White House briefly silent to mark attacks a week ago, presses plans to strike back

By DAVID ESPO
AP Special Correspondent

WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld raised doubts Tuesday about whether the surrender of Osama bin Laden, prime suspect in the attacks that slaughtered thousands of Americans one week ago, would be enough to avert a U.S.-led military campaign against terrorism.

President Bush joined 300 White House employees on the South Lawn to observe a moment of silence marking the attacks that occurred a week earlier. It was another calm, sunny morning, much like the one made violent when two hijacked planes rammed the World Trade Center in New York, one crashed into the Pentagon and one went down in a Pennsylvania field.

"May God continue to bless America," Bush said. After he left, some of his staff stretched the silence for a while longer, until 8:48 a.m. EDT, the moment of the first impact in Manhattan.

Across the country, radio stations marked the time with patriotic songs.

Bush also planned a Rose Garden ceremony to thank rescuers and announce an Internet site to collect donations for stricken families, and a dinner with French President Jacques Chirac to broaden an international coalition against terrorism.

"Clearly you begin on a journey with one step, and he would be one step," Rumsfeld said. But he added, "If bin Laden were not there the organization would continue doing what it's been doing. So clearly the problem is much bigger than bin Laden."

With Bush plotting a military response against "those barbaric people" who attacked the United States a week ago, Taliban leaders in Afghanistan were reported Tuesday to be considering a proposal from Pakistan for the extradition of bin Laden to a third country – under certain conditions.

A Pakistani government source said the conditions for a possible extradition deal, including international recognition of the Taliban government, were discussed in a meeting with Taliban leaders Monday but no agreement was reached and the Pakistani delegation was returning home later Tuesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity and did not detail what other conditions were discussed.

In New York, Pakistan's ambassador to the United Nations said his country's delegation tried to convey the gravity of the moment to the Taliban. "I cannot predict at this stage what the outcome is going to be," Shamshad Ahmad said. "In our view it was worth making an effort through diplomatic engagement."

Asked on CBS' "The Early Show" whether the surrendering of bin Laden would be enough to avert a conflict, Rumsfeld said the problem is bigger than one man. "Bin Laden is one person who is unambiguously a terrorist," he said. "The al-Qaida network is a broad, multiheaded organization" with a presence in 50 to 60 countries, including the United States.

Pakistani officials have said some skeptics in the region might be more easily convinced of bin Laden's guilt if the United States released more evidence of his involvement. Rumsfeld said it would make no sense to give out intelligence.

Asked what Americans should expect in the war on terrorism, he said: "We certainly can expect that there will continue to be terrorist acts. They have publicly stated that they intend to do that."

Before the Pakistani official spoke on the conditional offer, Taliban rulers were admonishing their countrymen in Afghanistan to prepare for a holy war against the United States. Bush was preparing America for conflict.

"This will be a different type of war ... a different type of enemy than we're used to," Bush said Monday as the nation simultaneously grieved for the victims of last week's attacks and groped toward a more normal workaday routine.

Administration officials gave no sign a military response was imminent, although Bush resorted to frontier-style language when he said he wanted bin Laden "dead or alive."

The Taliban call to arms came as a grand Islamic council in Afghanistan prepared to take up a demand from neighboring Pakistan to turn over bin Laden or face attack by the United States. U.S. officials have held out little hope the Taliban would eject bin Laden.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, in answer to a reporter's question Monday, said a quarter-century-old executive order barring assassinations "does not limit America's ability to act in its self-defense." He added, "I'm not going to define all the steps that may or may not be taken."

Action on the economic front may come sooner and follow close on an unexpected half-point cut in interest rates Monday by the Federal Reserve, plus a 684-point loss by the Dow Jones stock average and tens of thousands of layoffs in the battered airlines industry.

"The airlines are facing difficulties," White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan said after the president met with advisers to discuss the plight of the industry. Congressional officials said bailout legislation was likely, up to $5 billion in direct assistance and government loan guarantees for several times that amount.

Beyond that, senior congressional officials were awaiting word from the White House on what, if any, type of economic stimulus should be considered. Bush spoke with Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., by phone Monday afternoon about actions to stabilize the airline industry and shape an economic stimulus package, said presidential counselor Karen Hughes.

In a gesture of political unity unthinkable a week ago, Republican and Democratic tax-writers said they would meet in private later in the week to discuss the possibility of a bipartisan bill.

A senior White House official said Bush was days away from deciding whether to support a stimulus package.

In all, officials said the death toll likely would top 5,000 from the Sept. 11 attacks that left New York City's World Trade Center twin towers in ruins and crumpled a portion of the Pentagon.

AP-WS-09-18-01 0954EDT