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CNN Live At Daybreak

Security Concerns Keep Senators, Blair at Bagrham Air Base

Aired January 08, 2002 - 05:17   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 COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The Senate delegation is one of two high level Western diplomatic visits to Afghanistan.

As CNN's John Vause reports, security concerns kept the meetings at Bagrham Air Base.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Afghanistan has never seen anything like this before, two high level diplomatic visits in one night. First, nine U.S. Senators.

SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: We believe this is the first official Congressional delegation into liberated Afghanistan.

VAUSE: Then just hours later, Tony Blair, the first British Prime Minister to visit this country.

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Hamid Karzai and I had a very good discussion here in Afghanistan and I want to offer him our full support.

VAUSE: They held separate meetings with the new interim leader, Hamid Karzai, but the message from the United States and Britain was the same.

BLAIR: What happened last time when the West walked away from Afghanistan was that a decade later, terrible evil erupted on the streets of New York, but also the whole region became a breeding ground for acts of terrorism.

LIEBERMAN: I think we learned at a very high and painful price the cost of a lack of involvement in Central Asia on September 11 and we're not going to let it happen again.

VAUSE: They arrived in the middle of the night and stayed for just a few hours, never leaving Bagrham Air Base. And from this diplomatic stopover, promises of help for the massive reconstruction job ahead, but no details of how much aid or when it may be coming.

They also spoke of the need for a national Afghan army to disarm the warlords and bandits who still control parts of this country.

(on camera): It is significant, though, that the British prime minister and the U.S. senators held their talks here, at the heavily secured Bagram Air Base. It is still too dangerous to have such high level meetings in the capital, Kabul.

John Vause, CNN, at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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