Taliban Says Bin Laden is its Guest

U N I T E D   N A T I O N S, Sept. 21 -- Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers, accused of sheltering militant Osama bin Laden, today said there was no proof the Saudi-born national was engaged in terrorist activities.

“We asked the world community to come forward withevidence. We do have courts in our country, but so far we havenot seen any tangible evidence,” said Abdur Rahman Zahid,deputy foreign minister of the Muslim fundamentalist Taliban.

Zahid, who told a news conference he would also press theTaliban’s demand that it be accorded international recognition,said the movement continued to view bin Laden, suspected ofmasterminding two U.S embassy bombings, as its guest.

“He was considered a good Mujahideen,” said Zahid,referring to the Western-backed, U.S.-armed guerrillas whofought Soviet rule. “Now we really do not know how a hero and aMujahideen hero could turn into a terrorist.”

“He is our guest,” Zahid told the news conference.

The United States has accused the Saudi exile of plottingthe bombings that reduced the U.S. embassies in Kenya andTanzania to rubble in August 1998, killing more than 220 peopleand injuring more than 4,000, most of them in Nairobi.

Bin Laden is on the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted” list and theUnited States has a $5 million bounty out for his capture.

Last year, the United Nations slapped aviation andfinancial sanctions on the Taliban, which now controls morethan 90 percent of Afghan territory.

Battle for U.N. Seat

The Taliban government is recognized by only threecountries — Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United ArabEmirates — while the representatives of ousted PresidentBurhanuddin Rabbani still hold the Afghan seat at the UnitedNations.

Zahid said he would be having contacts with the U.N.credentials committee to press the Taliban’s demand that it beallocated the U.N. seat.

“We would like to know with what logic can a seat bejustified to a government which does not exist,” said Zahid,referring to the Rabbani government.