Diplomats to Receive Visas to Go to Kabul Tuesday

14/04/2001| IslamWeb

CANBERRA (Islamweb & News Agencies) - Diplomats from Australia, the United States and Germany have been told by Afghanistan's ruling Taliban they will be issued visas on Monday to travel to Kabul, where eight aid workers are accused of promoting Christianity. (Read photo caption below)An Australian foreign office spokesman said a Taliban representative in neighboring Pakistan had told Australia's high commission in Islamabad that visas would be issued on Monday and access to the eight looked likely.
``The consul will fly to Kabul on Tuesday, August 28, in the company of the United States and German consuls,'' the spokesman told Reuters.
``All the indications are that they will be allowed access to (the aid workers).''
A group of 24 aid workers -- two Australians, four Germans and two Americans and 16 Afghans -- were jailed three weeks ago by the radical Islamic Taliban regime. Spreading Christianity is an offence punishable by death in Afghanistan.
None of the aid workers who were working for German-based Shelter Now International has been seen since their arrest with the Taliban refusing all access until they finished an investigation.
PHOTO CAPTION:
American diplomat David Donahue (C), with Australian diplomat Alistair Adams (L) and German diplomat Helmut Landes, reads a statement issued by the three countries' governments at Kabul airport, August 21, 2001. The three Western diplomats flew out of Afghanistan, headed for Pakistan, after a futile week-long effort to visit their eight citizens detained by the Taliban on charges of promoting Christianity. (Mian Khursheed/Reuters)
- Aug 21 8:19 AM ET