SEOUL (Reuters) – The South Korean government has told Taliban insurgents holding 21 Koreans there is a limit to what it can do to resolve the hostage standoff that has stretched into a third week, an official said on Friday.

GHAZNI, Afghanistan – The Taliban sought guarantees of safety from the U.N. mission in Afghanistan for possible hostage talks with South Korean officials in government-controlled territory, a purported spokesman for the militants said Friday.

Retired Bosnian Serb General Zdravko Tolimir, who was recently captured and sent to The Hague war crimes tribunal for alleged involvement in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, refused to attend a court session Wednesday (August 1st) regarding his health, claiming he was “in excellent condition”.