The White House has rejected an 11th-hour appeal by Afghanistan's Taliban rulers to discuss turning over Osama bin Laden.
"The president could not have said it plainer... no discussions, no negotiations. Action," said US President George W Bush's chief spokesman, Mr Ari Fleischer.
Earlier, the Taliban ambassador to Pakistan, Mr Abdul Salam Zaeef, told a press conference in Quetta: "We are prepared for negotiations. We will not follow war instead of negotiations."
Mr Zaeef said Afghanistan had already suffered 20 years of war and famine saying the country needed food, aid and shelter. He said an attack would compound the country’s problems.
However, he reiterated the Taliban's refusal to hand over bin Laden without proof of his involvement in the attacks on the US.
"Surrender is not the way... We want justice. We don't want to surrender [anyone] without evidence, without proof. We are always ready for peaceful negotiations," he said.
"We call all peoples, all countries to negotiate. We are part of the world. We are happy to help with any word, any action, that is peaceful," he contiued.
But the White House rejected the Taliban’s overtures. "The president has said and [been] very clear on what the Taliban must do to avoid any type of military action," Mr Fleischer said.
"They must hand over Osama bin Laden and other terrorists, destroy the terrorists camps, and ensure that the territory of Afghanistan will no longer serve as a base for terrorists operations, and allow the United States access to those terrorist camps to make certain that they've been destroyed," he added.
- US Defence Secretary Mr Donald Rumsfeld will travel to the Middle East today for talks with regional leaders as the US military continues a major buildup for a possible attack on Afghanistan, the Pentagon said.
Defense Department spokeswoman Ms Victoria Clarke declined to say which countries Mr Rumsfeld would visit. "He was traveling to talk about the campaign against terrorism and have significant consultations over there," she said.
AFP &