Afghanistan's ruling Taliban Monday appealed to the United Nations, Islamic countries and the people of the United States to put pressure on Washington to pull back from a threatened military attack.
In a letter to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Taliban Foreign Minister Wakil Ahmed Mutawakel called on the world body to intervene in the crisis.
"Your excellency is requested to use your authority and influence and not let big countries impose their evil interests on small and poor countries, especially on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan," the Taliban minister wrote.
He reiterated the Taliban's position that Osama bin Laden could not have been involved in the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington because he did not have the means to communicate with the outside world.
"On the one hand, the United States itself describes Osama as a suspect but on the other it intends to attack our country which is against the principles of the UN and the declaration of Human Rights.
"According to Islamic Sharia and all international laws a suspected person is treated as innocent until the court has pronounced its verdict."
Mutawakel attacked the world for not condemning a US spy plane's incursion into Afghanistan airspace.
"Recently a US spy plane was shot down by the forces of the Islamic Emirate. Is the sending of such aircraft to the territory of an independent country not a terrorist attack?" Mutawakel asked.
"Why the world is silent on that? There is no difference between the incidents which happened in the US and the sending of planes to our territory. They are both considered as terrorist attacks."
Mutawakel has sent a similar letter to the head of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the main organization grouping the world's Muslim countries.
In an earlier statement, the foreign minister appealed to the United States people to put pressure on their government for restraint.
The statement said Afghanistan deeply appreciated the aid it received from the United States during its resistance to the 1979-89 Soviet occupation.
"The help and assistance of the American people during jihad (holy war against the USSR) was appreciated.
"But unfortunately the US government has been threatening the people and territory of Afghanistan for some unknown reason and different pretexts.
"It has even sometimes talked of a crusade against the religion of this country which is very horrible” -- KABUL (AFP)
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
