The Hindu : Musharraf met Mullah Omar, says report

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 29, 2004

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International

Musharraf met Mullah Omar, says report

WASHINGTON, MARCH 28. The Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, met the Taliban chief, Mullah Omar, in April 2000 to convince him to expel the Al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, but failed, according to a report released by a commission investigating the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.

The meeting took place at the request of the former U.S. President, Bill Clinton.

``The Pakistanis asked for evidence that Osama had really ordered the U.S. Embassy bombings (in East Africa) a year-and-a-half earlier. In a follow-up meeting the next day with the Under Secretary of State, Thomas Pickering, Gen. Musharraf argued that Pakistan had only limited influence over the Taliban,'' the Commission report, quoted by media, said.

Despite these reservations, Gen. Musharraf ``did meet Mullah Omar and urge him to get rid of Osama,'' it said.

In early June 2000, Pakistan's Interior Minister went to Kandahar with Mr. Pickering and delivered a joint message to the Taliban members. ``But the Taliban seemed immune to such pleas, especially from Pakistani civilians like the Interior Minister,'' it observed. ``Pakistan did not threaten to cut off its help to the Taliban regime.''

The report also provided so far classified information about the joint U.S.-Saudi efforts to influence the Taliban regime on this issue. — PTI

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