PAULA
ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Time to check in
with ambassador-in- residence, Richard
Butler, this morning. An explosive new
book published in France alleges that
the United States was in negotiations
to do a deal with the Taliban for an
oil pipeline in Afghanistan.
Joining
us right now is Richard Butler
to shed some light on this new book. He
is the former chief U.N. weapons
inspector. He is now on the Council on
Foreign Relations and our own
ambassador-in- residence -- good
morning.
RICHARD
BUTLER, FMR. U.N. WEAPONS
INSPECTOR: Good morning,
Paula.
ZAHN:
Boy, if any of these charges are
true...
BUTLER:
If...
ZAHN:
... this...
BUTLER:
Yes.
ZAHN:
... is really big news.
BUTLER:
I agree.
ZAHN:
Start off with what your understanding
is of what is in this book -- the most
explosive charge.
BUTLER:
The most explosive charge, Paula, is
that the Bush administration -- the
present one, just shortly after
assuming office slowed down FBI
investigations of al Qaeda and
terrorism in Afghanistan in order to do
a deal with the Taliban on oil -- an
oil pipeline across
Afghanistan.
ZAHN:
And this book points out that the FBI's
deputy director, John O'Neill, actually
resigned because he felt the U.S.
administration was
obstructing...
BUTLER:
A proper...
ZAHN:
... the prosecution of
terrorism.
BUTLER:
Yes, yes, a proper intelligence
investigation of terrorism. Now, you
said if, and I affirmed that in
responding to you. We have to be
careful here. These are allegations.
They're worth airing and talking about,
because of their gravity. We don't know
if they are correct. But I believe they
should be investigated, because Central
Asian oil, as we were discussing
yesterday, is potentially so important.
And all prior attempts to have a
pipeline had to be done through Russia.
It had to be negotiated with Russia.
Now,
if there is to be a pipeline through
Afghanistan, obviating the need to deal
with Russia, it would also cost less
than half of what a pipeline through
Russia would cost. So financially and
politically, there's a big prize to be
had. A pipeline through Afghanistan
down to the Pakistan coast would bring
out that Central Asian oil easier and
more cheaply.
ZAHN:
(UNINTELLIGIBLE) as you spoke about
this yesterday, we almost immediately
got a call from "The New York
Times."
BUTLER:
Right.
ZAHN:
They want you to write an op-ed piece
on this over the weekend.
BUTLER:
Right, and which I will do.
ZAHN:
But let's come back to this whole issue
of what John O'Neill, this FBI
agent...
BUTLER:
Right.
ZAHN:
... apparently told the authors of this
book. He is alleging that -- what --
the U.S. government was trying to
protect U.S. oil interests? And at the
same time, shut off the investigation
of terrorism to allow for that to
happen?
BUTLER:
That's the allegation that instead of
prosecuting properly an investigation
of terrorism, which has its home in
Afghanistan as we now know, or one of
its main homes, that was shut down or
slowed down in order to pursue oil
interests with the Taliban. The people
who we have now bombed out of
existence, and this not many months
ago. The book says that the negotiators
said to the Taliban, you have a choice.
You have a carpet of gold, meaning an
oil deal, or a carpet of bombs. That's
what the book alleges.
ZAHN:
Well, I know you're going to be doing
your own independent homework on
this...
BUTLER:
Yes.
ZAHN:
... to see if you can confirm any of
this. Let's move on to the whole issue
of Iraq. The deputy defense secretary,
Paul Wolfowitz, at one time was
considered one of those voices within
the administration...
BUTLER:
Yes.
ZAHN:
... that was pushing for moving beyond
Afghanistan. He seemed to back off a
little from that yesterday.
BUTLER:
Yes.
ZAHN:
What do you read through the tea leaves
here?
BUTLER:
A very interesting report that the
administration will focus on the
Philippines, Yemen, Somalia as places
where there are al Qaeda cells. But the
word Iraq wasn't used by the man who
was the chief hawk -- used as a, you
know, as a future target. So what I
interpret from that is this: That very
likely our allies have been saying to
us, this is too hard. This is really
serious. Be careful. Saddam is
essentially contained at the moment.
Don't start, you know, a bigger problem
either in the Arab world or in the
coalition by going after him. And
Wolfowitz, it seems, has probably
accepted that.
ZAHN:
A quick thought on the Israelis
intercepting this latest armed
shipment? What that means? You've got
to do it in about 15
seconds.
BUTLER:
It's extraordinarily serious, because
it seems to have been tied to Yasser
Arafat himself. It needs to be further
investigated, but you know, Paula, the
potentiality that this could once again
prove an impediment to resume peace
negotiations is really quite
serious.
ZAHN:
Thank you as usual for covering so much
territory. Richard Butler, see you same
time, same place tomorrow
morning.
BUTLER:
(UNINTELLIGIBLE).
ZAHN:
We appreciate your
insights.
AMERICAN
MORNING WITH PAULA ZAHN
write to David
Irving