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The Bigger Picture
1.08.01
CNN REPORTS OF PRE-911 BUSH-TALIBAN PIPELINE TALKS
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AMERICAN MORNING WITH PAULA ZAHN
http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0201/08/ltm.05.html
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
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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