December 29, 1999

Iran peace initiative in Afghanistan
Iran has announced an initiative to try to end the long-running civil war in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Khatami wants to launch new bid for Afghanistan peace
TEHRAN, Dec 29 (AFP) - Iran wants to launch a new bid to end the bloody civil war in Afghanistan as soon as possible, Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi said on Wednesday.

Hijacking drama overshadows Soviet occupation anniversary
ISLAMABAD (NNI): Hijacking of the Indian Airlines plane has overshadowed 20th anniversary of the erstwhile Soviet invasion of Afghanistan as the whole world and Afghans are focussing on the drama.

Wars Rage in Third of World's Nations
The Associated Press
Wednesday, Dec. 29, 1999; 5:05 p.m. EST
WASHINGTON (AP) – The century is coming to a close with a third of the world's 193 nations embroiled in conflict, nearly twice the Cold War level, according to the National Defense Council Foundation. In its annual report, the group blamed rising

Hijackers Drop Two Key Demands
By Amir Zia
Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, Dec. 29, 1999; 2:18 p.m. EST
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan –– The hijackers of an Indian Airlines plane on Wednesday dropped two of their key demands – a $200 million ransom and the return of a fighter's body – after Afghanistan's ruling militia convinced them the requests violated

Taliban Say Hijacked Plane Must Go If No Solution
08:37 a.m. Dec 29, 1999 Eastern
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Afghanistan's ruling Taliban movement threatened on Wednesday to force a hijacked Indian plane to leave the country if a six-day-old hostage crisis was not peacefully settled.

Jaswant banks on Taliban cooperation
NEW DELHI (NNI): The Taliban's readiness to cooperate with India to end the hijack crisis and their offer to even storm the plane at Kandahar has surprised authorities here and raised speculation whether this could lead to a thaw in New Delhi-Kabul

UN official praises Taliban handling of hijack crisis
ISLAMABAD, Dec 29 (AFP) - A senior UN official Wednesday praised the Taliban's handling of the crisis surrounding the hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane to Afghanistan by Muslim militants.