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CNN Live Today

Pakistani President Makes First Official Visit to Afghanistan

Aired April 02, 2002 - 13:34   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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: A pledge to fight terrorism comes today from Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on his first official visit to the Afghanistan capital city, Kabul. Afghan interim leader Hamid Karzai joined with Musharraf in that promise. CNN's Walter Rodgers has more on the meeting.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf paid a surprise call on Afghanistan's interim leader, Hamid Karzai, and Musharraf officially confirmed several dozen of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda fighters arrested in two Pakistani cities have been turned over to the United States.

PERVEZ MUSHARRAF, PRESIDENT, PAKISTAN: It was Pakistani law enforcement agency, then Pakistani intelligence organization, which moved against them, and arrested about 40, 50 of them and undertook this operation very successfully.

RODGERS: On the matter of U.S. special forces operating in Afghanistan, Musharraf said there is no need for them to engage in hot pursuit of any al Qaeda fighters into Pakistan. The Pakistani leader saying it is not in his country's interest for U.S. forces to conduct a military operation in Pakistani territory.

As for Osama bin Laden, the Pakistani leader again tried to discourage speculation that bin Laden may be hiding in Pakistan's northwest frontier province. Musharraf said he thinks bin Laden's security entourage would be too large to go unnoticed. And he still thinks bin Laden may have fallen victim to earlier American bombing.

MUSHARRAF: He may be dead or alive, I don't know. But if you ask my view, maybe he is dead.

RODGERS: The U.S.-led coalition apparently still believes bin Laden may be in Afghanistan, but Afghanistan's interim leader says he, like Musharraf, does not know where bin Laden is.

HAMID KARZAI, AFGHAN INTERIM GOVERNMENT CHAIRMAN: If we find out that he is alive and somewhere, we will definitely go look for him.

RODGERS: The Pakistani leader gave Karzai a check for $10 million to help rebuild Afghanistan. But both men said it would take a huge effort by the international community to make this a secure country again.

(on camera): Still there remains the question of how much security there can be for Afghanistan as long as there's the possibility Osama bin Laden may still be out there. And, the U.S.-led military coalition here is operating on the assumption bin Laden is still alive.

Walter Rodgers, CNN, Kabul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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