Rumsfeld stresses intelligence battle

10/04/2001

By Gregory Katz
European Bureau, The Dallas Morning News

PARIS – On the first day of a whirlwind visit to the Middle East and Central Asia, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said that intelligence tips, not military might, will provide the United States with the edge over terrorists in Afghanistan.

Mr. Rumsfeld, en route to his first stop in Saudi Arabia, said Wednesday that the goal is to find out exactly where Osama bin Laden and his hard-core supporters are hiding in the vastness of Afghanistan.

"It's not going to be a cruise missile or a bomber that's going to be the determining factor," he told reporters on his plane, speaking only in the broadest terms about preparations for military action.

"It's going to be a scrap of information from some person in some country that's been repressed by a dictatorial regime. That's going to enable us to pull this network up by its roots and end it."

Mr. Rumsfeld hinted that the U.S. military has some information on Mr. bin Laden's whereabouts but does not know his precise location.

The defense chief is meeting with senior officials in Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Oman and Egypt to build support for the anticipated U.S.-led mission against Mr. Bin Laden – the chief suspect in the Sept. 11 attacks – and the Taliban leaders who protect him. Mr. Rumsfeld said that Uzbekistan, which borders Afghanistan, could be an important source of intelligence information.

Mr. Rumsfeld said he would not pressure his hosts in Saudi Arabia and other moderate Arab countries to increase military support for a possible U.S.-led strike. His first meetings were with Saudi defense minister Prince Sultan and Crown Prince Abdullah.

While the Saudis offered praise for President Bush's handling of the crisis created by the terrorist attacks, they also had concerns about their own security, Mr. Rumsfeld said,

Mr. Rumsfeld said he stressed to his Saudi hosts that Mr. Bush is sensitive to concerns by Arab nations.

He emphasized recent U.S. aid to Muslim nations such as Bosnia and Afghanistan.

"We recognize that there are elements in the world – terrorists and terrorist networks – that make an active effort to turn that portion of the globe against the West and the United States," he said.

At a midnight news conference at his palace, Prince Sultan was asked whether his country would permit the United States to use Saudi bases to launch attacks against the Taliban.

Speaking through an interpreter, he said the United States had made no such requests and that he and Mr. Rumsfeld had not discussed it.

"We do not feel there are any strikes that are going to be taken against the Taliban," he said.

In Washington, the Pentagon called an additional 67 Marine Corps reservists to active duty. That brings the total National Guard and Reserve call-ups to 22,333 from 44 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Mr. Bush said he sent Mr. Rumsfeld on his mission because he wants leaders to see U.S. resolve face to face.

"People need to be able to look us in the eye and know that when we say that we're in this for the long run, that we're going to find terrorists and bring them to justice, we mean it," Mr. Bush said.

Bush administration officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Mr. Rumsfeld is sharing information with Middle Eastern allies, and they denied news reports that objections from some Arab countries have delayed military action.

"He's meeting with our allies and partners as we develop a coalition that's working together," one official said.

Officials said that if there were serious problems with the coalition, the United States would probably have sent its chief diplomat, Secretary of State Colin Powell, rather than its top military person.

"This is another step in building the coalition," an administration official said. "We are very pleased with the responses we are receiving."

There was also a flurry of diplomatic activity in Brussels, Belgium, where Russian President Vladimir Putin held a rare meeting with European Union and NATO leaders to push for more cooperation between his country and the West.

At the same time, U.S. officials provided NATO countries with a request for military and logistical support for the planned mission to destroy Mr. bin Laden's terrorist training camps in Afghanistan.

Mr. Putin has pleased Mr. Bush, and confounded many political observers at home by embracing the U.S.-led effort to stamp out international terrorism, which he blames for the war in Chechnya and a string of lethal attacks against civilians in Moscow and several other Russian cities.

The Russian president has used his considerable influence to help make military bases in former Soviet states in Central Asia available to U.S. forces. And on Wednesday, Russia and the 15 European Union nations agreed to hold regular monthly meetings to improve cooperation in terror-related matters.

The agenda will include joint action to freeze terrorist bank accounts and block money transfers, and the sharing of intelligence concerning movements of chemical, biological and nuclear materials.

Mr. Putin, who in the past has condemned NATO's admission of former Soviet satellites as members, said Wednesday that a joint approach to security is needed because of the increased terror threat.

"After the tragic events of September 11, the European community has a need to look again at regional security," he said. "It's high time to come up with practical solutions."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.