09 December 2001
Cheney Confirms that U.S. Has Incriminating bin Laden Videotape
(Vice President also discusses Mideast on NBC's "Meet the Press")
(620)
By Thomas Eichler
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- Vice President Cheney confirmed that U.S. officials have
obtained a videotape of comments by terrorist leader Osama bin Laden
in which bin Laden appears to indicate that he had prior knowledge of
the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.
Existence of the tape was first reported in the Washington Post
December 9. Speaking the same day on the NBC television program "Meet
the Press," Cheney said comments on the tape are in Arabic, and he had
to rely on a translator in listening to the contents. The tape,
Cheney, said, "shows him [bin Laden] being interviewed or meeting with
another individual, apparently a cleric, talking about the events of
September 11, and it's pretty clear as it's described to me that he
does, in fact, display significant knowledge of what happened, and
there's no doubt about his responsibility for the attack on September
11."
Cheney characterized the tape as "one more piece of evidence
confirming his [bin Laden's] responsibility for what happened on
9-1-1."
Asked whether it would be helpful to release the tape to the public,
Cheney said he was uncertain. "We've not been eager to give the guy
any extra television time than he can obtain for himself," he said,
"but I think we'd probably rely on the experts as to whether or not
it'd be a good idea" to release the tape.
Cheney said he believes bin Laden and Taliban leader Mohammed Omar
still are in Afghanistan. "I would say the preponderance of the
reporting at this point indicates that Mullah Omar is still down in
the Kandahar region someplace, and that Osama bin Laden is also still
in Afghanistan," in the general area of Tora Bora.
Asked whether, if bin Laden and Omar are captured alive, the United
States will insist that they be turned over to U.S. authorities rather
than to an international court, Cheney said yes. "We've made it very
clear that we want Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar and their senior
leadership, and if they're taken alive, we expect to take custody of
them," he said.
Asked whether they then would be tried by a U.S. military tribunal,
Cheney said "That's a decision the president has to make, but
obviously they're exactly the kind of people the tribunals were
established for."
On possibilities of a Middle East settlement, Cheney said that "until
[Yasser] Arafat demonstrates that he's serious about controlling
suicide attackers from Palestinian territory against the Israelis,
there's not going to be any progress."
Cheney added that "The people who are suffering most, of course, I
think are, in fact the Palestinians, the Palestinian people, who are
led by someone in this particular case who is either unwilling or
unable to deal with the home-grown terrorists."
He said that given the number of terrorist attacks against the
Israelis, "It's not surprising ... that the Israelis take steps to
defend themselves. They have every right to do so."
Cheney said in response to a question that there is "no question" that
Arafat's behavior has pushed back the possibility of a Palestinian
state.
He also said that "We've made it clear that until Mr. Arafat lives up
to his commitments, which he is not doing, until he demonstrates that
he is prepared to, in fact, stop the violence that originates in
Palestinian-controlled territory, there won't be a meeting" in
Washington of Palestinian, Israeli and U.S. leaders.
(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:
http://usinfo.state.gov)
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