04 November 2001
Transcript: Rumsfeld, Tajik Foreign Minister Brief Press November 3
(In Dushanbe with Nazarov, after meeting with Tajik President) (1320)
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Tajikistan Foreign Minister
Talbak Nazarov spoke with reporters in Dushanbe following their
meetings with the president of Tajikistan, Emomali Sh. Rakhmonov, to
discuss cooperation in fighting international terrorism and the
situation in Afghanistan.
Rumsfeld expressed the United States' gratitude for the response and
cooperation offered by the government of Tajikistan: "The cooperation
is very real and very important from the standpoint of overflights,
intelligence gathering, and various types of military-to-military
cooperation."
The effort to stop the al Qaeda network and the Taliban who support
them "is a broad one, involving economics and finances, diplomacy, as
well as military activity," Rumsfeld said. "It will take the help of
all countries across the globe if we are in fact deal with this
problem [of terrorism], and it a problem that is getting worse every
year because of the availability of weapons of mass destruction."
Nazarov, through a translator, noted that after the September 11
terror attacks on the United States, "Tajikistan unanimously expressed
its readiness to join the anti-terrorist coalition and cooperate with
the United States and be its ally. In today's meeting it was confirmed
and several new suggestions in order to enhance cooperation between
our countries were proposed."
Asked if there were an arrangement for possible use of Tajik air
bases, Rumsfeld said the United States is sending an assessment team
to work with the government of Tajikistan in evaluating such a
proposal, and that no decisions could be made until that is done.
Nazarov said, "First, I would like the experts to check if the
airfield can be used and let them decide first of all that it is worth
checking, worth thinking about."
Following is a DOD transcript of the press conference:
(begin transcript)
United States Department of Defense
NEWS TRANSCRIPT
Presenter: Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld
Saturday, Nov. 3, 2001
SECRETARY RUMSFELD PRESS CONFERENCE WITH TAJIKISTAN FOREIGN MINISTER
(Press conference with Tajikistan Foreign Minister Talbak Nazarov in
Dushanbe, Tajikistan.)
Nazarov: (Through translator) Ladies and gentlemen, you know that we
have a great guest, the defense secretary of the United States and a
big delegation with him. He arrived in Tajikistan in order to discuss
the situation in neighboring Afghanistan.
The conversation between the president of Tajikistan and the Secretary
just finished and the parties have discussed very many details of the
situation. They both concluded that we needed to enhance our
cooperation in fighting international terrorism.
You know that after September 11th, Tajikistan unanimously expressed
its readiness to join the anti-terrorist coalition and cooperate with
the United States and be its ally.
In today's meeting it was confirmed and several new suggestions in
order to enhance cooperation between our countries were proposed.
I think if you have questions, you can ask Mr. Secretary or me, and
whoever will answer.
Rumsfeld: I want to thank the minister for his kind words. Our
delegation has just met with the president and a number of the
ministers of the government. The United States is deeply grateful for
the response and cooperation that has been promptly offered by the
government. The cooperation is very real and very important from the
standpoint of overflights, intelligence gathering, and various types
of military-to-military cooperation.
Our visit was valuable to all of us. Of course the president knows
intimately the situation in Afghanistan. He understands well the
dynamics on the ground and the difficulty of the task.
But on September 11th, the United States suffered thousands and
thousands of people killed, innocent people from dozens of countries,
every conceivable religion and race. The president of the United
States is determined that the United States and the coalition partners
across the world will in fact go after the terrorists wherever they
are and destroy the terrorist networks.
And there is no question but the al Qaeda and the Taliban in
neighboring Afghanistan are target number one. The effort is a broad
one, involving economics and finances, diplomacy, as well as military
activity. It will take the help of all countries across the globe if
we are in fact deal with this problem, and it a problem that is
getting worse every year because of the availability of weapons of
mass destruction.
I'd be happy to respond to questions.
Q: Mr. Secretary, has the United States and Tajikistan come to some
sort of arrangement to use bases here?
Rumsfeld: The discussions are going forward. The responses have been
very forthcoming. There will be assessments made as to what might be
appropriate, and then those discussions will proceed.
Q: So no agreement came out of today's meeting?
Rumsfeld: No. We have an assessment team that is coming in to work
with the government, and then they will report back to the Central
Command, the combatant commander, Gen. Tommy Franks, and then
judgments will be made as to what might or might not be appropriate.
All I can say is that we just had a very fine and forthcoming
discussion.
Q: Mr. Secretary, but in principle, have you come to an agreement that
Tajikistan would allow the use of bases here?
Rumsfeld: I have a habit of allowing other countries to characterize
the kind of assistance they might or might not offer --
Q: Mr. President, can you characterize the (inaudible)?
Rumsfeld: -- so that question would be better asked of the official of
the government.
Q: Secretary Rumsfeld, could you please tell us if Tajikistan was
already used to carry out military operations in the territory of
Afghanistan, and are you going to meet the leader of the Northern
Alliance, General Fahim?
Rumsfeld: With respect to the second question, no I will not be able
to. General Franks met with him very recently and with respect to the
first part of the question, the answer is no, except that obviously we
have used overflights of the country after authorization of the
government.
Q: Mr. Secretary, when the new government is going to be established
in Afghanistan and when the war is going to be over, does the United
States intend to leave its troops in Afghanistan or will it withdraw
them from Afghanistan?
Rumsfeld: The United States would have no plans to leave troops in
Afghanistan. Those kinds of decisions are being discussed through the
United Nations, through the countries that border Afghanistan, through
countries all across the globe that are interested, concerned and
anxious to see a broadly based post-Taliban government. It's not
something that the United States will decide, it's something that all
the countries will participate in, and the people of Afghanistan
ultimately will make judgments --
I'm so sorry (pauses for translation).
You'd think I was a college professor giving a 30-minute lecture, but
I'm not.
Q: A question to the foreign minister of Tajikistan. You told us that
you discussed in the meeting the possibility of enhancing the
cooperation between the United States and Tajikistan. What
specifically did you mean?
Nazarov: I believe that Mr. Secretary already answered this question,
that we are talking about the assessment by experts of the future
cooperation.
Q: Mr. Secretary, if U.S. experts were to decide that the Kulyab air
base would be helpful in the war against Afghanistan, would your
government permit the United States to use that base?
Nazarov: First, I would like the experts to check if the airfield can
be used and let them decide first of all that it is worth checking,
worth thinking about.
We have already said that so far we have discussed only the issue of
experts. They should complete their research and tell us what is
possible to do and what is not.
Rumsfeld: Thank you very much.
(end transcript)
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