Page 97 - Support Network News Today

Compound that the pakistani government made a definitive decision not to give access to these individuals, the bin laden wives. they were mulling this decision over, considering it. this is a critical decision for the pakistani government. this has already been an embarrassing episode for them. these women could have some information about bin ladens support network here in pakistan. and certainly that information could link that support network to pakistans security establishment and that could...

Describe exactly what they could see in a pretty detailed way about the support network that bin laden enjoyed. and i think, you know, more broadly for americans the exposure of bin ladens hiding place brings the american public into touch with the reality that a lot of pakistans neighbors are familiar with, that there are plenty of terrorist leaders in pakistan living in ambiguous circumstances much like those that bin laden enjoyed, in a bi compound, in a house that seems to be known to the go...

Access to these three individuals for fear that they may give up some information that would implicate, incriminate the pakistani government. give some information that could link the security establishment with what could have been a support network bin laden had had here in pakistan. today the interior minister said that was not the case. that pakistan was never concerned about incriminating information coming from these women. he said pakistan had nothing to hide. he also rejected any allegat...

All. >> you categorically denied? >> no support network. >> he confirmed the u.s. will have access to the three widowss of osama bin laden found in the compound. this move will help build much-needed confidence for this troubled relationship, but certainly a lot of questions remain about where this relationship is headed. >> lets get important perspective from fran townsend. and with us david sanger of the "new york times," chief washington correspondent. i assume its a step of progress, back st...

Shape before this. and at least for a short to medium-run period its likely to get worse. i think the question is is pakistan willing to pursue the truth and to really dig into the questions that you and bob were just discussing? i mean, there are pretty good ways to watch how willing pakistan is to pursue the truth. one, for example, would be whether or not the government provides access to these three widows that have been described as being in the house with bin laden. in two cases im not eve...

Our access to these widows? >> reporter: well, there was some doubt, some question the last week whether pakistan would give the u.s. access to these three widows of osama bin laden. these are three women, one of them yemeni women, two saudi women who were found in the compound, the safe house during the u.s. raid. these are women who certainly could have some valuable information about osama bin laden and his daily activity, and there was some speculation that perhaps pakistan was reluctant to ...

Rejected the allegation that bin laden had a support network here that included military or government officials. >> we know were not involved in it. we know that we are victim and there is no such thing at all. theres not an iota of doubt. >> you categorically deny that he had a support network here. >> no support network from the official sources. >> reporter: pakistans interior minister katd gorically denying that osama bin laden had a support network here. earlier last week on sunday, you ha...

>> and we know that one of the wives already told pakistani authorities that shed been living inside that compound for five years. theres obviously a lot more the u.s. would like to know. do we know kind of what access -- what information they may have or how much they knew about, you know, bin ladens activities? >> reporter: well, we dont at this point. but they certainly could know a lot. these are women who for all these years spent a lot of time with osama bin laden. they know a lot about hi...

This point. but they certainly could know a lot. these are women who for all these years spent a lot of time with osama bin laden. they know a lot about him, what he did over these years. they certainly could provide some information about how active he was operationally. they could possibly provide some information about al qaeda. and they could also provide information about pakistan, osama bin ladens support network if indeed he had one in this country. thats where things could get sticky for...

That computer equipment at usamas compound, i think that would actually speed up the process of the americans actually getting to talk to the three wives. the names of the three wives, weve got abdul fat that, shes the youngest, 29 years old, believed to be the closest of the three wives to usama bin laden. weve also got the two from saudi arabia, we believe. they have been talking to the isi, thats the pakistani intelligence agency here, the equivalent to the cia. theyve been describing, appare...