Taliban issues first threat to U.S. over Bin Laden
Special to World Tribune.com
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Thursday, November 11, 1999
NICOSIA [MENL] -- With five days left until it faces international
sanctions, Afghanistan's ruling Taliban army on Tuesday threatened to
retaliate against United States if economic sanctions are imposed for its
refusal to hand over Saudi fugitive Osama Bin Laden.
Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar, in a letter to the "people of the
United States," did not elaborate on the type of action Afghanistan would
take. "If you do not take a step in this direction then you will be
surprised about what is coming to you and you will not be able to do
anything about it,'' Omar said in the letter.
The letter was the Taliban's first threat of anti-American action since
coming to power in 1996.
Unless Taliban hands over Bin Laden by Sunday, the United Nations will
impose economic sanctions. Omar said this Americans risk the consequences of
such a move.
Bin Laden has offered to leave Afghanistan to a secret destination but
the United States and United Nations has rejected this. U.S. officials said
Taliban must surrender Bin Laden.
"We have shown readiness for negotiations but the U.S. government seems
to be bent on force and looks down on us," Omar said in his letter. "This
attitude will not help the United States because the Russians were thinking
along the same line and look what happened to them. In addition, on Sept. 6,
1999, we [sent] a letter to the White House. In it, we pointed out to them
that those who are not on the just side, may God face them with earthquake
and storm. You are all witness to the fact that since the date of that
letter, one strong earthquake and two devastating storms have taken their
[toll] in the United States."
In an unrelated development, Pakistan said it will not sign the nuclear
test ban treaty unless economic sanctions are lifted. Still, Foreign
Minister Abdul Sattar said Pakistan will not be the first in the region to
conduct nuclear tests.
"We have no intentions of taking any provocative steps," Sattar said.
Thursday, November 11, 1999
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