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CNN LIVE EVENT/SPECIAL

America's New War: Pakistani Diplomats in Afghanistan Today

Aired September 28, 2001 - 05:15   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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Pakistan has sent both a religious and diplomatic set of enjoys into Afghanistan to meet with the Taliban to talk once again about turning over Osama bin Laden. For some reason, the Pakistanis see some optimism there.

Let's check in now with our Tom Mintier, who is standing by live in Islamabad, Pakistan. He's got the very latest on this story for us -- good morning, Tom.

TOM MINTIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Leon.

This delegation has now spent the last five or six hours in Kandahar. We have learned in the last hour included in that delegation is the Taliban's ambassador to Pakistan. He also boarded the flight with 10 religious clerics, who are now meeting in Kandahar inside Afghanistan.

Now, this is the second diplomatic mission, if you will, that has taken place in Kandahar. About a week ago, the head of the spy unit here, the ISI, went in with his delegation. Sources tell us that it was a 60/40 deal -- 60 percent success because they simply met with them.

They did meet with the Taliban foreign minister in Kandahar this morning, and there may be other meetings this afternoon.

We were also told by our sources here in Pakistan that Mullah Omar has signed off on the suggestion by the religious clerics, who met over a week ago, basically asking Osama bin Laden to leave the country. So that has been also sent to Osama bin Laden, and according to the Taliban, he has not received that message.

Now, this diplomatic mission may be more for domestic consumption inside Pakistan showing the Pakistanis that the government has taken every step possible trying to bring a peaceful resolution to this -- to give every last chance for the Taliban to basically back away from the ravine and go back on the diplomatic side and hand over Osama bin Laden.

But so far, no indications that that is about to take place or even a remote possibility. This is simply a delegation that is going in, a mid-level delegation holding meetings. This is not the endgame. They are saying that it's quite possible that this delegation may even stay overnight in Kandahar, and it may not be the last delegation that goes in from Pakistan.

So there is some sort of diplomacy going on, but what it results in is really difficult to predict right now -- Leon.

HARRIS: So, Tom, are you saying, then, that there isn't necessarily any one thing that is giving Pakistan any real optimism that something can be worked out? Are they just -- this is just something they're doing because they have to do it?

MINTIER: No, I think they realistically want to try to bring a peaceful resolution to this and want to be seen possibly as the broker who prevents military action from taking place on their neighbor.

Now, you have to remember that Pakistan is the only remaining nation that has diplomatic relations with the Taliban. They still have an embassy here in Islamabad. So Pakistan is trying to take on this role of going in and sending a clear message to the Taliban that the international community, if not the world, is against them. And it's a last opportunity for them to do that maybe.

So they have done it twice now, and the first time was really not very effective at all. We saw even harsher rhetoric coming out of the Taliban. But this is possibly the last opportunity at a non military solution.

HARRIS: All right. Thank you very much -- Tom Mintier reporting live for us this morning from Islamabad, Pakistan.

Let's go now north of there to northern Afghanistan. You see there our Chris Burns, who is checking in with us live with the story from there -- hello, Chris.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Leon, yes.

Well, the continued skirmishing, at least, along this front line that is between here and the capital, Kabul. We were down by a former Soviet air base yesterday, where there was continued skirmishing, shooting, gun fire and mortar fire, artillery fire. So it does go on, but no reports of any major progress.

Of course, the Northern Alliance that is opposing the Taliban is hoping for their deus ex machina, the United States to move in and start with air strikes, perhaps even sending some kind of ground support. That is their dreamo-vision. That's what they're hoping that will break this deadlock

At the same time, though, Mullah Mohammed Omar, who is the man that the Pakistanis are meeting with today in Kandahar, has warned the Northern Alliance, telling that they shouldn't look to the United States for help. In a quote, he says, "they'd be just like the fools who tried to stay in power with the help of the Russian army" -- that being the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989, and that failed.

At the same time, there is a growing humanitarian crisis. There is -- winter is just six weeks away, and with millions of people reported to be on the move, it could be a humanitarian disaster. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan says he is worried about a lot of people getting caught in the middle.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: Innocent civilians should not be punished for the actions of their government. The world is united against terrorism. Let it be equally united in protecting and assisting the victims of emergencies and disasters, and that applies to the crisis we already have in Afghanistan, which is very serious.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNS: Afghanistan was a humanitarian crisis even before this war on terrorism, and it can only stand to get worse -- Leon.

HARRIS: Chris, let me ask you about the Taliban troops. We've been reading reports this morning that they have been disappearing, if you will, off the streets of Kabul and other places in areas that they control, and there's lots of speculation about where they may be going, and whether or not they're going in hiding or whatever.

The Northern Alliance people you're talking with there, have they told you that they've seen any evidence of any troop movements?

BURNS: Well, of course, and it's in their interest, they're reporting it. We can't confirm any of that, because they haven't shown us anybody. But what they say is that there are groups, especially mujahedin -- former mujahedin fighters that allied themselves with the Taliban, who their commanders are negotiating giving up.

So, of course, the Northern Alliance is gloating at that possibility and is saying that there is -- there are some who are or are about to give, but they're not giving us any numbers yet about that -- Leon.

HARRIS: All right. Thank you very much -- Chris Burns in northern Afghanistan -- thank you very much and be careful, and we'll talk with you later on.

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