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American Morning

Ultimatum on Pearl's Life Stands Despite Pleas from Editor, Wife

Aired January 31, 2002 - 07:05   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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Up front this morning, a deadly ultimatum from the kidnappers of "Wall Street Journal" reporter Daniel Pearl and an impassioned plea from his wife, who's six months pregnant.

Less than three hours ago, the managing editor of the "Journal" issued a new appeal for his release. A threat to execute Pearl within 24 hours came by e-mail yesterday, along with new pictures of Pearl being held hostage.

The kidnappers said Pearl would be killed if the U.S. did not meet their demands, which include the release of all Pakistanis being held in the war on terror.

Our Ben Wedeman spoke with Pearl's wife Marianne. He joins us now from Karachi, Pakistan -- good morning, Ben. I know you got a chance to spend a fair amount of time with Marianne. What did she tell you?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, basically she explained to us that she and her husband were, they're both journalists, that they have come here not to spy, as the kidnappers are suggesting, that really they have come here to Pakistan and they've always worked as journalists to try to foster dialogue between different cultures.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIANNE PEARL, DANIEL PEARL'S WIFE: If they don't allow people If they don't allow people that, you know, who take the risk, who are willing to go and create the dialogue, we are the last ones to be held hostage or to be, you know, suffering from that because we are the ones who try to create that dialogue, right? And so I mean that's what I would tell him.

And also tell him that, you know, I trust that they can understand it because since I've been in Pakistan we have been able to create that dialogue. It's a dialogue that existed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WEDEMAN: Now, Paula, as you mentioned, Paul Steiger, who is the managing editor of the "Wall Street Journal," has issued a statement in reply to that e-mail from the group holding Mr. Pearl. In that statement, he says, "Neither Danny nor I can change the actions of governments. What we can change is the understanding of each other's cultures and perspectives. I propose that you view Danny as a messenger. With this information, Danny can appear before the world when released and can provide your group with the unique and unprecedented opportunity to tell the entire world your point of view. There could be no better way to have your beliefs and your concerns listened to throughout the globe."

He goes on to say that "killing Danny will achieve nothing for you."

Now, as far as the investigation or the search for Mr. Pearl is concerned, yesterday Pakistani authorities took into custody the man who Mr. Pearl was on his way to see, to interview the day he was kidnapped. That was last Wednesday. Other men have been taken into custody for questioning by the Pakistani authorities, but the Pakistani authorities are saying that they are not optimistic at this point and that they are taking this threat to kill Mr. Pearl very seriously -- Paula.

ZAHN: Ben, let's go back to your conversation, for just a bit with Marianne, his wife. She must be in an extremely isolated position. What kind of support is she getting from the U.S. government at this point?

WEDEMAN: Well, we know, for instance, that the foreign editor of the "Wall Street Journal" has come here to assist. They are in very close contact with the U.S. embassy and U.S. diplomats here in Pakistan. We know that, for instance, there are American law enforcement officials here, as well, aiding with the -- aiding the Pakistani authorities in their investigation.

But as I saw firsthand, Mrs. Pearl is very strong. She's not making an emotional appeal to the kidnappers. She is making an intellectual appeal. She is appealing to their humanity and to, hoping that they will understand that her husband has come here to create dialogue and nothing else -- Paula.

ZAHN: That strength certainly came through in the small part of that interview we got to see this morning.

Ben Wedeman, thanks so much for that report. We appreciate it.

And this morning, as Ben just mentioned, authorities in Pakistan continue to search for Daniel Pearl. We just heard, obviously, about Ben Wedeman's conversation with Marianne Pearl after the kidnappers threatened to execute her husband. And it included this impassioned plea.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WEDEMAN: And how are you coping with this?

PEARL: I haven't slept for six days, since you're asking. But I have hope. I mean I'm not, you know, I'm not desperate because I, if I stop believing in creating this dialogue, then I stop believing in everything else. So I can't do that. I'm pregnant.

WEDEMAN: And if you could speak to your husband now, what would you tell him?

PEARL: I love you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: Daniel Pearl's "Wall Street Journal" boss also had a message for his captors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL STEIGER, "WALL STREET JOURNAL": Danny Pearl is a journalist simply, pure and simply, nothing more and nothing less. And he doesn't have the power to bring about the demands of the people who have him captive. And that, he's not an agent of any government. He's a journalist and we think that it's in their interests, as well as in ours, to set him free.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: Joining us now from New York, former U.N. hostage negotiator Giani Picco and from Washington this morning, CNN security analyst Kelly McCann. Welcome to both of you.

