04 October 2001
Excerpt: U.S. Welcomes Pakistani Statement about al Qaida
(State's Boucher also says U.S. official met former Afghan king) (850)
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the U.S. government
welcomes a statement from Islamabad that "Pakistan believes that there
is sufficient evidence to indict Usama bin Laden's organization for
the September 11th terror attacks."
"Pakistan has stated its intention to work for a broad-based and
representative government in Afghanistan, and we share that goal as
well. We're confident that the Pakistan will fulfill its commitments
as a key member of the global coalition against terrorism," Boucher
added in his press briefing in Washington October 4.
Boucher said that the State Department's director for policy and
planning, Richard Haas, met with the deposed Afghan King Zahir Shah in
Rome October 4.
"The United States has long-standing contacts with the Afghan
factions, including the Northern Alliance, or as it's sometimes
referred to, the United Front, as well as significant individuals,
including regular contacts with the former king and other Afghan
expatriates," Boucher said.
Following are excerpts from Boucher's October 4 briefing with his
comments about Pakistan and Afghanistan:
(begin excerpt)
QUESTION: Pakistan apparently said today that they were convinced by
the information that al-Qaida or bin Laden is responsible for the
September 11th events. Do you have a reaction to that? And is that the
only Muslim government -- the only government of a predominantly
Muslim nation that has in fact endorsed the conclusions?
MR. BOUCHER: I don't think I have a full list of every government in
the world that I could check again on who said what about the
conclusions. As we have pointed out before, we want you to see that
it's not solely as a basis of US information, but a great many
governments around the world are working against networks, are working
against front organizations, are working against operatives and
organizations associated with al-Qaida, and we think that there are
other governments, such as the British, who have concluded that
al-Qaida was definitely responsible for this. Some of them also get
information from us, in terms of the kind of sharing of information
that we want to do.
We certainly welcome the announcement by the Pakistani Foreign
Ministry Spokesman that Pakistan believes that there is sufficient
evidence to indict Usama bin Laden's organization for the September
11th terror attacks. Pakistan has stated its intention to work for a
broad-based and representative government in Afghanistan, and we share
that goal as well.
We are confident that Pakistan will fulfill its commitments as a key
member of the Global Coalition Against Terrorism. We are continuing
our consultations on how best to wage the Campaign Against Terrorism,
as we are doing with many other countries involved in the
international coalition.
QUESTION: It's looking increasingly like the United States, which at
first saw Pakistan as sort of the jumping-off point for an attack on
bin Laden, is steering away from that. Is that accurate?
MR. BOUCHER: No.
....
MR. BOUCHER: Somebody else was going to the meetings with the former
King, so I will do that.
As you all know, the State Department Director for Policy Planning,
Ambassador Haass, met with former King Zahir Shah today in Rome.
Ambassador Haass is in Europe for other meetings, in Paris and
Brussels with French and European Union policy planning interlocutors.
The visits arose out of our ongoing consultations with Afghan exiles,
including the Rome Group. The Rome Group is a gathering of Afghan
exiles that is associated with the former King, who are seeking a
political resolution of the Afghan conflict.
As you know, the United States has longstanding contacts with the
Afghan factions, including the Northern Alliance or, as it is
sometimes referred to, the United Front, as well as significant
individuals, including regular contacts with the former King and other
Afghan expatriates. As you know, the King was deposed in a coup in
1973 and has a continuing interest in ending the bloodshed in his
country.
QUESTION: Can you tell us what came out of the meeting, apart from --
MR. BOUCHER: Continuing discussions with all the Afghan factions.
QUESTION: Is he meeting with -- was Haass meeting with other Afghan
opposition people in Rome or anywhere on his trip?
MR. BOUCHER: On anywhere on his trip, I will have to check if there
are others. The meetings in Paris and Brussels are French and European
Union people. Clearly, in Italy, meeting with the Italians on policy
planning issues, and he would meet with the King there as well, take
the occasion.
The other group that is commonly referred to of Afghan exiles, I think
there is a Cyprus Group and there is a Berlin Group. So I don't think
he is going to either of those places.
QUESTION: So the King is the only one? And he didn't meet with any of
the Northern Alliance people that were down in Rome last week?
MR. BOUCHER: I don't think so. I will double check on that. The only
meeting with Afghan exiles I am aware of is with the King.
(end excerpt)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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