ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Afghanistan's ruling Taliban said on Wednesday they did not want a war with the United States and called once again for direct talks and evidence linking Osama bin Laden to the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington.Taliban ambassador to Pakistan Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef told CNN in an interview that the suicide hijacking attacks were not Islamic and suggested that they would hand over bin Laden if any link could be proved.
The United States and Britain have said that time is running out for the Taliban to hand over bin laden and have openly suggested that they could be swept from power for standing in the way of President Bush's war on terrorism. (Read photo caption below)
They have ruled out talks with the Taliban, who have alternated between defiant appeals for help from fellow Muslims around the world and calls for direct talks in an effort to head off a U.S. military strike.
``If Osama bin Laden is involved in this action we need something which is the evidence, which is the proof on Osama bin Laden, to talk on this option,'' he said, adding:
``Unfortunately President Bush denied that again and again.''
PHOTO CAPTION:
A group of Taliban fighters discuss the possibility of U.S. attacks on Afghanistan, in the capital October 2, 2001. A large number of senior Taliban officials including several cabinet members have gone to several zones of Afghanistan to mobilize local troops and also prevent probable reported uprisings by the local tribes. (Sayed Salahuddin/Reuters)