*EPF308 02/14/01
Transcript excerpt: State Dept Spokesman on Taliban
(Closures of Taliban office in New York, UN office in Kabul) (960)

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said February 14 that the U.S. is committed to closing the New York office of Afghanistan's Taliban regime in fulfillment of UN Security Council Resolution 1333. "We're committed to enforcing Resolution 1333, which includes closing the Taliban offices," said Boucher.

Boucher also characterized the decision of the Taliban to close the UN office in Kabul, Afghanistan as "short-sighted."

"The United Nations has a very vital role to play in trying to bring about an end to more than 20 years of fighting in Afghanistan," he said. The UN office in Kabul "helps support the political process that will establish a broad-based government and help contribute to the environment necessary for the humanitarian relief that goes on there."

Following is an excerpt related to the Taliban from Boucher's briefing on February 14.:

(begin transcript excerpt)

MR. BOUCHER: Okay. Let me do offices first, if I can. Let's -- why don't we start with the New York office? The -- once again, I have to say, we're committed to enforcing Resolution 1333, which includes closing the Taliban offices. We were told yesterday by one of the Taliban representatives in New York that the office had indeed been closed. And then we'll be following up on this to confirm it and make sure that the office remains closed.

The U.N. Secretariat has confirmed that they have been told by the Taliban to close their office in Kabul. We think this decision by the Taliban is inappropriate and shortsighted. The United Nations has very vital role to play in trying to bring about an end to more than 20 years of fighting in Afghanistan and to -- this office helps support the political process that will establish a broad-based government and help contribute to the environment necessary for the humanitarian relief that goes on there as well.

So, closing the U.N. office in Kabul strongly contradicts the Taliban's stated support for the U.N.'s role. The functions of this office in Kabul and the Taliban office in New York are completely different and there's no reason to think -- to take similar actions or to equate them.

Q Is the U.N. still interested in not having its resolution enforced?

MR. BOUCHER: As far as the meeting with Mr. (Francesc) Vendrell yesterday afternoon -- I guess all I'd say is that we listened to his views. We'll obviously take his views into account. His role in this overall process remains very, very important. This particular meeting has been scheduled for some time as part of consultations following a recent trip that he took in the region. Mr. Vendrell takes a very important role vis-a-vis the peace initiatives, including the "six plus two" process initiative by private Afghan groups, the humanitarian crisis, narcotics production, operations of terrorist groups in Afghanistan. So all these subjects are very important to us.

We discussed the implementation of the sanctions under Resolution 1333; discussed the need for the Taliban to expel Osama bin Laden to a country where he can be brought to justice. So we had a broad discussion of all these topics. We told him we would take into account his views on offices; on implementing Resolution 1333. But we are closing the Taliban office in New York.

Q Did you take his views into consideration when you rejected them?

MR. BOUCHER: He had a variety of different views. I wouldn't say we've rejected all of them.

Q As far as the resolution is concerned, without speaking to the status of the two particular Taliban individuals that are here, the resolutions don't call for the expulsion of Taliban members from the country, right? They can still stay here and work if they have appropriate visa.

MR. BOUCHER: That would be a question to be looked at.

Q And if --

MR. BOUCHER: We know -- I mean, we have discussions with a variety of people who claim to represent or know the views of Taliban. So there are a variety of different channels that we use. This is only one of them. Whether this particular gentleman is allowed to stay in the United States under whatever visa or immigration status he has, that's something that remains to be looked at. But the resolution requires us to close the office and we will do that.

Q It remains to be looked at by whom, by the U.S. government or by the U.N.?

MR. BOUCHER: It would be the Immigration Service. It's not a U.N.-accredited office and he's not a representative to the U.N.

Q Right, I'm just asking if the resolutions don't -- they only call for the closure of the offices, they don't call for the expulsion of any particular Taliban member that might be in any country. It's not like everybody has to banish the Taliban from their country, right?

MR. BOUCHER: I'd have to look at the exact resolution.

(end transcript excerpt)

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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