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| Afghanistan |
| Taliban: bin Laden Under Our Control |
| 2001-09-30 |
| KATHY GANNON : Associated Press Writer A Taliban envoy said Sunday the Afghan militia has Osama bin Laden under its control at an unspecified location and is willing to negotiate with the United States if Washington provides evidence bin Laden was involved in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The offer to negotiate was rejected by Washington. The Taliban ambassador to Pakistan, Abdul Salam Zaeef said bin Laden was in an undisclosed place for "his safety and security." "He's under the control of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and only security people know where he is," Zaeef said. The Taliban envoy criticized the United States for failing to provide evidence linking bin Laden to the attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center and damaged the Pentagon. "The position of the two countries is very different," he said. "They are thinking of direct attacks. We are thinking of negotiation. They have provided no evidence but they want the man." White House chief of staff Andrew Card quickly rejected any negotiations. "The president has said we're not negotiating," Card said on Fox News Sunday. "We've told the Taliban government what they should be doing. They've got to turn not only Osama bin Laden over but all of the operatives of the al-Qaida organization. They've got to stop being a haven where terrorists can train." |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |