AFGHANISTAN: VISITING U.S. DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE RICHARD ARMITAGE SAYS DEALS SHOULD NOT BE DONE WITH HOSTAGE TAKERS IN AFGHANISTAN
Record ID:
222947
AFGHANISTAN: VISITING U.S. DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE RICHARD ARMITAGE SAYS DEALS SHOULD NOT BE DONE WITH HOSTAGE TAKERS IN AFGHANISTAN
- Title: AFGHANISTAN: VISITING U.S. DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE RICHARD ARMITAGE SAYS DEALS SHOULD NOT BE DONE WITH HOSTAGE TAKERS IN AFGHANISTAN
- Date: 9th November 2004
- Summary: (U2) KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (NOVEMBER 10, 2004) (REUTERS) 1. U.S. DEPUTY DEFENCE SECRETARY RICHARD ARMITAGE ARRIVING 0.17 2. PAN UP; U.S. SECURITY 0.23 3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. DEPUTY DEFENCE SECRETARY RICHARD ARMITAGE SAYING: "The first thing I'd say is that I pray for the safety of those who are held hostage. But having said that, it is the United States' view that negotiating with hostage-takers, compromising with hostage-takers, only encourages more." 0.39 4. WIDE OF ARMITAGE STANDING 0.45 5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARMITAGE SAYING: "I have no idea where Osama bin Laden is. As we all know there are many holes in which he can hide. I am confident however sooner or later we will find him. As I said in Pakistan, we will stick our head into the right hole and there he will be." 1.01 6. SCU: JOURNALIST 1.05 7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARMITAGE SAYING: "The question of Afghanistan in the United States is not one that is a political question. The entire nation of United States supports what is going on in Afghanistan and will continue to do so. The only possible changes that might accrue in the next four years of George W. Bush is to accelerate even further our assistance and support for Afghanistan." 1.27 8. SECURITY 1.33 9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARMITAGE SAYING: "From the beginning, we have said that we desire no permanent military presence in the region. We have no need. What we have right now temporarily is a need to continue to prosecute al Qaeda and the Taliban, but at some point in time, the Afghan National Army will be strong enough and will be numerous enough to be able to take care of all the security responsibilities here. I can't predict when that will be, but we are, and the others are, training the Afghan National Army and police forces as rapidly as possible." 2.05 10. ARMITAGE VISITING VOCATIONAL TRAINING CLASS AS PART OF DEMOBILISATION PROCESS OF AFGHAN SOLDIERS 2.16 11. REINTEGRATED SOLDIERS WORKING IN TAILORING WORKSHOP 2.22 12. VARIOUS OF ARMITAGE VISITING TAILORING WORKSHOP (2 SHOTS) 2.35 13. SCU: SECURITY STANDING NEXT TO AFGHAN WORKERS 2.40 14. ARMITAGE ENTERING VEHICLE 2.47 (U2) KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (NOVEMBER 9, 2004) (REUTERS) 15. VARIOUS OF ARMITAGE MEETING AFGHAN PRESIDENT HAMID KARZAI (3 SHOTS) 3.04 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 24th November 2004 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: KABUL, AFGHANISTAN
- Country: Afghanistan
- Reuters ID: LVABFT9CGOA4MVNKEEPI2TRION80
- Story Text: Armitage rules out deals with hostage takers in
Afghanistan.
Visiting U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard
Armitage said on Wednesday (November 10) deals should not
be done with hostage-takers ahead of the latest deadline
set by Afghan Islamic militants who have threatened to kill
three kidnapped U.N. workers.
The militants have demanded the release of 26 Taliban
prisoners, some of whom may be in U.S. custody, for the
release of U.N. workers Annetta Flanigan from Northern
Ireland, Shqipe Hebibi from Kosovo and Filipino diplomat
Angelito Nayan.
Armitage appeared to rule out any prisoners being
released from U.S. custody to meet kidnappers' demands.
"The first thing I'd say is that I pray for the safety
of those who are held hostage. But having said that, it is
the United States' view that negotiating with
hostage-takers, compromising with hostage-takers, only
encourages more," Armitage told reporters.
The three U.N. workers were abducted in Kabul on Oct.
28 after helping to run presidential polls won by
U.S.-backed incumbent Hamid Karzai.
A Taliban splinter faction, the Jaish-e Muslimeen (Army
of Muslims), says it is holding them and threatened to kill
the three three if their demand for the release of 26
imprisoned comrades is not met.
