Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Heron Amin Speaks on United Front's Position Forming New Afghan Government
Aired November 19, 2001 - 07:34 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: Even though the Taliban are on the run and Northern Alliance troops advancing, there is still no agreement on a new government for Afghanistan. Forging a new nation from decades of chaos and tribal infighting pose a major challenge. While diplomats talk of a U.N.-brokered coalition government, many powerful men are already trying to muscle their way to power. The big question, which warlord will win?
Heron Amin is the special representative for the Northern Alliance, which is now in control of Kabul and many other cities. In fact, the percentage this morning is, what, 80 percent of the country, would you say, is that an accurate...
HERON AMIN, NORTHERN ALLIANCE SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE: (INAUDIBLE).
ZAHN: Before we get into a discussion of these warlords, what is your expectation? Will the U.S. and its allies, with the help of the Northern Alliance, get Osama bin Laden?
AMIN: Well, I don't know if the question get would be the appropriate word.
ZAHN: What's a better -- what's a better word for it,...
AMIN: I'd say...
ZAHN: ... find him?
AMIN: Exactly. Find him, maybe even...
ZAHN: Smoke him out?
AMIN: ... dead, because I think in the end a brigade -- the 55th Brigade, it's in the nature of fanatics and despots to, at the end, take their own lives. And I think the 55th Brigade at the end is going to do the job for Osama bin Laden. He wouldn't want to be --he wouldn't want to get caught by the allies or us because he killed our leader Ahmed Shah Massoud two days prior to the September 11 incidents here in the states.
ZAHN: In fact, it was reported last week that Osama bin Laden had told some of his key leaders in al Qaeda to kill him if... AMIN: Of course, because he...
ZAHN: ... they felt that the Alliance forces -- the Northern Alliance were going to get to him.
AMIN: Well I mean -- in his calculation, Ahmed Massoud's removal would have paved the way for him to conquer the country and then lure the Americans and others into a long, protracted war in Afghanistan.
ZAHN: How porous, though, do you think the border is between Pakistan and Afghanistan?
AMIN: Very porous.
ZAHN: And would that be the most likely place...
AMIN: Yes.
ZAHN: ... for him to leave the country?
AMIN: Yes. This is something from early on we predicted. He's got a lot of -- there's a lot of ideological affinities with across the border but the Taliban's in Pakistan as well as the ISI elements in Pakistan. If he's able to go anywhere apart from Afghanistan, Pakistan would be the next location.
ZAHN: What is your sense this morning, do you think he's still in Afghanistan or do you think he's already left?
AMIN: Our intelligence still says that he's still in Afghanistan. And I think the U.S. apprehension was right in deploying some of these special forces across the border and making sure that he wouldn't take that venue into Pakistan.
ZAHN: Let's quickly go through some of the news of this morning. Christiane Amanpour saying the Northern Alliance has agreed to attend a meeting of various factions of Afghanistan in a neutral city. When will that meeting happen? Where will that meeting happen?
AMIN: Well, we initially wanted it to happen in Kabul, but then again, I think that certain countries had observations to that. And then (INAUDIBLE) to the fact that the U.N. was going to mediate some sort of talks up in Europe, I presume maybe Germany or Geneva, but I'd say that Geneva might be the most appropriate location.
ZAHN: And when?
AMIN: They're saying this week. I would say it's going to take a little bit more because all of the people for them to get ready from Afghanistan and get on the planes and stuff and make it to Geneva, I think it's going to take even more than a week.
ZAHN: Let's go through the list of some of the men now currently who are vying for power. The former president, Burhanuddin Rabbani, what is he after? AMIN: Well, he may be after power, but the fact is that Afghanistan needs peace more than anything else and I think that if it requires him to give up power he should do so. And I think that this is something that he has said. We certainly want an establishment of a broad-based government in which the former monarch of Afghanistan could play a central role calling for the Loya Jerga. But I think in the transitional setup, whatever the agreement is going to be between all the different segments, that's more important.
ZAHN: You also have a man named Ismail Khan known by many as the Emir of Herat.
AMIN: Yes.
ZAHN: Is he after the same thing as the former president?
AMIN: No, I think that he's going to be more like let's say a governor of western provinces, maybe an administrator of some sort. Remember the key to the future government of Afghanistan is going to be decentralization and in that I think he's going to play a major role in the south and the southwestern provinces of Afghanistan.
ZAHN: Tell us a little bit about Abdul Qadir.
AMIN: Yes. Abdul Qadir is the very -- the brother of the slain Abdul Haq. He's a member of the Supreme Council of the United Front, fought with Commander Massoud, now is the governor of Nanugahar (ph). I don't think that he's going to be anybody, let's say, on a stature of a prime minister or someone in the future government, but I think that the plausibility for him to hold a very high position is there for the future of Afghanistan.
ZAHN: And where does Abdul Rashid Dostum fit in all this?
AMIN: Rashid Dostum is the leader of the Osbacks (ph). He fought against the Taliban. And I would say that he might be, again, a commander (INAUDIBLE) administrator in northern Afghanistan in the future setup.
ZAHN: So of all the people we've talked about this morning, is it the former president that would be most likely to have the broadest position within a broad-based Afghani government?
AMIN: Remember that he is ultimately the United Front's leader and he might have the chance of probably somehow emerging as someone with a high stature in the future government of Afghanistan. The important thing again I -- let me emphasize this, the United Front has no intention of monopolizing power. We're going about the broad-based government, I think Afghanistan needs to come together. The key to all of this is compromise and I think on this our front will come to (INAUDIBLE) mediation by the United Nations.
ZAHN: Need a very brief answer to this one, do you see any moderate members, if there is such a thing, of the Taliban ever playing a role in this new government? AMIN: I don't think so. Just as there were no moderate Nazis, I don't think there are any moderate Taliban. If there were, where were they yesterday, where were they two months ago, three months ago?
ZAHN: Heron Amin, thank you...
AMIN: Thank you.
ZAHN: ... for covering so much territory with us this morning.
AMIN: Thank you.
ZAHN: Good to have you with us in person for a change.
AMIN: Thank you, Paula.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
