The United States has rejected the Taleban offer to negotiate over Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden, saying Washington wants action on the Taleban's part and not negotiations.
The White House spokesman said President Bush wants the Taleban to take the actions necessary to no longer harbor terrorists -- whatever forms that takes.
Taleban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar told a gathering of Islamic clerics in Kabul he is ready to hold talks with Washington. He also said Washington is using Osama bin Laden as a pretext to destroy Taleban's Islamic system of government.
He urged the United States to exercise patience and gather all needed evidence to track down the real culprit behind last week's attacks in New York and Washington and to turn that evidence over to the Taleban Supreme Court
However, Mullah Omar says if Washington still wants to attack Afghanistan, the Islamic clerics should support his call for a holy war against the United States and other countries that help America.
U-S authorities have named Osama bin Laden as the prime suspect in last week's attacks and warned of possible military strikes against him and his terrorist training camps in Afghanistan.
The clerics have gathered in Kabul to decide the fate of Osama bin Laden.
Tuesday, the U-N Security Council repeated its demand for the "immediate and unconditional surrender" of the accused terrorist. The Council passed a resolution last year and imposed strict sanctions against Afghanistan's Taleban rulers for sheltering him.
A U-S diplomatic team is expected to travel to Pakistan in the next few days to discuss details of cooperation the Pakistani government has pledged to provide in the fight against terrorism.