Adds Pakistani Foreign Ministry reax to Taliban announcement

(21 Sep 2001)

1. Exterior of Taliban embassy
2. Abdul Salam Zaeef seated with translator at news conference
3. Cutaway of journalists
4. SOUNDBITE: (Pashtu/English translation) Abdul Salam Zaeef, Taliban ambassador to Pakistan "The books of our school of religion write that if infidels attack the territory of a country of Muslims, jihad becomes an Islamic obligation for the Muslims of that country."
5. Cutaway of journalists
6. SOUNDBITE: (English translation) Abdul Salam Zaeef, Taliban ambassador to Pakistan "This is... was a very complicated incident. There are many probabilities... who are the real culprits behind this event (the terror attacks on the United States). If there is no evidence in proof given to us, we will not be ready to give Osama bin Laden without any proof."
7. Various of journalists
8. SOUNDBITE: (English translation) Abdul Salam Zaeef, Taliban ambassador to Pakistan "This (the departure of bin Laden from Afghanistan) is a suggestion by the Ulema. It is not a decision by a judge. I wanted to clarify this. Furthermore, our position in this regard is that if America has evidence and proof they should produce it. We are ready for the trial of Osama bin Laden in the light of evidence."
9. Cutaway of journalists
10. SOUNDBITE: (English translation) Abdul Salam Zaeef, Taliban ambassador to Pakistan "It would then be a showdown of might. But if America tries once to prove, we are ready to cooperate, as we always said. But if they capitalise on the familiarity of Osama and level such allegations, that would be another motive of them, or even if the American FBI and other agencies want to escape the (inaudible) of 5,000 people killed - and for that reason they want to put the blame on Osama bin Laden - that would not be that they are really trying to capture the real culprit. As we said, we would cooperate if they really want to know the real culprit, but if they want to show their might, and are resorting to power and might, it should be well known that we will never surrender to evil and might."
11. Wide shot of news conference
12. Wide of news conference in Pakistan Foreign Ministry
13. SOUNDBITE: (English) Riaz Mohamed Khan, Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman "The government of Pakistan has taken note of the recommendation of the Afghan Ulema, advising their government to persuade Osama bin Laden to voluntarily leave Afghanistan. We hope that the Taliban leadership, keeping in view the gravity of the situation, will take a prompt decision which is in the interests of Afghanistan and its people and which satisfies the concerns and demands of the international community."
14. Cutaway of journalists (mute)

STORYLINE:

Afghanistan's Taliban rulers have refused to hand over alleged terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden, warning that U-S attempts to apprehend him by force could plunge the region into crisis.

The refusal by the hard-line Afghan leadership, which has sheltered bin Laden for the last five years, was announced at a news conference in Islamabad on Friday by the Taliban ambassador to Pakistan.

He spoke after U-S President George W Bush warned that Afghanistan must hand over bin Laden and his lieutenants "or they will share their fate."

There was no sign that Bush's warning was enough to convince Afghanistan's rulers to move against bin Laden, the prime suspect in the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.

Speaking through a translator, the ambassador said the Taliban was ready to put bin Laden on trial, but only if the United States provided evidence of his guilt.
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