South Korean officials and the Taliban are to determine a location for their first face-to-face talks over the fate of 21 hostages held by militants.
That's according to Marajudin Pathan, the Governor of Ghazni province, where the the South Korean hostages were kidnapped.
As the hostage stand-off moved into its 20th day, Pathan said South Korean officials and Taliban militants will soon agree on a meeting place as the two groups have been conducting talks over the phone for several days.
"We are waiting for the final face to face discussion to be held between Korean and the Taliban side. We are expecting that they will pinpoint the place where the discussions will take place."
Pathan said on Tuesday that the meeting would probably take place in Ghazni province, but he could not provide any further details.
The Taliban have said they are ready for face-to-face talks even in government controlled territory, provided that the United Nations guarantees their delegation's safety.
The militants kidnapped 23 Korean aid workers travelling by bus from Kabul to Kandahar on July 19. Of these two male hostages have so far been killed.
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