Afghan Taleban says will never expel bin Laden
09:46 a.m. Jan 24, 2000 Eastern

By Raja Asghar

ISLAMABAD, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Afghanistan's ruling Taleban movement said on Monday it would not bow to mounting U.S.-led international pressure to expel Saudi-born terrorism suspect Osama bin Laden.

``We will never ask him to go,'' Taleban Foreign Minister Wakil Ahmad Muttawakil told a news conference after a two-day visit to Pakistan, which followed renewed strong U.S. pressure on Islamabad to persuade the Taleban to hand over bin Laden for trial.

He said that Pakistan had no influence in the matter of bin Laden.

``He (bin Laden) is not from Pakistan,'' Muttawakil said.

The visit followed a trip last week to Islamabad by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs Karl Inderfurth. The envoy pressed Pakistan to use its influence with Kabul to have bin Laden expelled to face charges of masterminding the August 1998 bombing of two U.S. embassies in East Africa that killed more than 200 people.

Bin Laden has denied involvement in the bombings.

Inderfurth also met Taleban officials in Islamabad but said little progress was made. The Taleban has repeatedly demanded that Washington provide evidence of bin Laden's guilt.

Muttawakil said that while the Taleban government, which is also under U.S.-sponsored U.N. aviation and financial sanctions over the affair, would not expel bin Laden, it could provide ``technical assistance'' if the dissident himself wanted to leave.

UNSPECIFIED HELP FOR CHECHENS

The Taleban minister sidestepped repeated questions on whether his government would provide military aid to Chechen forces fighting the Russians.

The Taleban -- themselves only recognised by three other states -- last week became the first government to establish diplomatic relations with the Chechens.

Muttawakil said the Chechens were experienced fighters who had large stocks of arms, and added: ``We will try to give them any kind of assistance we can.''

Earlier, Muttawakil met Pakistani Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar for talks which a Pakistani statement said covered ``the entire range of bilateral matters including the situation in Afghanistan as well as other regional issues.''

It said Sattar briefed Muttawakil about Pakistani military ruler General Pervez Musharraf's visit to Iran last month when Tehran agreed to work closely with Islamabad to promote a durable peace in Afghanistan.

``The (Pakistani) foreign minister emphasised the need to take urgent measures for the establishment of peace in Afghanistan through dialogue and reconciliation,'' the statement said.

Muttawakil said the Taleban would welcome any joint role by Iran and Pakistan, which are also members of the U.N.-sponsored ``six-plus-two group'' -- Afghanistan's immediate six neighbours plus the United States and Russia -- seeking a peace settlement in the war-ravaged country.

He said he also discussed transit trade problems with Pakistan and a decision could be taken when Taleban ruling council chief Mullah Mohammad Rabbani visits Islamabad some time in the future.