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American Morning

America Strikes Back: Afghanistan Lifts Restrictions on al Qaeda

Aired October 10, 2001 - 09:08   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: For more from the region on the Taliban comments and the latest on airstrikes, here is CNN's Christiane Amanpour, live in Islamabad with us -- Christiane.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN ANCHOR: The Taliban ambassador, as you mentioned, was defiant today in his press conference, as he has always been in last few weeks since they've been holding press conferences. He did say, though, and others inside Afghanistan have said, that the so-called restrictions imposed on Osama bin Laden's activities have been lifted so that he is free to conduct what they call a holy war, or jihad.

He was also trying to have it both ways on terrorist issue. When asked about whether he considered the al Qaeda network a terrorist organization, he said he didn't have the proof, but of course, that the Taliban was against terrorism. On the other hand, as we know, the Taliban has been facilitating and allowing the promotion and broadcast of a tape by the al Qaeda network talking about the good deed that those terrorists attackers did on the United States, and promoting more of those attacks. So he's really trying to have it both ways on this particular issue.

And again, of course, he was talking about the United States and warning the United States not to try to impose its will on Afghanistan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABDUL SALAM ZAEEF, TALIBAN AMBASSADOR TO PAKISTAN: The White House administration has turned into a global bully. After the disintegration of the former Soviet Union, the sole superpower of the world is intending to impose governments on sovereign states. Afghanistan is the first victim.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR: These attempts and calls by the Taliban, al Qaeda, and others for the Islamic world to mobilize have mostly fallen on deaf ears. Relative to what could be happening in this region, there are very, very few demonstrations, and this is certainly not the kind of mass uprisings, neither here in Pakistan or elsewhere around Islamic world, that have been called for by the hard-liners that we have just mentioned. In terms of future government for Afghanistan, certainly Pakistan is looking very closely at that, as are the rest of the international coalition involved this campaign. Today, president Musharraf met with a representative of the German foreign ministry. They were discussing a future broad-based alliance. They talked about how it had to be not only a broad base, but friendly to Pakistan and other bordering states, and Musharraf said that they could envision the former shah coming here to lead an interim figure-head government to begin with in this political process -- Bill.

HEMMER: Christiane, thank you, and keep us up to date from there.

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