Bush rules out deal for SKorea hostages

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karzai agreed yesterday that there would be no concessions made to the Taliban for the release of 21 South Korean hostages, the White House said.

Bush and Karzai discussed the prisoners' plight during a summit at the Camp David presidential retreat outside Washington, according to national security spokesman Gordon Johndroe.

"President Bush reiterated that the Taliban must release the remaining Koreans held immediately," he said as the two leaders wrapped up two days of talks on the security situation in Afghanistan.

"The United States has been working to the extent possible with the Afghan and Korean governments in urging that the hostages be released. There will be no quid pro quo, the Taliban cannot be emboldened by this," he said.

The Taliban seized 23 South Korean church aid workers on July 19 and have slain two of them to try to force the Afghan government to release Taliban prisoners.

"President Bush expressed strong sympathy towards the relatives of the Koreans, especially those of the Koreans whose lives have already been lost," Johndroe said by telephone after the Bush-Karzai summit.