KABUL, Nov 16: The latest deadline set by Muslim militants in Afghanistan who threatened to kill three UN hostages passed with no word on their fate on Tuesday, but the government said it was hopeful they would be released.

The Jaishul Muslimeen (Army of Muslims) militants, who captured the three in Kabul on Oct 28, had announced a new deadline of sunset on Tuesday for the government to agree to their demands.

Diplomats and sources close to the case said talks between representatives of the hostages and Afghan officials were continuing but progress was slow.

The government was nontheless hopeful the three - Philippine diplomat Angelito Nayan, Annetta Flanigan from Northern Ireland and Shqipe Hebibi of Kosovo - would be released, a presidential spokesman said.

"We are hopeful," spokesman Jawed Ludin said at a media briefing. "As I said we are using all our efforts to secure their release. In that we continue to be hopeful."

The three UN workers were snatched from a busy street in Kabul, where they had been working on the first Afghan presidential election won by Hamid Karzai.

The families of the three hostages released a statement through the United Nations in Kabul pleading for their safe return.

"We understand that after 25 years of strife and uncertainty some people in Afghanistan may do desperate things. But the Afghan people are honourable," the statement said.

"We dearly hope that the people holding Angelito, Annetta and Shqipe will demonstrate that honour at this holy time and place them somewhere safe where they can be found and restored to us," it said.

The Tuesday's deadline was the latest in a series set and broken by the militants, who are linked to Afghanistan's former hardline Taliban rulers ousted in a US-led campaign in late 2001.

Sayed Khaled, who claims to speak for the group, told AFP by telephone on Monday that they wanted the release of 26 Taliban prisoners in exchange for the hostages' freedom.

Khaled said he must be contacted by sunset on Tuesday "otherwise our tribal council will take a final decision on the fate of the hostages."

He said the Afghan government had located all but seven of the Taliban prisoners the militants wanted freed and they could accept the release of a majority of the 26.

However, a number of spokesmen claiming to represent the kidnappers have made contradictory statements as the saga has unfolded, raising confusion over whether they have direct contact with the hostages.

Khaled blamed comments by US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage during a visit to Kabul last week for slowing the talks over the hostages.-AFP