TALEBAN WARN US ON HARSH REACTION IF BIN LADEN IS KILLED
KABUL 23 Jan (IPS) - The Taleban warned the United States they will be seriously punished if Osama Bin Laden, the Saudi fundamentalist the American considers as their number one enemy was killed or arrested, Radio Sharia't reported.
According to the Taleban's official Radio, the warning was delivered to the US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, Karl Inderfurth and Michael Sheehan, State Department Counter-Terrorism Co-ordinator and US ambassador in Pakistan William Milam by Molla Amir Khan Mottaqi, a senior Taleban Minister during a meeting last week in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.
"We told Michael Sheehan that the presence of Bin Laden in Afghanistan was in the best interest of Washington because his supporters will not act against the United States until he is here among us", Mr. Mottaqi said in a statement issued by Taleban Embassy in Islamabad.
He also pointed out that Washington had turned the Saudi millionaire from a "small individual" to a hero of the Islamic world.
"If he is arrested or killed, there would be a strong backlash against the United States by his followers", the statement quoted Mr. Mottaqi as having warned the American expert on counter-terrorism.
"We told Sheehan that we also want Osama's problem to be resolved but every country has its own principles and traditions and we have to do what our people want us to do", the Taleban Information Minister said in the statement that was read by Radio Shari'at.
The meeting was held at the US Embassy in Islamabad.
"We told the US official that we are ready to resolve the issue through talks and assured him that Osama bin Laden is not allowed and cannot engage in anti-US activity from Afghan soil," the statement said.
Mottaqi reiterated the three different solutions the Taleban had in the past presented to resolve the issue of Osama Bin Laden the Americans wanted for the last years' twin bombing in Kenya and Tanzania, killing and wounding more than 400 people, mostly in Nairobi
The proposals would call on the US to present hard fact documents proving Mr. Bin Laden's involvement in terrorist activities to the Afghan Supreme Court so that he could be on trial or a council of Islamic scholars decide the issue or Ossama's activities to be placed under the surveillance of the Organisation of Islamic Conference, the satement said, indicating that the American envoys did not accepted any of the proposals.
Instead the US insist on the expulsion of bin Laden from Afghanistan to stand trial in America.
Inderfurth was in Pakistan to press for the expulsion of the alleged terrorist Osama Bin Laden.
The United Nations imposed last year a ban on international flights to Afghanistan after the Taleban refused to hand over Mr. Bin Laden to the United States.
Meanwhile, in a move that would anger Moscow, the Taleban who controls more than 80 per cent of Afghanistan announced Sunday the opening in Kabul of the Islamic Republic of Chechnya's first ever Embassy abroad.
Offering an all out support for the Chechen Muslims in their jihad (holy war) against Russian infidels, Taleban's Foreign Minister Wakil Ahmad Motawakel also called on all Muslim nations to officially recognise the Chechen Republic and offer the Chechen fighters all kind of military, financial and humanitarian assistance.
"Now there is fighting in another Muslim home, it is the religious obligation of all Muslims to rush to the help of their brothers," he said during a joint press conference with Zelimkhan Yanderbiev a visiting Chechen rebel official.
Taleban Supreme Leader Molla Mohammad Omar on Sunday officially opened diplomatic ties with the Chechen government and gave permission for a political mission in the Afghan capital.
"The Russians are pursuing their failed policy in Chechnya where a great human tragedy is taking place, Mr. Yanderbiev told journalists.
He also criticised the international community and the United Nations for not doing more to protect the Chechens, saying the UN and others are not saying anything. ENDS TALEBAN-US 23100