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| Afghanistan |
| Talibs ready to renew talks |
| 2001-09-19 |
The supreme leader of the Taliban told Islamic clerics Wednesday that Afghanistan's rulers were prepared to renew talks with Washington over the fate of Osama bin Laden, who has been named by the United States as the prime suspect in last week's terrorist attacks. But Mullah Mohammed Omar again insisted that the Saudi exile did not have the resources to carry out such a strike and said that the United States was looking for an excuse to destroy the Afghan leadership. HUNDREDS OF ISLAMIC clerics assembled in the rocket-damaged Presidential Palace in the capital, Kabul, to decide whether to extradite bin Laden. The United States has threatened military attacks if the Taliban doesn't surrender the Saudi exile. "We have never tried to create problems with America. We have held talks in the present and the past with U.S. governments several times, and we are ready for more talks," Omar told the council. In an edict issued to the council of clerics, Omar ordered the council to decide the fate of bin Laden on Wednesday, according to the Taliban's official Bakhtar news agency. However, after several hours of talks, the day's session ended without any agreements, and Qadratullah Jamal, the Taliban's culture and information minister, said the meeting would resume Thursday. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |