Oct. 2 — British Prime Minister Tony Blair and President Bush warned the Taliban today to hand over Osama bin Laden or suffer severe consequences, but Taliban officials insisted on seeing evidence of the Saudi dissident's involvement in the terrorist attacks on America first.Blair said there is clear evidence linking indicted terrorist bin Laden to the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, and told a Labor Party conference in Brighton, England, that the Taliban, which has been harboring bin Laden, faces the simple choice of turning him over or being made to pay for its actions.
"I say to the Taliban: surrender the terrorists, or surrender power. It's your choice," Blair said. "Be in no doubt, bin Laden and his people organized this atrocity. The Taliban aid and abet him. He will not resist from further acts of terror. They will not stop helping him."
In Washington, Bush echoed the prime minister's words.
"I have said that the Taliban must turn over the al Qaeda organization living within Afghanistan and must destroy the terrorist camps, and they must do so; otherwise, there will be a consequence," the president said. "There's no negotiations. There's no calendar. We'll act on our time, and we'll do it in a manner that not only secures the United States as best as possible, but makes the freedom in the world more likely to exist in the future."
In Quetta, Pakistan, the Taliban ambassador questioned why the regime has not been approached with proof of bin Laden's complicity. He said the country wants peace, but would only turn over bin Laden if the regime was presented with evidence linking the indicted terrorist to the Sept. 11 attacks.
"We condemn the terrorism and terrorism activities, but we need the evidence, we need the proof, which is the good way to the solving of the problems," Taliban ambassador Abdul Salam Zaeef said in a news conference. "We are part of this world. We are happy to help with any action that is peaceful."
NATO Sees Some Evidence
The leaders of NATO were shown evidence in a meeting today with U.S. Ambassador-at-Large Francis Taylor, and said they were convinced that bin Laden played a role in the attacks.
"The facts are clear and compelling. The information presented points conclusively to an al Qaeda role in the 11th of September attacks," NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson said today. "We know that the individuals who carried out those attacks were part of the worldwide terrorist network al Qaeda headed by Osama bin Laden and his key lieutenant and protected by the Taliban."
He said that the information Taylor presented to NATO proved the attack was directed from abroad, meaning it is covered by NATO's Article 5, which states that an armed attack on one or more NATO nations is considered an attack against all of them.
"I want to reiterate yet again today that the United States of America can rely on the full support of its 18 NATO allies in the campaign against international terrorism," he said.
"We don't intend at the moment to discuss how NATO will translate this decision into operational action," he added, saying that the United States was still developing its thinking.
In other developments today:
The Pentagon announced Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld will travel to the Middle East at President Bush's request for talks with regional leaders. Rumsfeld will be visiting Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Oman and Uzbekistan.
Economic Revival and Counter-Terrorism Tactics
With the status of military action in Afghanistan unclear, Bush and the nation's lawmakers turned much of their attention today to the difficult work of reviving the economy and installing effective counter-terrorism measures.
Bush held his weekly breakfast for the joint congressional leadership today, discussing a stimulus package intended to help the country emerge from the economic doldrums.
White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Monday that Bush would be open to considering any proposal to help stimulate the economy, including Democratic plans to raise the minimum wage. But Fleischer did not say whether the administration would want to tie a minimum wage increase to measures the Republicans favor, such as more tax cuts.
The Federal Reserve tried to do its part to jump-start business today, cutting interest rates by another half-point, which it also did on Sept. 17.
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In the battle to pass more terrorism legislation, Senate and Justice Department negotiators failed today to reach a final compromise on the Bush administration's anti-terrorism package the day after House leaders announced their package was ready. Attorney General Ashcroft criticized the delay, saying he was concerned about the pace at which Congress is considering legislation that would increase law enforcement's powers to combat terrorism in the United States.
"It's time for us to be productive so our protection of the American people can be effective," Ashcroft said.
Legislatures have been slow to pass the proposals out of concern they may violate civil liberties. Ashcroft and new Homeland Security Chief Tom Ridge have said that they will strike a balance between combating terrorism and protecting civil liberties.
New Security Steps for Logan International Airport
Tonight, acting Massachusetts Gov. Jane Swift named a new chief of security named at Boston's Logan International Airport, where two of the four hijacked flights originated on Sept. 11.
Swift named State Police Superintendent Col. John DiFava to replace Joseph Lawless, who was reassigned to oversee security at the Port of Boston. She also called for new security measures for Logan International Airport, where there have been several embarrassing security breaches in the last few days, with passengers evading the metal detector and security checkpoints and security personnel getting a knife and bullets past the guards.
The new security measures include:
In New York, after three days of rainy, cold weather, warm sun returned today, aiding the recovery effort at the World Trade Center. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said today that urns filled with soil from the site of the World Trade Center would be given to victims' families. The toll of dead and missing there stands at 5,219 listed as missing, with an additional 344 confirmed dead.
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