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Senator offers Clinton visit if Pakistan helps capture Bin Laden

Special to World Tribune.com
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Wednesday, January 19, 2000

ISLAMBAD [MENL] -- A U.S. senator urged Pakistan's military ruler to launch an effort to capture Saudi billionaire fugitive Osama Bin Laden, suspected of masterminding the bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa in 1998.

Pakistan and the United States are discussing the prospect of a visit by President Bill Clinton in an effort to improve relations nearly two years after Islamabad conducted nuclear tests.

U.S. ties with India, which also conducted nuclear test two years ago, have improved and the president is expected to visit India in the near future. But the military takeover of the government in Pakistan has strained ties with Washington despite the two nations' strategic ties especially during the Soviet war on Afghanistan.

U.S. officials have told their Pakistani counterparts that Islamabad has the intelligence and connections with Afghanistan's ruling Taliban militia to capture Bin Laden. Taliban has harbored Bin Laden for at least the last 18 months.

The U.S. appeal was relayed by Senator Sam Brownback, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs. During his visit to Islamabad, Brownback met Pakistani military ruler Gen. Pervez Musharraf and Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar.

"We have talked previously about the need to get Osama Bin Laden arrested and brought to justice," Brownback said. "I am hopeful that it could take place soon and we will have cooperation to do that."

Brownback is regarded as Pakistan's leading supporter in the Senate. He said the capture of Bin Laden would ensure the planned visit of President Bill Clinton to Pakistan.

"I really want the United States to aggressively engage in this region," he told a news conference on Monday. "I have dedicated a great deal of time and effort in trying to build that."

U.S. officials said the capture of Bin Laden is a priority for Washington and would help in efforts to ease U.S. sanctions against Islamabad.

Publicly, Pakistani officials have denied any involvement in efforts to capture Bin Laden.

Wednesday, January 19, 2000

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