly aimed at forcing the Taleban to hand over bin Laden, who is accused of masterminding the bombing of two American embassies in East Africa.

The Taleban say they want to see firm evidence first.

Third country

Mr Haider said it was the Taleban's supreme leader, Mullah Omar, himself who raised the issue of bin Laden during their talks.

There have been pro-Taleban demonstrations in Pakistan

According to Mr Haider, Mullah Omar stressed that representatives from Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and a third Islamic country should sit together and decide whether Bin Laden should remain in Afghanistan or go abroad.

Mr Haider said Pakistan would accept if asked to be the third country and he called for the United States to seriously explore the option.

He is the most senior member of the Pakistani Government to visit Afghanistan since the coup in Islamabad more than a year ago.

He said he had conveyed the concerns of the world community on human rights and narcotics to the Taleban leadership.

Sanctions

The Taleban authorities said the UN sanctions had not hurt them too much so far, but they believed they would ultimately bring problems for the people, Mr Haider added.

The sanctions are also meant to force the closure of terrorist training camps in Afghanistan, but Mullah Omar told the minister they did not exist.

Mr Haider said he had tried to convince Mullah Omar he should not abandon the efforts by the United Nations to mediate a peace deal between the Taleban and the opposing Northern Alliance.

The Taleban pulled out of talks being arranged by the UN Secretary General's special representative to Afghanistan after the latest sanctions came in, saying they showed that the UN was no longer impartial.

Mr Haider said he sincerely hoped the Taleban would review that decision.