The US President George W Bush has condemned Afghanistan's Taliban rulers for harbouring Osama bin Laden and his followers.
In his weekly radio address, Mr Bush said the Taliban, not the Afghan people, will be held responsible for sheltering terrorists.
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Mr George W Bush
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The condemnation follows two weeks of unsuccessful efforts to convince the Muslim rulers to hand over bin Laden.
"The United States respects the people of Afghanistan and we are their largest provider of humanitarian support," he said.
"But we condemn the Taliban, and welcome the support of other nations in isolating that regime."
A Pakistani delegation failed to persuade the Taliban to hand over bin Laden and said the Taliban leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, refused to discuss the Saudi exile.
One of the Pakistani participants said: "I don't think that Mullah Omar is afraid of war."
Meanwhile, the Bush administration is meeting at Camp David to formulate their plan of action against the Taliban.
Last night they spelled out their policy for offering assistance to opponents of the Taliban.
"We do not want to choose who rules Afghanistan, but we will assist those who seek a peaceful, economically developing, Afghanistan, free of terrorism," an administration official said, quoting from the policy memo.
Mr Bush has made similar points in the past, but the memo is the first comprehensive explanation of US policy, officials said.
AP