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American Morning

Target: Terrorism - Humanistarian Aid to Afghanistan

Aired October 04, 2001 - 10:05   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's check into the global hub of the political military, and more on the maneuverings now in America's War on Terrorism.

For that, CNN senior White House correspondent John King with us once again in Washington with more.

John, good morning to you.

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you Bill. A very busy day here in Washington. Specifically, a very busy day for President Bush on a number of fronts. In just a few minutes we will take you live to the State Department. The president there to announce an increase in the U.S. financial commitment to the refugee crisis in Afghanistan, and now in bordering Pakistan as Afghans flee their country in anticipating U.S. military strikes, and move into neighboring Pakistan.

The president also will announce some new emergency unemployment benefits later today, at the Labor Department. The government reporting this morning, the weekly unemployment claims at a nine year high. 528,000 people last week filed for their first time unemployment benefits, that a nine year high. The government saying, undoubtedly this because of the economic impact of the September 11th terrorist strikes.

The president also in urgent negotiations with the Congress on a number of fronts. They have cleared the final hurdles, we are told, to that anti terrorism package. The Justice Department says it is critical to investigating terrorism and trying to prevent it here in the United States in the future. They are working on an emergency economic stimulus package, somewhere in the area of $75 billion, a mix of new tax cuts, new spending initiatives. It will probably take about two weeks to work out the details of that one.

There is a hang up on a very important issue to American consumers and travelers. A new airline and airport security bill, a fight between the Democrats and the administration over the details of new security checkpoints at airports around the country.

But the next event up for the president is a visit to the State Department to announce this new commitment to humanitarian aid.

CNN's State Department correspondent Andrea Koppel standing by with us for a preview and some details on the significance of this. Andrea?

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: John, good morning. That's right, President Bush is expected to speak in the next few minutes. He'll be introduced, as usual, by the U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.

There are a couple of purposes to the president's visit here to the State Department. As we've seen now, over the last couple of weeks, he's been stopping by everything from the Pentagon to the CIA, to kind of rally the troops and keep everyone's spirits up.

The White House looking to make use of today's visit to the State Department to unveil a new humanitarian aid package for Afghan refugees. This is meant to help out not only Afghanistan, but also its surrounding neighbors in central Asia, Iran, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan. All of these countries, and Pakistan, that had been dealing already with some of the refugees fleeing ahead of what they expect may be U.S. military action in Afghanistan.

The other purpose of this, John, is really public diplomacy. The president is going to be using this forum to get the message out to the international community that this is not an action that is targeting the Afghan people. This is all about Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network based in Afghanistan, and the Taliban regime because it is blocking the extradition of bin Laden, may also be included in U.S. military strikes.

It's also meant to send out, throughout the international community, the message that the United States wants to help the people of Afghanistan. Meantime, there is also a meeting that's taking place today in Rome between one of the top State Department officials and the deposed Afghan king. The purpose of that meeting we're told, is again, to look beyond the Taliban regime. Let this really lightning rod of the Afghan diaspora know that the United States wants to help rebuild Afghanistan, wants to help the country get its -- back on its feet again; if in fact, this should lead to some sort of military action. John?

KING: Andrea, help us understand the delicate diplomatic moment here. On the one hand, the administration says removing the Taliban from power is not, explicit anyway, a goal of this operation. Yet, as you noted, a senior State Department official meeting with the exiled king.

The administration has said it hopes for a broad based government within Afghanistan. So they are not directly out to topple the Taliban, yet they're already about the business of trying to find a new government?

KOPPEL: Well, there's, a you've already pointed out, there is some nuance here. Right now, you have got the senior State Department official, who is not really talking about what this government would look like, what a post Taliban regime would look like.

What he is there to say is, you guys deal with figuring out who you want to be in this transitional authority, or this whatever it is you're looking at post Taliban. We want to let you know, the United States wants to let you know, that we will support you in whatever shape, form this new government takes. We will support you with humanitarian aid, we'll support you perhaps getting some international peacekeepers in there, that would be primarily Muslim peacekeepers. We will help you rebuild.

That's really what the message of Richard Hoff (ph), the policy planing director at the State Department, is the to the deposed Afghan king.

But in the meantime, John, the U.S. and Great Britain, we heard Tony Blair the other day, very explicitly warn the Taliban that they either surrender Osama bin Laden or they will surrender power. Obviously, Tony Blair speaking on behalf of both the Bush administration and his government, letting them know that the longer this goes on, the greater the chance that the Taliban will be replaced by some other government that should be chosen by the Afghan people.

KING: Andrea Koppel, we will check in back with you at the State Department in just a few minutes. For now, back to Bill Hemmer in New York.

As I toss, Bill, I should note Ari Fleischer telling reporters at the White House a short time ago, the president has been briefed on what the administration knows so far about the crash of that plane you were just talking about with Jill Dougherty. But Mr. Fleischer saying the administration right now has very little information on the circumstances.

Bill?

HEMMER: Much more throughout the day. Thanks, John. We will be back in touch there in Washington.

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