usinfo.state.gov
25 September 2001
Excerpt: Afghan People Not Synonymous with Taliban
(White House Daily Briefing September 25, 2001) (2020)
White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer told the press September 25 that the Afghan people are not synonymous with the Taliban. In response to reporters' questions, Fleischer said that the Taliban is composed substantially of non-Afghans who came into Afghanistan to take advantage of the turmoil there to make Afghanistan the breeding ground for their international terrorism.
Fleischer said the U.S. has always distinguished between the Afghan people and the Taliban. The U.S., he said, has never recognized the Taliban, but has given humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.
Asked about U.S. objectives in the region, Fleischer responded that the U.S. objective is to target those who have sponsored or harbored the terrorists. He said, "There should be no questions around the world that our actions are going to be aimed at protecting the citizens around the world from the Taliban's actions to sponsor terrorism."
On the Saudi decision to cut off diplomatic relations with the Taliban, Fleischer characterized the Saudi actions as "very significant," and said that President Bush is appreciative of this decision.
Following are excerpts:
(begin excerpt)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
September 25, 2001
PRESS BRIEFING BY ARI FLEISCHER
The James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
12:50 P.M. EDT
Q: Ari, the President said this morning that we're "not into
nation-building," but at the same time he's made it abundantly clear the Taliban is a target. So what is the administration's plan with regard to the power vacuum that's likely to result if we take out the Taliban?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, again, the President said that we have respect for the Afghani people. I remind you that the Taliban regime is not comprised entirely -- it's comprised substantially of non-Afghanis who came into Afghanistan for the purpose of sponsoring terror and bringing it to the rest of the world. So the President's message is that we will take actions designed to protect the people of the United States and protect the people around the world from terrorism, and that we will take action, including military action, against those who harbor terrorists.
It is not designed to replace one regime with another regime. Part of the process also will be being mindful of stability in the region throughout the process. But it is not nation-building, but that's not to say that the Taliban will be given a free pass because they can encourage terrorism, harbor terrorism, and then because we have to
worry about issues involving instability, won't take action. The President has made clear we will.
Q: But if he says we're not into nation building, ultimately you're going to have a situation when this is over that you have to deal with. Or is it your view that it's someone else's problem, other countries in the region should deal with it? Or is there -- Northern Alliance --
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I think you're presuming in your question that whatever action the United States takes, and the world takes, that the situation in Afghanistan will be worse. And that's not a presumption that I think you can make.
Q: Maybe because of the deliberate ambiguity of the President's comments, but I took it another way, which is that he was saying today that the government, our government is not after the removal of the Taliban as a precondition of achieving its objectives, that in fact,
he'd work with any of the citizens of Afghanistan, he said, who would be willing not to support terrorism. Does it represent a less aggressive posture toward the regime in Afghanistan than he articulated in his list of demands last Thursday?
MR. FLEISCHER: I think you need to look at it exactly as the President described it, which is that anybody who harbors terrorism will be the target of our operations and the target of our actions. And within the Taliban, they have to decide what to do. And clearly, they are, at least from what we're hearing, making their choice that they will
continue to harbor terrorists. But we will take whatever action is necessary, with an eye always on stability, to protect people from terrorism that is sponsored by the Taliban.
Q: But if there are officials within the Taliban, dissident officials, in Kabul as opposed to Kandahar, for example, who are willing to meet our demands, that's okay? We aren't looking, as you point out, to replace one regime with another, we just want to --
MR. FLEISCHER: The issue is not to what regime do you belong, but what actions have you taken in sponsoring or harboring terrorism. If you are sponsoring or harboring terrorism, you will be a target for American action and for world action.
Q: Don't you think that the United States ought to have an answer at the end of the road? If they do come along with us, this will happen, and so forth. You were saying, we're assuming it will be worse. We're not assuming anything. We want to know where you're headed.
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, that's why I answered Campbell's question by saying that stability is always an objective.
Q: And this is -- you know, during World War II many promises were made, Atlantic Charter and so forth, to people who would help us, allies and so forth, North Africa, that they would find freedom at the end of the road, and so forth. And we are offering nothing, publicly.
MR. FLEISCHER: What we are not doing is turning a blind eye to anybody who would sponsor or harbor terrorism.
Q: All we're offering is destruction.
MR. FLEISCHER: We're offering protection.
Q: Ari, can I just follow? Isn't it fair to say the President said that the Taliban is an -- I think he used the word incredibly repressive regime. Does he believe that the Afghanistan population would be better off without it?