The latest deadline was set for 11 a.m. (0630 GMT) on
Wednesday.
The militants say they have been negotiating through
intermediaries with Afghan government and U.N. officials
but authorities have declined to comment.
Armitage also declined to comment on efforts to free
the U.N. workers.
One of several men claiming to speak for the militants,
Mullah Sabir Momin, has said the woman from Kosovo, Hebibi,
would be killed first and her "beheading" shown on video.
Momin said Hebibi seemed the most important hostage,
adding that "she is a Muslim. If a Muslim helps infidels or
America, that Muslim will be punished first."
The fate of the other two would depend on the response
of the government and the United Nations, he said.
The kidnappers have said all three were suffering from
the bitter cold and poor food, but two of the hostages were
allowed to phone home on Monday (November 8) and said they
were being well treated.
The government has expressed hope for the release of
the hostages but it has also indicated it was unwilling to
meet the kidnappers' demands.
In an interview with CNN, President Hamid Karzai said
on Tuesday the government was working hard to secure the
trio's release.
Also on Wednesday, Armitage said the latest video tape
of Osama bin Laden does not prove that the al Qaeda leader
is in that country.
The tape of bin Laden threatening more attacks on the
United States was delivered to the office of Arabic
television station al-Jazeera in the Pakistani capital,
Islamabad, on Oct. 29, just days before the U.S.
presidential election. Armitage said he had no idea where
the man behind the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States
was, but he would be caught one day.
"I have no idea where Osama bin Laden is. As we all
know there are many holes which he can hide. I am confident
however sooner or later we will find him. As I said in
Pakistan we will stick our head into the right hole and
there he will be," Armitage said.
In Islamabad on Tuesday (November 9), before his visit
to Kabul, Armitage told Pakistani state television that
efforts to find bin Laden had "continued unabated since
9/11."
U.S. officials have long said that they believe bin
Laden is in the rugged border region of Pakistan and
Afghanistan. The commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan
Lieutenant-General David Barno told Reuters in September he
believed bin Laden was in Pakistan, but Pakistan has
disputed this, citing the tens of thousands of troops it
has deployed in the hunt on its side of the frontier.
During his two-day visit in Kabul, Armitage vowed
continued U.S. support for Afghanistan.
"The question of Afghanistan in the United States is
not one that is a political question. The entire nation of
United States supports what is going on in Afghanistan and
will continue to do so. The only possible changes that
might accrue in the next four years of George W. Bush is to
accelerate even further our assistance and support for
Afghanistan," he said.
Asked how long U.S. troops were going to be in
Afghanistan for, Armitage said: "From the beginning we have
said that we desire no permanent military presence in the
region. We have no need. What we have right now temporarily
is a need to continue to prosecute al Qaeda and the
Taliban, but at some point in time, the Afghan National
Army will be strong enough and will be numerous enough to
be able to take care of all the security responsibilities
here. I can't predict when that will be, but we are and the
others are training the Afghan National Army and police
forces as rapidly as possible."
Armitage spent most of Wednesday morning touring a
vocational training project for disarmed soldiers.
He hailed Afghanistan's presidential election as a near
miracle and warned that disarmament of factional militias
was essential to the success of parliamentary polls next
year which are expected to be more tricky.
Efforts to disarm forces loyal to regional commanders
rather than the central government were launched last year
but this Japanese led "disarmament, demobilisation and
reintegration" (DDR) drive has progressed much more slowly
than hoped.
Afghanistan's presidential polls on Oct. 9 went
smoothly even though a target to disarm 40,000 militiamen
before the polls was not met.
However, officials say the continued existence of
militia forces would pose a far greater threat to
candidates and voters in the much more complicated
parliamentary poll due to be held in April.
So far, only about 22,000 of an estimated 65,000
militiamen have been disarmed.
Armitage held a meeting with Karzai on Tuesday
(November 9) evening.
The Taliban, forced from power by U.S.-led forces in
the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, had vowed, but failed, to
disrupt the Oct. 9 presidential election.
The abductions have raised fears among the 2,000-strong
Western community in Afghanistan that militants have begun
to copy tactics of insurgents in Iraq.
Taliban attacks have seriously disrupted aid and
reconstruction work, especially in the south and east of
the country, and some aid groups have pulled out of
Afghanistan because of worry over security.
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