Taliban Says Bin Laden is its Guest

U N I T E D   N A T I O N S, Sept. 21, 2000 -- 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.

“We have the land, the government, the peace and thesecurity, so we believe the government of Afghanistan has theright to a seat.”

Pakistan Accused of Arming Taliban

In a separate address to the General Assembly, AbdullahAbdullah, acting foreign minister in the Rabbani government,accused Pakistan of meddling in its affairs by arming andtraining the Taliban.

“The Afghan nation has become the direct victim of thediabolic dreams by the Pakistani military’s hegemonic interestsin the region,” Abdullah said.

He charged that Pakistani and Arab men were working“shoulder to shoulder” with the Taliban and urged the SecurityCouncil to direct the U.N. Special Mission to Afghanistan(UNSMA) to dispatch a team to verify it.

The Taliban is fighting the opposition northern UnitedFront Alliance, led by commander Ahmad Shah Masood.

Last week, ministers of eight nations involved in seekingpeace in Afghanistan commissioned a further progress report onthe turbulent Central Asian nation, which some diplomats havesaid could lead to further sanctions.

The United States, especially Secretary of State MadeleineAlbright, and many other countries, have criticized the Talibanfor its restrictions on women’s employment, health facilitiesand travel, some of which the group regularly seeks to extendto women working for the United Nations.

But Zahid dismissed the concerns.

“During the Rabbani regime, rape and looting was the orderof the day,” he said. “Now peace and security prevails.”