Afghanistan's ruling Taliban militia said yesterday it was hopeful it could defuse the crisis with the US over alleged terrorism after "positive" talks with senior Pakistani military officials.
Taliban spokesman Abdul Hai Mutmaen told the Pakistan-based private news agency Afghan Islamic Press that militia leader Mullah Mohammad Omar and Pakistani intelligence chief Lieutenant General Mahmud Ahmed had discussed every aspect of the crisis.
"The talks were positive but I cannot go into the specifics," he said. "At the moment we are 60 percent 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," Mutmaen said. "Both sides totally agreed on the need to end the current misunderstanding between Afghanistan and the United States."
The delegation will go to Kabul where more talks are scheduled, he said.
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."
"The delegation is motivating and advising Mullah Omar and the Taliban leadership that they should consider the pros and cons of not cooperating with America and others on matters of terrorism ... ," Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider said during a visit to Kuwait.
"Because if Afghanistan does not [take] the logical, balanced attitude in this regard it will be a problem for Afghanistan and its people," he said.
Meanwhile, US President George W. Bush yesterday urged Americans not to let the threat of terror attacks intimidate them as he prepared to go to the Pentagon for more military planning.
Bush also shook hands and offered words of encouragement to employees showing up for their morning cup of coffee at a cafeteria in the Old Executive Office Building, next door to the White House.
Despite the grim circumstances, Bush was jovial with the employees, telling one, "Have a cup of coffee on me," and posing for a picture with a woman and her ham sandwich.
Employees had fled the building last Tuesday on warnings that the White House complex could come under attack from a hijacked airplane.
"I'm here to remind people the best way to fight terrorism is to not let terrorism intimidate America," Bush said.
"A lot of people that work in this building were deeply worried about their lives last week. There are a lot of courageous people here coming back to work. And I'm going to thank them for that, and remind them that we've all got a job to do," he said.
The Pentagon is still reeling from the hijacked airliner that crashed into a side of the building, killing nearly 200 people.
The latest toll of missing people in the World Trade Center attack is 4,957 with 190 more confirmed dead.
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