Afghan Clerics Urge bin Laden to Leave; White House Says Unacceptable “Afghanistan’s top clerics recommended today that the accused terrorist Osama bin Laden should be persuaded to leave the country, a development that the leader of Pakistan’s largest Islamic party described as “a ray of hope.”

The ruling, which ministers said is binding on the Taliban government, could almost certainly have been reached only with the agreement of the Taliban’s spiritual leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar.

But the White House said this morning that the clerics’ edict “doesn’t meet America’s requirements” and again demanded that Mr. bin Laden be turned over to “responsible authorities” and that the Taliban close terrorist camps in Afghanistan.” New York Times [name: “FMHreader”, password: “FMHreader”]