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Taliban Hopeful After "Positive" Talks with Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, Sept 17 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Afghanistan's ruling Taliban said Monday it was hopeful it could defuse the crisis with the United States over terrorism after "positive" talks with senior Pakistani military officials, news agencies reported.
Taliban spokesman Abdul Hai Mutmaen told the Pakistan-based private news agency Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) that militia leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, and Pakistani intelligence chief Lieutenant General Mahmoud Ahmed, had discussed every aspect of the crisis, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
"The talks were positive but I cannot go into the specifics," he said. "At the moment we are 60% hopeful the situation will become normal."
"There was no clear discussion on the extradition of Osama bin Laden, but all other aspects related to this matter came under detailed discussion.
"Both sides totally agreed on the need to end the current misunderstanding between Afghanistan and the United States," he added.
Earlier, CNN reported that Afghanistan's ruling Taliban government is giving consideration to a demand to hand over Saudi-born dissident Osama bin Laden, following meetings with Pakistani officials.
Islamic scholars from across Afghanistan will decide Tuesday whether or not to extradite bin Laden in the face of a threat of U.S. military retaliation for last week's strikes on the United States.
The decision to put the fate of bin Laden in the hands of around 1,000 ulema, or scholars, from every province of the country was announced by Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar.
"Tomorrow a gathering of ulema from each province will be held in Kabul and they will make a decision about the recent events," the Taliban's official Radio Shariat said in a news bulletin.
Taliban spokesman Abdul Hai Mutmaen later said any fatwa, or religious edict, handed down by the
ulema would be fully implemented.
"Afghans have always sought fatwa on all crucial matters in the past," he AIP.
"Now in the present situation a fatwa from the ulema is important and essential and the government will fully implement it."
Pakistani envoys met first with the Taliban foreign minister and then with Omar, and demanded that Afghanistan hand over bin Laden or face an attack from the United States.
General Mahmood Ahmed, chief of Pakistan's intelligence services, and Aziz Khan of the Pakistan Foreign Ministry spent over an hour with the foreign minister of Afghanistan's ruling Taliban, Wakil Ahmed Mutawakel.
They then went to an undisclosed location to meet with Omar.
The meeting with Omar is considered remarkable as the Muslim cleric who heads the Taliban government rarely meets with anyone outside his inner circle of advisers.
"Time is short and you [the Taliban] should solve this problem," Khan told the Taliban foreign minister.
He stressed that Pakistan was intent on obeying international law on matters of terrorism.
A Pakistan government spokesman said the delegation had carried a letter from Musharraf to Omar.
"He [Musharraf] has advised the Taliban leadership to act with prudence because the life of the Afghan people is at stake," the spokesman said.
"We are hopeful they will listen to reason," he said, adding, "A breakthrough is not entirely unlikely."
A Pakistani government statement said the Taliban had been advised of the "gravity of the current situation" and were urged to "act in the interest of the safety and the security of the Afghan people."
"Pakistan and Afghanistan have age-old ties of brotherhood and it is in that spirit that the government of Pakistan has moved to drive home to the Afghan government the dangerous situation ... and the need to avert it through prudence and discretion," the statement said.
Musharraf is expected to address the nation about the aspects of Pakistan's cooperation with the U.S. after the return of the delegation, officials said, AIP reported.
Meanwhile, a U.S. government team is believed to have entered Pakistan to coordinate cooperation efforts with Pakistani intelligence agencies in capturing bin Laden, AIP added.
In Lahore, leaders of all religious parties and groups, united in an Afghan Defense Council, were due to hold a meeting Monday evening to discuss the latest situation resulting from the Pakistani government's decision to cooperate with the U.S.
Officials said they were also concerned about the reaction of the some two million Afghan refugees living in Pakistan and a possible flood into Pakistan of more refugees in case of a U.S. attack on Afghanistan.
Pakistan has already suspended transit trade with Afghanistan, officials said.
One refugee, Zmarrud Gul, a student from Jalalabad in northeastern Afghanistan who passed into Pakistan Monday, said he saw signs the Taliban was on a war footing.
"There is unusual movement of tanks and military vehicles on roads in Jalalabad, which indicates the Taliban are preparing for war," he said.
The Taliban announced it had closed its airspace to all flights and ordered the defense ministry to "deal with" any plane violating the ban.
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