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CNN Live Sunday

Bush Rejects Taliban's Offer to Turn Over bin Laden to Third Party

Aired October 14, 2001 - 15:02   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go ahead and get more reaction now to the latest offer from the Taliban and bring in our Kelly Wallace, who is still near Camp David, where President Bush spent the weekend, as mentioned. The president already back at the White House. Kelly, good to see you.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you, Daryn. Well, President Bush didn't waste any time responding to this latest Taliban offer. That offer, to turn over Osama bin Laden to a third country if the U.S. ends its military campaign against Afghanistan. We saw the president arriving back at the White House a short time ago. He was joined by first lady Laura Bush and also some of the first family pets.

The president wasn't expected to talk to reporters, but reporters shouted questions and then I believe the president used the word, words, no negotiations or nonnegotiable at least five times, to make it clear that what the Taliban is putting forward is unacceptable.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Turn him over. Turn him over, turn his cohorts over, turn any hostage they hold over, destroy all the terrorist camps. There's no need to negotiate. There's no discussions. I told exact -- told them exactly what they need to do, and there's no need to discuss innocence or guilt. We know he's guilty. Turn him over. If they want us to stop our military operations, they just got to meet my conditions. And when I said no negotiations, I meant no negotiations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: And the presidents demands include turning over Osama bin Laden, all of his top associates, as well as closing and destroying all the terrorist training camps in Afghanistan, the president noting that U.S. forces doing a pretty good job destroying those terrorist training camps, and also releasing all Western aide workers who are currently being held on trial, accused of spreading Christianity.

Now, while the president was at Camp David, some of his top advisers went out on the Sunday talk shows, and just days after the FBI issued an alert saying that terrorist attack or attacks could be possible in the United States over the next several days, Attorney General John Ashcroft revealed that law enforcement is looking for nearly 200 people who remain at large and who could be in the United States and who could be connected to the September 11th attacks, or could be planning other acts of terror.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: I believe that it's very unlikely that all of those individuals that were associated with or involved with the terrorism events of September 11th, and other terrorism events that may have been prepositions and preplanned, have been apprehended.

We are doing everything possible to disrupt, to interrupt, to prevent, to destabilize any additional activity, and we are on our alert, and we will continue to act aggressively in every respect to prevent additional activity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: And the Attorney General also revealing that the administration is investigating whether the anthrax cases in New York, Nevada and Florida are linked and could be connected to the September 11th terrorist attacks.

Also, continued questions about whether the federal government is ready and able to deal with any biological acts of terror. We did learn that health and human services secretary Tommy Thomson plans to contact Capital Hill this coming week, asking for an additional $1 billion to dramatically increase the amount of the antibiotic on hand that is used to treat people infected with anthrax.

Daryn, back to you.

KAGAN: Kelly, I have kind of an outside-the-Beltway question for you today. We saw, as you mentioned, John Ashcroft. We also saw Tommy Thomson today, some very visible members of the Bush administration. I think a lot of Americans might be wondering where's the vice president? Where has Dick Cheney been?

WALLACE: Well, that is a good question. We did see, in fact, the vice president at the White House for a little bit on Friday. He also did an interview with PBS, "The News Hour with Jim Lehrer."

Now, all week, ever since the military campaign against Afghanistan began exactly a week ago, the vice president has been taken to what the administration is calling a secure undisclosed location out of security concerns, and a desire to have the president and the vice president in separate places.

Now, we understand that the president and the vice president will sometimes be together, so we're likely to see the vice president at the White House somewhat this week, but the vice president saying he and Mr. Bush will avoid being at large public gatherings together and will be separate from time to time. Again, the administration taking very seriously the threats that are out there and the concern about the continuity of government and keeping the president and the vice president in separate places.

We are told, though, Daryn, the vice president playing a very active role, and when he is not inside the room at these meetings, he's usually attending via video-teleconference.

KAGAN: Security precautions that are very understandable. Kelly Wallace, thank you, and you have safe travel back to D.C. from near Camp David.

WALLACE: OK.

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