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U.S. Dismisses Taliban's Political Demands
Monday, September 24, 2001 (4:16 PM ET)
WASHINGTON -- Reuters
The United States dismissed on Monday political statements by Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, saying it wanted action, not words.

Omar, the reclusive spiritual leader of the hard-line Islamic movement ruling Afghanistan, said the United States cannot win a "war on terrorism" by killing Saudi-born militant Osama bin Laden and should focus instead on withdrawing from the Gulf and ending its bias in the Middle East.

Bin Laden, the prime suspect in the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington, was quoted on Monday as saying that Pakistanis should defend Afghanistan against U.S. "infidel forces" seeking bin Laden.

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher responded: "We're looking for action, not words, on their part, and they have to demonstrate now whether they want to support terrorism or they want to support justice. All this other talk is really irrelevant to it."

"The Taliban know what they have to do. Bin Laden has to be expelled to a country where he can be brought to justice, the Taliban need to stop harboring terrorist organizations, and the whole structure of support for terrorist operations in Afghanistan must be dismantled," Boucher said.

END
(iWon.com News Source)

Dan