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America Under Attack: Pakistan Pledges Cooperation

Aired September 13, 2001 - 14:53   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.
AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Senior White House correspondent John King join us now at the White House -- John.

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Aaron. I want to bring you first a little breaking news development. A lot going on here in Washington, of course both in public and in private as the administration ponders a potential military response to these terrorist strikes.

We know the administration putting pressure on the government of Pakistan to help. Pakistan is a neighbor of Afghanistan. Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke to the Pakistani President General Musharraf earlier today asking for his cooperation as the United States tries to investigate this, and I have just received a statement from the president of Pakistan, again General Musharraf, promising, saying that Pakistan, quote, "committing all of its resources in an effort coordinated with the United States to locate and punish those involved in these horrific acts."

So, a statement from the president of Pakistan just provided to us here at CNN, this after a 10-minute conversation with the secretary of state. Other diplomatic efforts by the Bush administration to win Pakistani cooperation in this investigation -- significant, because Pakistan among the nations that recognizes the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan. The network of suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden, who Secretary Powell earlier today named as the number one suspect in these attacks obviously located in Afghanistan, so as the president ponders potential military responses and tries to build an international coalition not only to deal with this terrorist act but others, at least early signs of some cooperation from the government of Pakistan.

Now, that issue came up earlier today when the president was in the Oval Office. He spoke to reporters after a telephone call to the governor of New York and the mayor of New York to touch base on the research and recovery efforts. Mr. Bush saying at that time that they were receiving reassuring words from the government of Pakistan, but that he wanted to see in the days ahead just how that developed.

Mr. Bush in that conversation also talking about this horrific act, calling it the first war of the 21st century, and Mr. Bush saying the United States was preparing a response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Make no mistake about it, my resolve is steady and strong about winning this war that has been declared on America. It's a new kind of war. And I understand it's a new kind of war. And this government will adjust. And this government will call others to join us, to make sure this act, these acts, the people who conducted these acts and those who harbor them are held accountable for their actions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Another role of the president and the first lady, here you see consoling the nation and the victims. The president at the Washington Medical Center earlier today, visiting some of those burned when that jet crashed into the Pentagon across the Potomac River in suburban Washington, Northern Virginia. The president saying he was deeply moved by his appearance there. I spoke to the first lady about it afterward. This part of the public effort by the first family to console the victims and their families, also to try to rally the nation.

Again, though, I want to talk about breaking news here. The president this afternoon will meet once again with his national security team. We are told by senior administration sources, discussion of potential military responses on the agenda for that session.

As the administration ponders its options, one of the key questions was, what kind of cooperation will it receive from nations around the world, not just predictable U.S. allies, but others as well. And again, we have just received a statement from the president of Pakistan, General Musharraf, saying Pakistan is providing all of its resources in an effort -- and this part is significant -- coordinated with the United States to locate and punish those involved in these horrific acts.

Obviously, the administration will put that promise to the tests in the hours and days ahead, but perhaps a potentially significant development as the investigation continues and the Bush administration seeks some help overseas -- Aaron.

BROWN: John, a couple of questions in a couple of different areas. We heard Andrea Koppel reported earlier that the secretary of state, Secretary of State Powell, came closer than any administration official had so far to pointing the finger at Osama bin Laden. Are you hearing in the White House that name thrown around with more certainty than before, not just one of many but as the one?

KING: Certainly, the prime suspect. The administration still saying it is not 100 percent certain that Mr. bin Laden is the architect of these strikes, but we are hearing from senior administration officials here at the White House, from the intelligence committee and from members of Congress who have been briefed by key administration officials. In the words of one senior official I spoke to, quote, "everything points to the bin Laden network -- the sophistication of this attack, some of the people involved, the conversations intercepted afterward by U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials."

So certainly from the very beginning they have put Mr. bin Laden at the top of the list, and we are told increasingly, as we now move into day two after these horrific strikes, that the evidence increasingly points to Mr. bin Laden. And of course, what the government asking for now is the cooperation of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Pakistani government as well, to help deliver information, not only on Mr. bin Laden's whereabouts, but we're told Secretary Powell asked the Pakistani government for any information it had about his recent operations.

So, certainly he is suspect number one as the investigation continues and as the president discuss more and more with his top military advisers potential responses.

BROWN: What kind of leverage do we have with the government of Pakistan, John?

KING: Well, not much. Although there has been a rocky -- Secretary Powell himself called it an up-and-down relationship. Pakistan, of course, for a long time in the Cold War was an ally of the United States, while India was aligned with the Soviet block. This administration, as the Clinton administration did in its closing days, has made a point of trying to build closer ties with India, the largest democracy in the world, and that, of course, causes tension with Pakistan.

So, it has been a hot and cold relationship. At times, President Musharraf has said things the United States has taken quite favorably. He, of course, took power in a military coup that the United States did not look upon favorably. So, as Secretary Powell said today, it has been a hot and cold relationship, but certainly contacts and cooperation with the Pakistani government right now could prove very significant with this investigation and in any potential military operation the United States might decide to go forward with.

BROWN: And John, let me change gears here quite a bit. A couple of hours ago, you sat down with the first lady and talked about what has happened, what its impact was on her, on her husband, on the country. What jumped out at you, as you think about that interview now a couple of hours later?

KING: Well, this a woman who wanted to carve out a very different role as the first lady, Aaron, than Hillary Rodham Clinton had. Laura bush by no means wanted to be a spokesman on major policy issues, with the one exception of literacy and education, just beginning to emerge there. Now, of course, she finds herself as the consoler in chief, if you will. The president is the commander in chief.

She has written a letter to school children around the country. Obviously, a woman who called her own daughters, but also a woman, as the first lady, cast in a completely new role -- herself, grabbed and shuttled by the Secret Service to a secure location when these strikes happened, so this an event that transformed the country, perhaps as well transformed the role, the public role, of our first lady. BROWN: John, thank you. Our senior White House correspondent John King with us this afternoon as we are a little bit past 3:00 Eastern time.

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