PRESS CONFERENCE BY AFGHANISTAN

Ravan Farhadi, the Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations, called on the Security Council to adopt a resolution asking Pakistan to "withdraw its armed nationals and patronized religious extremist groups from Afghanistan" during a press conference held at Headquarters this morning.

Afghanistan, he said, would like to draw the attention of the Council to the critical and dangerous situation in his country and in the region.  He proposed the convening of a special meeting of the Council to address the presence of foreign military and armed personnel in Afghanistan and how it posed a threat to regional and international peace and security.  He added that the international community must help Afghanistan to establish a multi-ethnic, broad-based and fully-representative government, which would secure the right of the Afghan people to self-determination.

Beginning his address to correspondents, Mr. Farhadi said he vehemently condemned acts of terrorism directed against innocent lives and property in the United States.  He also extended his country's "all-out solidarity" with the United States.  He also condemned the assassination plot carried out by two Arab terrorists on the life of the resistance leader Ahmad Shah Massoud on Sunday, 9 September.  He said the assassination attempt was masterminded by the Pakistani politico-military conspiratorial circles and Osama bin Laden's terrorist network in connivance with the Taliban mercenaries.

Mr. Farhadi said that such acts of terrorism would never stop if the efforts to combat international terrorism and extremism did not address the "unholy Pakistan-Taliban-bin Laden axis".  Punitive and reprisal measures must not exclusively be taken against those perpetrating those crimes, but rather should punish the States and the regimes sponsoring and harboring terrorist elements and their activities.

He said the international community should consider all aspects of the evil phenomenon of terrorism in the Taliban-occupied parts of Afghanistan, which the Pakistani Military Intelligence (known as ISI) had transformed into a hub for terrorist activities.  He also called on the international community to "put effective and bold pressure on Pakistan, Taliban's main backer, to immediately cease their aggression in Afghanistan, immediately withdraw their armed personnel from Afghanistan and to put an end to the use of Afghan soil for perpetrating heinous and subversive acts against other States".  Pakistan, he added, must also close down all terrorist training camps and centres of indoctrination within Pakistan's religious schools to end the teaching of bigotry and hatred against humanity, which runs counter to the genuine message of Islam.

Asked if his Government was in communication with representatives of the Taliban, Mr. Farhadi said he had continually proposed negotiations with the Taliban and the Taliban had refused.

`Asked if he believed Pakistan's cooperation with the United States was genuine, Mr. Farhadi said Pakistan's purpose was to sell its cooperation to the United States in order to gain relief from $30 billion in international debts. He added that Pakistan's cooperation would be hindered by the ISI, which was not

completely under the control of the Pakistani Government.  Some members of it continued to support the Taliban.

Asked if his Government was prepared to share intelligence on bin Laden and if Pakistan was withholding information on bin Laden, Mr. Farhadi said that Pakistan had valuable information about bin Laden and how the Taliban protected bin Laden.  His Government also had information and it would be very easy for it to offer intelligence information to those parties that could help his Government.

Asked if the United States had offered military support to his Government, Mr. Farhadi said the United States was still busy with Pakistan and expected Pakistan to be of some kind of assistance.  He did not have confidence in Pakistan, because of its support for the Taliban.  He added that he did not have any sound information regarding talks between his Government and the United States.

Asked if Afghanistan would be willing to offer assistance to the United States, Mr. Farhadi said his Government had sent a letter to President George W. Bush stating that Afghanistan was willing to join the community of nations to join in its fight for total annihilation of international terrorist networks, primarily those operated by bin Laden and his associates in Taliban-occupied Afghanistan. "Our side was ready for cooperation," he added.

In response to questions regarding ways to capture bin Laden, Mr. Farhadi said it would be useless to bomb Kabul or Kandahar. However, his side had 15,000 people ready to fight the Taliban.  They had been doing just that for five years and 15,000 more troops would be ready, if needed.  "We know the land, we know the country and we know where Mr. bin Laden can hide," he added.

When asked about proof regarding Pakistani troops in Afghanistan, Mr. Farhadi said there were between 8,000 and 15,000 Pakistanis in Afghanistan fighting in favor of the Taliban. Further documentation regarding such Pakistani fighters had been turned over to the Secretary-General. Some of them were currently being held in jail by his Government.

When asked if his Government would oppose United States military intervention in Afghanistan if it was conducted from bases in Pakistan, he said the matter would have to be discussed.  However, he did not oppose it as a matter of principle.

When asked why his Government had not been able to infiltrate terrorist groups, he said it had informed the United States Government in the past about issues related to terrorism.  However, his primary focus, so far, had been on self-defence.

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