Taleban agree to U.N. talks

Bamiyan's Buddhas: widely acknowledged as amongst the finest examples of early Buddhist art

KABUL, Afghanistan -- The Taleban government threatening to destroy Afhganistan's ancient statues has agreed to meet international leaders concerned about the fate of the treasured relics.

A top official of Afghanistan's ruling Taleban said Saturday he would meet U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan this weekend for talks that would include the controversial order to destroy all statues.

But it remained unclear on Saturday whether the decision had come in time to save two towering Buddha statues the Taliban had vowed to destroy.

Some sources said the pre-Islamic shrines were still intact and others saying they had been demolished.

Taleban foreign minister Wakil Ahmed Muttawakil said he would be traveling to Islamabad on Sunday to meet Annan, who is due in Pakistan on the first leg of a South Asian tour later on Saturday.

MESSAGE BOARD Afghan statues

"I will discuss with Annan the bad condition of the Afghan people, the injustice of the U.N. and imposition of sanctions as well as the Afghanistan crisis as a whole," Muttawakil said.

"The statues issue will also come up in the agenda of the talks and I will say to him that this is an internal and religious issue and it is not intended to confront the world."

The Taleban have vowed to destroy all statues that they perceive as un-Islamic in the 90 percent of Afghanistan they control.

United Nations cultural organization UNESCO and various world governments have appealed to the Taleban to preserve their country's historic relics.

The two giant Buddhas at the center of the dispute were hewn into sandstone cliffs at least 1,500 years ago, when Afghanistan was a center of Buddhist culture before the arrival of Islam more than 1,200 years ago.

The Taleban began shelling the giant Buddhas but called a temporary halt for the duration of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha (Feast of the sacrifice), witnesses said.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Clamour grows to save Afghan statues
March 7, 2001
Buddhas' fate signals Taleban divisions
March 3, 2001
Afghanistan: Treasure chest of early Asian culture
March 2, 2001
Eyewitness: In the shadows of the Buddhas of Bamiyan
March 2, 2001
Taleban reject calls to save Buddhas
March 2, 2001

Society for the Preservation of Aghanistan's Cultural Heritage
Taleban
UNESCO

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