DATE=12/14/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=TERRORIST WARNING (L)
NUMBER=2-257150
BYLINE=GIL BUTLER
DATELINE=STATE DEPARTMENT
CONTENT=
VOICED AT: 


INTRO:  The United States says it will hold 
Afghanistan's Taleban movement responsible if any 
terrorist attacks are carried out against Americans.  
The message was delivered to a Taleban representative 
on Monday.  Amid reports of arrests of terrorist 
suspects in the Middle East, the U-S State Department 
issued a warning for Americans abroad to exercise 
extra caution.  Correspondent Gil Butler reports.

TEXT:  On Saturday, the State Department issued a 
warning that there was a credible terrorist threat to 
Americans abroad coinciding with the coming new year 
and the current Islamic fasting month of Ramadan.

State Department spokesman James Foley, while giving 
no details, confirmed that terrorist suspects have 
been arrested and are believed to be part of the Osama 
bin Laden network.  The fugitive Saudi millionaire is 
accused of masterminding the 1998 bomb attacks on U-S 
embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed more than 
200 people.

The State Department says the Taleban, which controls 
most of Afghanistan, gives Osama bin Laden safe haven.  
So on Monday, the top U-S counter-terrorism official, 
Michael Sheehan, met in New York with Abdul Hakeem 
Majahid, a Taleban representative, and gave him what 
was described here as "an emphatic message."

            /// Foley Act ///

      The United States will hold the Taleban 
      responsible for any terrorist attacks carried 
      out by Bin Laden's network.

            /// End Act ///

The spokesman declined to say if there was a specific 
threat by terrorists, as some reports have suggested.  
But, he said the terrorist threat to Americans still 
exists.

            /// Foley Act ///

      We have a responsibility to inform Americans of 
      information that would be relevant to their 
      security, and we have not been specific in that 
      regard.  Rather, we have indicated that this is 
      potentially a global threat and therefore we 
      issued a worldwide caution to Americans to be 
      taking precautionary measures as they travel and 
      move about overseas.

            /// End Act ///

The Taleban militia is already under United Nations 
Security Council sanctions for failing to turn over 
Osama bin Laden for the East African embassy bombings.  
Mr. Foley said Taleban representative Abdul Majahid 
left his meeting with Mr. Sheehan without any doubt 
about how serious the United States is about the 
consequences, should there be any terrorist attack by 
Osama bin Laden. (signed)

NEB/MGB/JP




14-Dec-1999 16:45 PM EDT (14-Dec-1999 2145 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America
.