Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Saudi Official Suggests Taliban is Close to Collapse

Aired October 25, 2001 - 09:23   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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. airstrikes are once again targeting Taliban positions north of Kabul, Afghanistan this morning. And there are reports of mortar and machine gun exchanges between those troops and the Northern Alliance, the opposition force.

CNN's Walter Rodgers is monitoring the fighting from Pakistan. He joins us now with an update from Islamabad.

What is latest from there, Walter?

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Paula.

The war in Afghanistan seems to be turning a political page, even as the fighting goes on. A few hours ago the Afghan tribal leaders meeting in Peshawar, Pakistan concluded a two-day council meeting. Afterwards they expressed concerns -- political concerns, at this point, that there may be a political vacuum in Afghanistan if and when the Taliban collapses. They seem to think it would be sooner rather than later.

Of course, these Afghan tribal leaders called for an end to the conflict, an end to U.S. bombing of Afghanistan. They also condemned the September 11 terror attacks against United States -- interesting, coming from Afghan leaders. Also coming from the same leaders, a call for what they said were foreign elements to -- who had inflicted so much misery on the people of Afghanistan to, quote, "leave the country as quickly as possible." That was clearly a signal to Osama bin Laden that many Afghan tribal leaders no longer want him or his al Qaeda organization to remain in Afghanistan.

On the diplomatic front here in Pakistan, interesting development. President Musharraf of Pakistan met with the Saudi foreign minister, who was here for a brief three hours. This is interesting, of course, because the Pakistanis still have relations with the Taliban, and until recently the Saudis had relations with the Taliban. And after that meeting I asked the Saudi ambassador to Pakistan if he now thinks it's possible to negotiate an end to the fighting with the Taliban.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALI AWADH ASSERI, SAUDI AMBASSADOR TO PAKISTAN: I didn't think that it is possible. I didn't think Taliban, you know, was still running the country, to be honest with you, at this point in time.

RODGERS: They're still running Afghanistan?

ASSERI: I don't think so. I mean, you know, I'm hoping that their power has come to an end, or on the verge of coming to an end.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RODGERS: So important is the political concern about the future of Afghanistan at this point that the Turkish president, Ahmet Sezer, is in Pakistan at this hour, meeting with President Musharraf. They are trying to sketch out the future of a political Afghanistan, if and when the Taliban collapses. Turkey is crucial and central to this because the Muslim world would insist on Muslim peacekeeping forces in Afghanistan, and of course Turkey is a leading Muslim country -- Paula.

ZAHN: So Walter, we weren't able to hear, obviously, that whole interview. But what little I heard would suggest that he believes, once again, that the Taliban is actually on the verge of collapse right now, as we speak?

RODGERS: It was very surprising, Paula. When I asked him that, he suggested that they were coming very close to collapse. He suggested they were running out of friends, may even be running out of money at this point. It contradicts some of the political thinking, or at least the military thinking coming out of the Pentagon. Also interesting today, we had that very same point coming from the Afghan tribal chiefs meeting. They suggested that the Taliban may be sooner -- closer to folding their tents than we would have imagined.

Of course, the Taliban still controls the ground over there; maybe it's wishful thinking, but these are interesting straws in the wind -- Paula.

ZAHN: They certainly are. Walt Rodgers, thank you very much for that update.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com