ZAHN: Boy, if any of these charges are true...
Tue Jan 8 17:50:00 2002
<a href="http://disc.server.com/discussion.cgi?id=149495&article=15737" target="_blank">http://disc.server.com/discussion.cgi?id=149495&article=15737</a>
AMERICAN MORNING WITH PAULA ZAHN
<a href="http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0201/08/ltm.05.html" target="_blank">http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0201/08/ltm.05.html</a>
Explosive New Book Published in France Alleges that U.S.
Was in Negotiations to Do a Deal with Taliban
Aired January 8, 2002 - 07:34 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL
FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Time to check in with ambassador-in- residence,
Richard Butler, this morning. An explosive new book published in France
alleges that the United States was in negotiations to do a deal with the
Taliban for an oil pipeline in Afghanistan.
Joining us right now is Richard Butler to shed some light on this new
book. He is the former chief U.N. weapons inspector. He is now on the
Council on Foreign Relations and our own ambassador-in- residence --
good morning.
RICHARD BUTLER, FMR. U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: Good
morning, Paula.
ZAHN: Boy, if any of these charges are true...
BUTLER: If...
ZAHN: ... this...
BUTLER: Yes.
ZAHN: ... is really big news.
BUTLER: I agree.
ZAHN: Start off with what your understanding is of what is in this book
-- the most explosive charge.
BUTLER: The most explosive charge, Paula, is that the Bush
administration -- the present one, just shortly after assuming office
slowed down FBI investigations of al Qaeda and terrorism in Afghanistan
in order to do a deal with the Taliban on oil -- an oil pipeline across
Afghanistan.
ZAHN: And this book points out that the FBI's deputy director, John
O'Neill, actually resigned because he felt the U.S. administration was
obstructing...
BUTLER: A proper...
ZAHN: ... the prosecution of terrorism.
BUTLER: Yes, yes, a proper intelligence investigation of terrorism. Now,
you said if, and I affirmed that in responding to you. We have to be
careful here. These are allegations. They're worth airing and talking
about, because of their gravity. We don't know if they are correct. But
I believe they should be investigated, because Central Asian oil, as we
were discussing yesterday, is potentially so important. And all prior
attempts to have a pipeline had to be done through Russia. It had to be
negotiated with Russia.
Now, if there is to be a pipeline through Afghanistan, obviating the
need to deal with Russia, it would also cost less than half of what a
pipeline through Russia would cost. So financially and politically,
there's a big prize to be had. A pipeline through Afghanistan down to
the Pakistan coast would bring out that Central Asian oil easier and
more cheaply.
ZAHN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) as you spoke about this yesterday, we almost
immediately got a call from "The New York Times."
BUTLER: Right.
ZAHN: They want you to write an op-ed piece on this over the weekend.
BUTLER: Right, and which I will do.
ZAHN: But let's come back to this whole issue of what John O'Neill, this
FBI agent...
BUTLER: Right.
ZAHN: ... apparently told the authors of this book. He is alleging that
-- what -- the U.S. government was trying to protect U.S. oil interests?
And at the same time, shut off the investigation of terrorism to allow
for that to happen?
BUTLER: That's the allegation that instead of prosecuting properly an
investigation of terrorism, which has its home in Afghanistan as we now
know, or one of its main homes, that was shut down or slowed down in
order to pursue oil interests with the Taliban. The people who we have
now bombed out of existence, and this not many months ago. The book says
that the negotiators said to the Taliban, you have a choice. You have a
carpet of gold, meaning an oil deal, or a carpet of bombs. That's what
the book alleges.
ZAHN: Well, I know you're going to be doing your own independent
homework on this...
BUTLER: Yes.
ZAHN: ... to see if you can confirm any of this. Let's move on to the
whole issue of Iraq. The deputy defense secretary, Paul Wolfowitz, at
one time was considered one of those voices within the administration...
BUTLER: Yes.
ZAHN: ... that was pushing for moving beyond Afghanistan. He seemed to
back off a little from that yesterday.
BUTLER: Yes.
ZAHN: What do you read through the tea leaves here?
BUTLER: A very interesting report that the administration will focus on
the Philippines, Yemen, Somalia as places where there are al Qaeda
cells. But the word Iraq wasn't used by the man who was the chief hawk
-- used as a, you know, as a future target. So what I interpret from
that is this: That very likely our allies have been saying to us, this
is too hard. This is
really serious. Be careful. Saddam is essentially contained at the
moment.
Don't start, you know, a bigger problem either in the Arab world or in
the coalition by going after him. And Wolfowitz, it seems, has probably
accepted that.
ZAHN: A quick thought on the Israelis intercepting this latest armed
shipment? What that means? You've got to do it in about 15 seconds.
BUTLER: It's extraordinarily serious, because it seems to have been tied
to Yasser Arafat himself. It needs to be further investigated, but you
know, Paula, the potentiality that this could once again prove an
impediment to resume peace negotiations is really quite serious.
ZAHN: Thank you as usual for covering so much territory. Richard Butler,
see you same time, same place tomorrow morning.
BUTLER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
ZAHN: We appreciate your insights.
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