Afghan hijack -- Negotiations may take long

Afghan hijack -- Negotiations may take long
ANJALI MODY

LONDON, FEBRUARY 8: It was alleged last night that four Taliban officials were among the hostages on the hijacked Afghan Ariania plane. Abdullah Abdullah, acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan's non-Taliban government, told BBC's Newsnight programme that one of the hostages released in Moscow had said that four men on board the plane were Taliban officials. A Taliban spokesman neither confirmed nor denied this. He told BBC that that his government had given the complete passenger list to British authorities at their High Commission in Islamabad.

Meanwhile, British police officials, negotiating with the hijackers at London's Stansted airport say that it could be several days before they have results. After 31 hours of negotiations and the release of eight hostages, Joe Edwards, Assistant Chief Constable of Essex Police in whose jurisdiction Stansted airport falls, said the priority was the safe release of all hostages.

He said: ``It can be a very protracted technique. It could go on for days.''

Edwardssaid that police negotiators had been in contact with the plane throughout the night and that both the hostages and the hijackers remained calm. He said: ``The people we are talking to are remarkably calm and that's really important. The atmosphere is one of control, people behaving rationally. That's going to help an awful lot.''

The negotiators were this morning understood to be talking to the hijackers about broad ``issues'' around the hijack. It is believed that the hijackers, who still hold 150 hostages, are seeking the release from prison of Ismail Khan, the highest ranking opposition figure captured by Taliban. A police spokesman, however, said the hijackers had as yet made no specific political demands.

Essex Assistant Chief Constable John Broughton told a press conference: ``There have been no specific requests other than for food, water and medication -- what we would term house-keeping requirements.'' He added: ``But there are lots of areas that are being discussed and there are a lot of thingsbeing talked about by the negotiators.''

Taliban's leader Mullah Mohammed Omar, in his first interview since the hijack, told BBC that his government had received no demands from the hijackers. He said he had heard reports that the hijackers were seeking the release of the opposition military commander, Ismail Khan, but had no official confirmation of this.

Mullah Omar said that the Taliban would neither negotiate with the hijackers nor accept their demands. He said it was up to Britain to deal with the situation.

Asked by BBC why the Taliban had put pressure on the Indian Government to negotiate with the hijackers of the Indian Airline plane in December but was now refusing to talk to the hijackers of their own plane, he said the Taliban had allowed the Indian aircraft to land in Kandahar at the Indian government's request.

Yesterday eight hostages, four of one family were released. They are all thought to be Afghan nationals. Twenty two other hostages were released when the plane made halts inKazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Russia. Broughton said the hostages released in London had indicated that they were well treated by their captors. A 17-year-old girl and two infants, among the hostages released yesterday were treated for dehydration.

Conditions on board the second-hand Boeing 727, which was not intended for long haul flights, are bound to be difficult after three days. And Broughton said all efforts were being made to make the conditions on board comfortable: ``We have been seeking all the time to improve sanitation and conditions on board.''

Two generators to run the plane's air-conditioners, hot meals, toiletries and medicines including some for ``minor stomach ailments'' have been supplied.