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US Not Satisfied with Afghan Clerics' Recommendations
The United States is not satisfied with the recommendations made by Afghanistan's Islamic clerics council to ask exiled Saudi billionaire Osama bin Laden to leave the country voluntarily, the White House said Thursday.
"It does not meet America's requirements," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters.
"The president (George W. Bush) has demanded that key figures of the al Qaeda terrorist organization, including Osama bin Laden, be turned over to responsible authorities and that the Taliban close terrorist camps in Afghanistan," he said, adding that "the United States stands behind those demands."
"This is about much more than any one man being allowed to leave voluntarily, presumably from one safe harbor to another safe harbor, if what he's doing is voluntarily. It's time for action, not words," Fleischer said.
At a two-day meeting, Islamic clerics in Afghanistan reportedly adopted a statement on Thursday, recommending that bin Laden, a prime suspect in last week's terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, leave Afghanistan voluntarily. The recommendations set no deadline for bin Laden's departure.
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