ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said Sunday that hopes were dim that Afghanistan's ruling Taliban would hand over Osama bin Laden, although the doors were open to more talks. (Read photo caption)

Although Pakistan has sent two missions for talks with Mullah Mohamad Omar, spiritual and supreme leader of the puritanical movement that rules Afghanistan, both failed to convince him to hand over bin Laden, Musharraf said in an interview with the U.S. CNN television.
The Taliban, which seized the capital five years ago, has never appeared more vulnerable, under pressure from U.S. threats to hunt down bin Laden, chief suspect in the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington, and with intensified fighting against opposition forces in the north.
Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup, did not say whether he would allow U.S. forces to be based on Pakistani soil. He said none had arrived in his country, which shares a 2,500-km (1,400-mile) border with Afghanistan.
``We are interacting with the Taliban to moderate their views, to change their views in accordance with the dictates of the world opinion and we are still carrying on doing that,'' he said.
``But we have our doors open and some progress has been made and we hope a little more progress can be made.''
'THE HOPE IS VERY DIM'
But he said he was not optimistic. ``I think with the passage of time, as the situation is, the hope is very dim...One can carry on engaging with them,'' he said.
However, he saw reason for hope from a meeting nearly two weeks ago of 1,000 Islamic religious leaders in Kabul that urged bin Laden to leave their country in his own time and of his own free will.
Musharraf said he also hoped the Taliban would agree to release eight foreign aid workers on trial on charges of trying to convert Afghans to Christianity.
The president, who has thrown his weight behind the U.S. decision to wage war on terrorism, was cautious in giving any details of military involvement.
PHOTO CAPTION:
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf told U.S. television network CNN that hopes were dim that Afghanistan's ruling Taliban would hand over Osama bin Laden. Musharraf is seen Sept. 23 in Islamabad. (Yves Herman/Reuters)