MR. FLEISCHER: You know, again, there's no question the Taliban is a repressive regime. Women have no rights. It's just by all definitions of the free world and other world a repressive regime. But again, the fundamental mission that the President is focused on is going after, through a variety of means, those people who sponsor or harbor
terrorists. The stability of the region is also an important issue, which is going to, of course, be a part of all the planning that goes into what is done.
But it will not stop the United States or any other nations from taking action against those who have carried out this attack on the United States.
Q: Where is the carrot?
Q: Isn't it fair, though, to say that there has to be discussions going on within the administration and with allies about possible steps, whether it be a UN protectorate or something set up in the case of removal of the Taliban? I mean, isn't it fair to say there has to be some discussion of that?
MR. FLEISCHER: Again, you're assuming the objective here is to remove a regime. The objective here is to target those who have sponsored or have gone after or harbored the terrorists. And that will take a variety of forms.
Q: Ari, if our support for the Northern Alliance is not to overthrow the Taliban, is it then to try to occupy more areas of Afghanistan and remove the effective amount of territory that bin Laden can operate in?
MR. FLEISCHER: The United States is going to work with a variety of people, including Pakistan and, of course, as you know, Russia and others, involving putting the coalition together.
Your question on the Northern Alliance specifically is --
Q: If our support of the Northern Alliance is not to remove the Taliban from power, is it then to encourage the Northern Alliance and help them occupy more areas of Afghanistan to remove the effective areas that bin Laden can operate out of?
MR. FLEISCHER: The United States welcomes the efforts of the Northern Alliance and anybody else to put an end to those who sponsor terrorism to fight those who sponsor terrorism.
Q: But have we stated to the Alliance that we want their help in fighting terrorism, but don't go -- don't march on Kabul?
MR. FLEISCHER: I'm not going to be more explicit than that. We're not, as you know, indicating exactly what actions we're asking of different people or nations around the world.
Q: Ari, can I put aside the issue of what we or our allies might do, but was I wrong when I heard that the President say that the Afghan people have this repressive regime, many would like to be rid of it -- but was I wrong in hearing him really calling for the overthrow of the
Taliban?
MR. FLEISCHER: The President has made it clear, and Condoleezza Rice said on one of the Sunday shows that the people of Afghanistan would clearly be better off with a different regime. But the whole purpose of this exercise is that the Taliban should not be given an excuse because there could be other issues that follow after their support
for terrorism is diminished or put an end to.
There should be no question around the world that our actions are going to be aimed at protecting citizens around the world from the Taliban's actions to sponsor terrorism.
Q: Even if our explicit goal is not regime change or nation building, the President would be delighted if the Afghan people did that job for us?
MR. FLEISCHER: The Afghani people are not synonymous with the Taliban. They are different. And the Taliban, to a significant degree has come in from the outside, from other nations, from different regions of the world, and they've taken advantage of the turmoil that has existed in
Afghanistan and the lack of a powerful central government in
Afghanistan to make Afghanistan the breeding ground for their international terrorism.
So there is a difference between the Afghani people and the Taliban.
Q: If I just heard the statement you said, we would support any elements within Afghanistan who are willing to put -- that anybody --
MR. FLEISCHER: End terrorism in Afghanistan. We'll work with them.
Q: To ask about the Taliban here, at what point did the President's strategists or advisors differentiate between the Afghan people and the Taliban? And are you saying that the United States is content to let the Taliban fall in upon itself and not make any sort of value judgment about who will replace that leadership?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, the distinction has always been made, and the best example I can give you is the United States provides approximately $140 million a year in assistance, humanitarian assistance, to help feed the people of Afghanistan, while at the same time the United States has never recognized the Taliban regime as a legitimate government. So that's the existing policy and it's a wise
one.
So all the actions that the President and his staff have been undertaking since September 11th have kept that distinction in mind.
Q: Ari, and the second part of that question?
MR. FLEISCHER: Give it to me again.
Q: Is the United States content to let the Taliban fall down upon itself to create pressure that will cause it to fall apart on its own, without making a value judgment about who replaces that leadership?
MR. FLEISCHER: The United States has made it clear about the
conditions for actions that must be taken on the ground in
Afghanistan, involving turning over Osama bin Laden, his top
lieutenants to the proper authorities, shutting down and closing all the terrorist facilities, allowing United States access to make certain that they're shut down. Those are the conditions and they need to be met.
Q: On coalition building, can you -- the significance of the Saudi move, cutting off from the Taliban?
MR. FLEISCHER: That's a very significant step for the Saudi government to take. And the President, as he indicated, is appreciative of the actions that they have taken in this regard.
(end excerpt)
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