hankyoreh

President Roh Moo-hyun's envoy met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul Sunday to ask for help in securing the release of 22 South Koreans taken hostage in the Central Asian country 11 days ago, an aide to Roh said.

Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Cheon Ho-seon refused to discuss details of the meeting between Baek Jong-chun and the Afghan leader, saying that "We have nothing to announce on the contents of the talks at the moment."

Other officials have said Baek would ask the Afghan government to be flexible in negotiations with the Taliban for the release of the Koreans, an indirect reference to Kabul's alleged reluctance to free Taliban prisoners in exchange for the release of the Koreans.

The envoy arrived in Kabul Friday as the negotiations to free the hostages dragged on amid reports that their health was deteriorating.

The Kabul government is reluctant to free Taliban prisoners because of opposition from Washington that has been waging war against Taliban militia, which it ousted in 2001, citing the group's alleged connection to Al Qaeda, the force behind the Sept.11 attacks on the United States.

In March, Afghanistan released five Taliban prisoners in exchange for an Italian journalist in what the Kabul government said was a one-time deal, generating strong resentment in Washington, which played a pivotal role in setting up the current Kabul government after it toppled the Taliban regime.

National security-related Cabinet ministers were to meet at the presidential office to discuss the outcome of Baek's meeting with the Afghan president, officials said.

A group of 23 South Korean aid workers were seized by Taliban militants in Afghanistan on July 19 when they traveled by bus from Kabul to the southern city of Kandahar. Their leader, a 42-year-old pastor, was found slain six days later.

In another diplomatic effort, South Korean Foreign Ministry Song Min-soon telephoned his U.S. counterpart, Condoleezza Rice, Saturday to ask for Washington's help for an early release of the Korean hostages.

The inclusion of a few influential tribal elders and religious clerics in the Afghan government negotiating team has spawned optimism among Afghan officials, but some analysts and media here cited South Korea's limited influence on Kabul.

Reports said Baek might have offered a sizable economic assistance in addition to government grants and economic cooperation funds that Seoul has already pledged to Kabul.
SEOUL, July 29 (Yonhap News)