U.S., Russia to prepare sanctions proposal against Taliban

From National Security Correspondent David Ensor

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States and Russia have agreed to work together to win support for additional sanctions against the Taliban government of Afghanistan, Clinton administration officials said Friday.

"We have reached some understandings" with Russia during recent talks in Moscow between Undersecretary of State Thomas Pickering and Russian officials, an official said.

The goal is to craft sanctions that will get the attention of the Taliban leadership without imposing additional hardship on the Afghan people, the officials said. The U.S.-Russia cooperation is aimed at forcing the Taliban government to end its support of Islamic terrorist groups, including the organization headed by Saudi fugitive Osama bin Laden, who has been given sanctuary in Afghanistan for years.

Russian officials have said they believe associates of bin Laden have been helping rebels in Chechnya in their fight against Russian forces. While U.S. officials have not made that connection, they have said other alleged terrorist cells -- operating out of Afghanistan and not necessarily associated with bin Laden -- have been helping the Chechen rebels.

The sanctions under discussion, officials said, include an arms embargo, a ban on air travel to the Afghan capital of Kabul, and limitations on overseas travel by senior Taliban officials and their family members.

U.S. and Russian diplomats at the United Nations must convince the other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, who have veto power, to back the sanctions.

Because China traditionally opposes all sanctions, officials said their goal would be to convince the Chinese to abstain.

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