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CNN Live Saturday

Lebanese Ambassador Discusses Cooperation With U.S.

Aired October 13, 2001 - 14:20   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: One of the major subplots to the campaign in Afghanistan led by the United States is reaction in the Arab world, especially in the Middle East. For more on that, we're fortunate to be joined this afternoon by the Lebanese ambassador to the United States, Farid Abboud. Thank you very much, sir, for joining us today.

I want to start first. The president has said from the very beginning that this campaign is in phase one now in Afghanistan, targeting al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. He has talked of expanding beyond that, and the United States government for years says the Hezbollah movement, headquartered in your country, Lebanon, is a terrorist organization that it blames for attacks on Israel and on United States targets. What is your sense of A, Hezbollah right now. Is that a true characterization from the United States government? And what is the cooperation from your government to the United States in this campaign with regard to Hezbollah?

FARID ABBOUD, LEBANESE AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: We distinguish very carefully between acts of terrorists, which are targeted against civilians and civilian targets, such as what has happened on the 11th of September, and acts that targeted against military units and of occupation troop in southern Lebanon. For years, the Hezbollah has been involved in guerrilla warfare against Israeli military units that are stationed in southern Lebanon, and we consider that a very legitimate action, and we do not accept the characterization of Hezbollah or any other national movement as terrorist.

It is obvious that a lot of parties have an interest in diluting the concept of terrorism and putting (UNINTELLIGIBLE), including all their enemies. I mean, India with the Kashmir; in Kosovo; the Israel and others, but it is important for the struggle, for the war against terrorism that the distinction be carefully drawn, and that there are some actions which can be characterized clearly as terrorist actions, which need to be fought. They are crimes, killing 6,000 people is a crime by whatever standards. And there are other actions, which are legitimate resistance movement and political movement, which need to be addressed.

KING: So, you would dispute the United States government when it says Hezbollah is a terrorist group that has launched strikes against America?

ABBOUD: Yes, we do dispute that. We do not consider the Hezbollah as a terrorist group. We consider it as a legitimate resistant movement, based on the explanation I have given you, which is a distinction between targeting civilians and civilian targets in cities such as New York and military attack, targeting military units such as what happened in southern Lebanon.

KING: One country long on the list that the United States says is a country that sponsors terrorism is Syria, a country known to have some influence in your country of Lebanon. At his news conference the other night, the president had a very intriguing nugget. He said as this diplomacy continues, there have been positive contacts in his view with the government of Syria. I want to let you hear first what the president had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Syrians have talked to us about how they can help in the war against terrorism. We take that seriously. And we'll give them an opportunity to do so. I'm a performance-oriented person. I believe in results.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: What can the Syrians do, and are the things the Syrians can do, do the include perhaps influence on groups within Lebanon?

ABBOUD: I'm not the ambassador of Syria, of course. But in general, I can assure you that when there is this distinction between terrorists on one hand and resistance on the other hand is established, it is obvious that Lebanon and Syria and all the Arab countries are very cooperative with the regard to fighting the terrorism. They have been doing so.

As far as Lebanon is concerned, we have been very cooperative with the U.S. in the financial control sector and in the security control about the terrorist persons or acts or individuals who are involved with the bin Laden groups and other groups.

KING: You said a moment ago you dispute the U.S. characterization of Hezbollah as a terrorist group that has launched strikes on the United States. What about the U.S. characterization of Syria as a government that has sponsored terrorism? Do you agree with that?

ABBOUD: No, of course not.

KING: You do not?

ABBOUD: No, of course not. I mean, I think based -- as I said, the concept of terrorism is not only -- is not simply a concept. It is also a political tool. And some people want to use the concept to, I would say, to push certain actions by the U.S. and others.

If there is to be a successful war against terrorism, it should be insulated from the Arab-Israeli conflict, and it should be clear cut that is a war against terrorism and very precisely defined and not similarly adopting other regional conflicts, whether in the Middle East or others. The U.S. cannot take sides in these conflicts, and if it does take sides, it will weaken, it will dilute its role as -- in the fight against terrorism, and it will weaken its role in the area as such. And that is why I contest this.

KING: A cultural question, if will you. The president has said consistently this is a war against terrorism, not against Islam. He also said the other night that he did not understand why in the Arab world among Muslims there is pockets of such hatred toward the United States. Is he making that case effectively, number one, that this is a war against terrorism, not Islam, and why the hatred? Why do we see these demonstrations?

ABBOUD: I don't think you can call it hatred. I think in general, there is a great deal of sympathy between the Arab world -- the Muslim world and the United States. There is no such existential hatred.

There are policy issues. I mean, what these people are opposed to is not what the U.S. is but what the U.S. has done to them, according to their view, what they think the U.S. has done. And they think that in some ways, the U.S. position is regarding to the Arab- Israeli conflict or other issues are, you know, unfair, and they think that they should be more balanced.

But there is no such thing as a hostility between the Arab world and the U.S. Quite to the contrary. I mean, you would feel it even in the streets. Even people who are fundamentalist actually admire the U.S. for what it is. But the problem is not what the U.S. is, the problem is the differences of opinion about what the U.S. is perceived as doing in the area, and I think all of them are looking forward to a more balanced and more friendly approach to their problems, including mainly the Arab-Israeli problem, a very emotional issue in the Arab world.

KING: You mentioned a moment ago cooperation on the financial front. One of the things the Bush administration has asked for is for governments around the world to freeze bank accounts of individuals, companies, some charities in some cases, that it believes are financial supporters of bin Laden, al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. Can you tell us specifically what your government has done? How much money it has frozen?

ABBOUD: I cannot tell you specifically what have we done, but I can tell you that in this field there is a great deal of cooperation. And we have accepted certain parameters -- the definition of terrorism, as I told you. And in this case, there was some very fruitful cooperation, which was appreciated by the United States, and which we will continue in the future.

KING: Thank you very much, sir. Farid Abboud, U.S. ambassador from Lebanon. We will explore this theme a little bit more today.

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