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CNN Live Sunday

Taliban Admits Sheltering Osama bin Laden

Aired September 30, 2001 - 15:02   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.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: We want to get to more now on the latest from the Taliban and their claim that they are sheltering Osama bin Laden. For that now we turn to CNN's Christiane Amanpour -- Christiane.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Martin, there has been over the last couple of weeks a lot of highly confusing and contradictory statements from the Taliban. Now what we are being told from sources inside Afghanistan is that the ambassador here in Pakistan may not have been fully briefed when he made those earlier comments today.

The Taliban in Afghanistan is saying that they've always said that Osama bin Laden is in Afghanistan. So it's very difficult to decipher and the best we can do is simply report what is being told. But we are basically being told that he is in Afghanistan, always has been and they're not going to hand him over.

Now I spoke to the Pakistani president, Pervez Musharraf, earlier today and I asked him about the cooperation with the United States. He said that they would obviously give all cooperation. He implied that they would even allow U.S. troops and hardware on U.S. - on Pakistani soil. And he said that he had not yet been briefed on any evidence that showed what the U.S. says was a direct link by the Al Qaeda network and Osama bin Laden to the terrorist attacks in the United States.

He also said that he believed he had the full support of his people in the position he's taking.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GENERAL PERVEZ MUSHARRAF, PRESIDENT OF PAKISTAN: Those who are against whatever my government and myself are doing are a very small minority. These are generally if not all really just extremists and they do not form the majority of Pakistan certainly. Therefore certainly I have no doubt that there is no destabilization within or there's no opposition - there's no mass opposition to me and my government on whatever we are doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR: The general also said that hopes of the Taliban handing over bin Laden were quote "dim" and two missions that he has sent to the Taliban he admitted had failed to moderate the views of the Taliban. Martin?

SAVIDGE: Christiane, I know it has been spoken of that Pakistan is very supportive of the United States but you were obviously face to face with President Musharraf. Does it appear from his personal sense that he is standing committed behind the U.S. and what it wants to do?

AMANPOUR: Yes, he is. He said there were no deals involved, there was no quid pro quo. When asked he gave his full support. But he did say that he really had no idea what was being contemplated for Afghanistan, what plan of action was going to be contemplated for Afghanistan, that he had not yet seen any operational plan. And he did for the first time seem to imply that he was prepared to see a post-Taliban Afghanistan, saying, in response to a question about a possible broad-based alliance taking over there, saying that all things could certainly be discussed once it's clear what is being contemplated for Afghanistan. Martin?

SAVIDGE: You also mentioned that the president had not seen direct proof provided by the United States of Osama bin Laden's involvement. Is that essential for him?

AMANPOUR: I think it's essential for many, many people. Certainly the Pakistani president said that he was waiting to be briefed. He was clear that, you know, about classified information - perhaps that wasn't going to be shared but he did want to be briefed. And, in fact, U.S. officials have told us that they plan to give him a detailed briefing.

But furthermore many, many people in this part of the world say that they're fully prepared to see the Taliban pay or Osama bin Laden pay if they can see at least a case for or evidence against those who are being accused. So in terms of public opinion some kind of presentation of the case appears to be what many, many people want.

SAVIDGE: And one last thing, Christiane. What are you hearing on the ground there regarding the possibility of the return of Afghanistan's exiled king?

AMANPOUR: Well, again, we asked the president about that and he didn't want to go into specifics. He made it very clear that he wanted some government in Afghanistan that was - would remain friendly to Pakistan. Now it's - "How it would be comprised," he said, "we'll have to see."

But, of course we did hear a radio broadcast from Mullah Omar, who is the leader of the Taliban, who basically said that any attempt by Zahir Shah, the king, to come back was quote "a shame." That he shouldn't come back with U.S. assistance and if he did the people of Afghanistan would never support a public government.

So he gave a broadcast full of the usual (UNINTELLIGIBLE) against the United States.

SAVIDGE: CNN's Christiane Amanpour reporting to us live from Islamabad. Thank you very much.

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