Afghanistan ? Face-to-face talks between the Taliban and South Korean officials over the fate of 21 hostages will not happen unless the officials travel to Taliban territory or the U.N. guarantees the militants’ safety elsewhere, a purported spokesman said Sunday.

The spokesman, Qari Yousef Ahmadi, said the militants had talked to the Korean officials “many times” over the phone the last three days but that there had been “no results.”

A U.N. spokesman said the international body was “fully supporting” efforts by the South Korean and Afghan governments to resolve the crisis.