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CNN Live Saturday

Interview with Robert Young Pelton

Aired August 24, 2002 - 18:20   ET

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

CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: And that country is the topic of a new documentary airing on the "Travel Channel", "The World's Most Dangerous Destinations", Robert Young's new documentary, "Inside Afghanistan". It's going to air on the "Travel Channel" tomorrow night as part of this series and Robert, it's great to have you here.
ROBERT YOUNG PELTON, JOURNALIST: Thank you very much.

CALLAWAY: Of course you're probably best known for your television interview with John Walker Lindh and also because you actually traveled with the Green Berets in Afghanistan. Were you taping part of this documentary? Is all of that going to be included in this program?

PELTON: Yes, there's much more that needs to be told about various military offences, the history of the battles that the Green Berets fought. You know, obviously the events at Cali Jungi (ph). This is basically one person's journey into a war and I think people will find it very enjoyable.

OSBORN: Well Robert, some of your comments include thoughts from those who are over there. I understand you spoke with the warlord, Dostom (ph), that they really want to discuss why it is that they fight.

PELTON: Well one of the things that I think is important, and that's why I'm on the "Travel Channel" is that people need to see it from a human perspective, not necessarily the newsworthiness of it. So having a series gives me the time to put together my thoughts and also gather enough material to make it easy to understand and also engaging.

CALLAWAY: Do you really think Afghanistan is a place that people are going to want to travel eventually? Certainly it's not a secure place right now.

PELTON: Well I've sent two groups over there, and I - when I say groups, I mean people who want to help reconstructing the country and ...

CALLAWAY: Right.

PELTON: ... the north is very secure, and they welcome people who want to come there and help them in whatever endeavors, whether it's education or finance or whatever. CALLAWAY: When was the last time you were there? I'm just curious how things are now compared to the way they were last year, the end of last year.

PELTON: Well I was there, obviously, in November, December, but I ...

CALLAWAY: Right.

PELTON: ... was also there in April and some friends of mine just came back about a month ago, and things are very, very stable. There is some skirmishes and some, obviously, lawlessness out in the countryside, but people take security very, you know, very seriously, and if someone wants to go there, obviously, they should prepare themselves for the things they wouldn't expect in, let's say, New York or other destinations.

CALLAWAY: That's to say the very least, prepare.

OSBORN: And you said there were still some skirmishes out in the country. Obviously, in the wake of the fall of the Taliban there's been a lot of discussion about the concerns, fears about the rise of warlordism (ph), that security there is tenuous at best and one official said to me that perhaps while the war may have been won, that the peace is far more secure.

PELTON: Well the problem you have there is that there's no infrastructure. I mean Hamid Karzai is in control, but he doesn't control the country. Once you get outside of Kabul or some of the major cities, you've got a nation of poor farmers who have to protect themselves and obviously you have some rivalries. Most of the problems with what they call warlordism is in the south where you have tribal frictions. In the north, though, things are actually quite stable.

CALLAWAY: You were actually in the prison where John Walker Lindh was being held, weren't you?

PELTON: Yes I went down ...

(CROSSTALK)

PELTON: ... in the basement. Yes, well he was in a basement of what was an officer's area in Cali Jungi (ph) and it's not a pretty site. I mean it - you know the scent of death is still there.

CALLAWAY: I'm wondering in this documentary, do you show the average Afghani, their lifestyle, how things actually operate there from day-to-day or is this more just the war-torn areas?

PELTON: No, that's the joy of going to these places. I mean there's sadness, horror and joy, and that people love the fact that you're there documenting their life, talking to them on the streets. It's not just about political leaders or military leaders. It's about how the average Afghan survives and how you can interact with them. So it's a very accessible program. OSBORN: I wanted to ask you about sort of the human rights' question that's come up a fair amount in the wake of the fall of the Taliban, which is to what extent are refugees coming home? Is there any kind of normalcy? What was your sense of that?

PELTON: Well, people are coming home, but don't forget the Afghans are missing some of the very basic needs for reconstruction. You know things like banks, where do you send money? You can't cash a check in Afghanistan. Schools, they don't have books. Transportation, how do you get from one place to another without renting a 50-year-old taxi. So they're still plagued with the tiny little things that make reconstruction very difficult.

CALLAWAY: Hey, you know, we're running out of time here, but we can't let you go without getting your reaction to the CNN tapes that we've been showing the last week. What is your reaction?

PELTON: Well those tapes are also available in other countries, not necessarily exclusive to al Qaeda, but it shows that there is obviously a definite attempt to recruit and also find other ways to attack western countries.

CALLAWAY: You know, we want to make sure that people remember that you're the author of the book, "The World's Most Dangerous Places", and I'm assuming that your show, "The World's Most Dangerous Places", you'll be going to a lot of places that most of us would be a little bit fearful of going to and I guess you're encouraging to take a risk and go enjoy the other cultures.

PELTON: Well no, I would temper that by saying Afghanistan is being rebuilt and it is being pacified. But I was just in southern Colombia three days ago, and I would not advise anybody to go there. There were 33 people executed in the small town I was in ...

CALLAWAY: Wow.

PELTON: ... in the six days that I was there. So, I mean read the book, do your homework. Don't just head out just because it sounds cool. I mean Afghanistan is a dangerous place.

CALLAWAY: Absolutely.

OSBORN: Yes. Certainly one reason why military leaders are saying the U.S. troops, the presence could be quite some time in Afghanistan.

CALLAWAY: Robert Young Pelton, thanks for being with us.

OSBORN: Thank you. Well ...

PELTON: Thank you.

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