U.S. links improved ties with Pakistan to aid on Bin Laden
SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Monday, January 24, 2000
WASHINGTON -- The United States continues to press Pakistan to
cooperate in efforts to capture Saudi billionaire fugitive Osama Bin Laden.
Pakistan officials have responded with concerns that the U.S. policy will make enhance Bin Laden's popularity according to Pakistan press reports.
U.S. officials said the issue was at the top of the agenda in last
week's high level talks between Washington and Islamabad. The officials said the
Clinton administration linked Pakistan's help in capturing Bin Laden to an
improvement in relations with Islamabad.
Over the weekend, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Karl
Inderfurth completed a two-day visit to Islamabad, in which he met
government leaders and representatives of the ruling Afghan Taliban faction.
Taliban is said to be harboring Bin Laden and has received the support of
the government in neighboring Pakistan.
Inderfurth was accompanied by State Department counterterrorism
coordinator Michael Sheehan and National Security Council member Donald
Camp, who heads south Asian affairs.
"Pakistan's support of the Taliban, who harbor and protect Osama Bin
Laden, is a concern to us," Inderfurth said on Friday in Islamabad. "The
continuing presence of Bin Laden and his network in Afghanistan, we believe,
is a threat to the international community. We urge the government of
Pakistan to use its influence with the Taliban to have Bin Laden expelled to
a place where he can be brought to justice as called for in Security Council
Resolution 1267."
Bin Laden is suspected of having masterminded the bombings of two U.S.
embassies in east Africa in 1998. Taliban sources said the representatives
again rejected a U.S. demand to surrender Bin Laden.
U.S. officials said Pakistan has been told that Washington is ready to
improve relations with neighboring India but will wait to do the same with
Islamabad until it moves against Bin Laden. They said the issue has become
critical as Bin Laden is believed to have launched a campaign to attack
American targets in both the United States and abroad.
But Inderfurth said Pakistani leaders have so far refrained from any
commitment to cooperate in the capture of Bin Laden. He acknowledged that
Pakistan is regarded as having increased its support to Islamic terrorists
over the past year.
"I cannot say that we have received assurances in this regard, but we do
believe that it is important to continue to restate the urgency from the
standpoint of the United States and the international community that Bin
Laden be expelled and be brought to justice," he said. "We hope that day
will happen very soon."