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CNN Live Sunday

British Say U.S. Death Penalty Might Be an Obstacle to Terrorists' Extradition

Aired December 09, 2001 - 15:34   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.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the British defense secretary says that Osama bin Laden should face justice in the United States. However, he told BBC that if bin Laden were in British custody, the U.S. death penalty could become an obstacle to extradition.

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GEOFF HOON, BRITISH DEFENSE SECRETARY: We do extradite people to countries with the death penalty, obviously subject to certain undertakings that are given. We have extradited people in the past to the United States and I see no reason in principle why that should not happen, but it would mean of course that certain undertakings would have to be given about any penalty that he faced.

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CALLAWAY: Now another top official, the vice chair of Britain's Parliamentary Human Rights Group says that there would have to be cast iron guarantees against execution before extradition could go ahead. So, does this raise the stakes for the U.S. to reach bin Laden first? Joining us now from the Pentagon is CNN's Kathleen Koch with more on this -- Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Catherine, the stakes have always been very high when it comes to capturing Osama bin Laden ever since the United States said that it believed that he was the mastermind behind the September 11th attacks on the United States.

Now about this British statement, the Pentagon today would only say that they want to bring -- Pentagon leaders would only say they want to bring the al Qaeda leader to justice.

They insist that Osama bin Laden is on the run with a price on his head and that he is losing authority and capability by the day. And they say the U.S. is making what they called moderate progress in the Tora Bora region where they believe that bin Laden and his followers are still hiding out.

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GENERAL RICHARD MYERS, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: We think we know within a reasonable geographic position where they may be and, of course, our information is facilitated by all our elements of intelligence from human to other sources and from some of the folks that have eyes on, U.S. eyes on and opposition eyes on the various targets up there. But I can't be more specific.

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KOCH: The U.S. military is being equally non-specific about what will happen to American detainee John Walker. He's now being held at Camp Rhino by the U.S. Marines there in Afghanistan. The 20-year-old who fought and surrendered with the Taliban has been giving interrogators what the military says is useful information. General Myers says that he's been reasonably cooperative and talkative.

Pentagon sources told CNN last week that Walker would likely be turned over to the Justice Department where he could face possibly charges of Conspiracy, Treason and even Murder. Catherine, back to you.

CALLAWAY: Thank you. Kathleen Koch from the Pentagon. Thanks, Kathleen.

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