Kelly, first of all, what are you reading into the significance of this new deadline?

KELLY MCCANN, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: (AUDIO GAP) a situation, Paula, that's going to be answered by political movement. It just can't happen. We can't be that vulnerable that anybody that travels abroad who's an American could be allowed to be shaping foreign policy kind of on the cuff. So it is a very difficult situation. But there is added urgency.

ZAHN: Mr. Picco, you were involved in negotiating the release of Terry Anderson, who was held in Beirut for six years. Are there any similarities at all in this case to Daniel Pearl?

GIANDOMENICO PICCO, FORMER U.N. HOSTAGE NEGOTIATOR: Well, there are superficial similarities which I would not suggest to be taken as operative similarities in no way, shape or form. The two cases are quite different. Possibly the people who have perpetrated this crime are of different origin and different ideology. So I don't think that we can use any comparison.

ZAHN: So how do you go about winning Mr. Pearl's release? Where would you start?

PICCO: Well, I'm sure that we have already started. I'm sure that the Pakistani authorities have been doing a lot of work. And as we've heard, American law enforcement are already in Pakistan. And I believe that the question is now to determine whether the latest information we've received is a way to prove or to try to prove that those who are holding the journalist are actually, want to show the world they are serious and if, therefore, the threat is a way to show that they are, they mean business.

ZAHN: How seriously would you take this deadline?

PICCO: I would take it very seriously but also being aware that if I want to prove my credibility and I make a threat of this nature, I have also many ways to prove my seriousness without carrying on the threat. I could, for instance, say I've received an appeal by President Musharraf. I've received an appeal by the wife. And since we are merciful people, since our ideology is one of mercy, we are, we'll just heed to this appeal and therefore we don't execute.

ZAHN: What would be the incentive for them to take that way out?

PICCO: Again, it is a matter of the message you want to send. If you want to increase your audience, so to speak, or to increase your constituency, you have to play to a large group of people. And we've seen so far that one interesting group of people that these individuals are playing at are the nationalists of Pakistan, not only the Islam.

ZAHN: Kelly, let's quickly take a look at some of the e-mails sent by the kidnappers and I want you to analyze some of this text for us now. Here's a small part of one of them. "We have interrogated Dr. D. Pearl and have come to the conclusion that contrary to what we thought earlier, he is not working for the CIA. In fact, he is working for Mossad. Therefore we will execute him within 24 hours unless America fulfills our demands."

What is this all about?

MCCANN: Well, you know, there are three really sacrosanct jobs in the world that you can almost be assured that if they say they are that they are that, and that is a journalist, because you, it's very well kept that if you ever allowed anybody to do anything that was not related to journalism, that would cause serious problems for every journalist throughout the world.

So that Red Cross, the same thing. I mean their job revolves around honesty, the ability to get aid and care out to people. And then other authorized and recognized NGOs, non-government organizations.

I think this is basically a way to kind of jump up the urgency here. His parents, I understand, are from Israel, but that doesn't mean at all that he's linked in any way to any kind of intelligence agency. If you look at this background, from college forward he has had documented, unbroken work record as a journalist.

So I mean with that kind of proof, a statement like that, where they don't have the capability to research it, has got to be in question. It's just to add that little bit more of urgency for people to want to seek his release.

ZAHN: How effective is it, Mr. Picco, in the end, to have them first say he is a CIA operative, OK, he's not, now he's with the Mossad? Doesn't that completely, in many ways, take away from what their demands are here?

PICCO: Yes, it does. But here I think the focus of this, the step they're taking is really to, for the first time, I suppose, engage the other side, the other side being the government of Pakistan, America and the rest of the world. And to engage them, they have to come up with something which catches the imagination of people, and this is one.

ZAHN: What are the chances, given that you have successfully negotiated the release of hostages before, what are the chances that Daniel Pearl will be released? Are you hopeful?

PICCO: Surely we should be hopeful because I believe it is in the interests of those who have taken him for their own cause to release him eventually to prove more than, not only that they are able to conduct this operation, but they also have a degree of, if you like, of mercy, and also a degree of understanding of humanity, which would, from their point of view, produce more support for their cause. So it would be in their interests, in my view, to release them.

ZAHN: Mr. Picco, we very much appreciate your dropping by our studio today. And Kelly McCann, good to see you again as well.

MCCANN: Thanks, Paula.

ZAHN: Thank you for joining us this morning.

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