Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Interview With Paul Bremer

Aired March 18, 2002 - 14:38   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The attack yesterday on a church in Islamabad, raising concerns over terrorism once again. A manhunt right now under way to track down the attackers. But there is fear that strike could be a sign of more trouble to come. The State Department warning Americans to be on alert once again.

Paul Bremer, a former U.S. ambassador for counterterrorism, is live in Washington to talk about this. Ambassador Bremer, good afternoon to you.

PAUL BREMER,FMR. U.S. AMBASSADOR FOR COUNTERTERRORISM: Hi, how are you?

HEMMER: In a post-9/11 world, we think about things like the Cole in Yemen, the American embassies in eastern Afghanistan. We think about the Khobar Towers, 1996, in Saudi Arabia. Does this, as best you can tell right now, fit in to this category or not?

BREMER: Yes, it looks as if it does. I think basically the guys who conducted this attack were sending three messages to three different audiences. One audience was the Pakistani government saying, you know, if you continue to support the Americans in Afghanistan, we're going to cause a lot of trouble in Pakistan.

Another message was to Americans, both in Pakistan and elsewhere, that their lives were at risk. And thirdly and perhaps most disturbingly, I think there is a message of religious extremism here. These people were willing to attack Americans in a house of worship, which sends a message to other Muslim extremists elsewhere, that basically nothing is off limits. An that could be a very disturbing message.

HEMMER: Interpret this, if you could. Any time a terrorist kills or injures an American overseas, you know for a fact they're doing victory dances, victory laps, based on their level of success. For the U.S. to interpret this as anything short of that, would that be a flat out mistake, in terms of interpreting the action, here?

BREMER: Well, I don't think there's any risk that the government underemphasizing the importance of this attack. The president himself has condemned it. I don't think there's much risk of that. I think the problem now for the government and for American citizens living abroad, in particular and, of course, especially, in Pakistan, is the need to really take very prudent measure to reduce the likelihood these guys could hit us.

HEMMER: Do you agree with what Senator McCain had to say yesterday, that Pervez Musharraf and his government has a long way to go to get all of this under control, if indeed that's possible?

BREMER: I think that President Musharraf has been one of the most courageous leaders on earth in last six months. And he's done an extraordinary job of trying to put the government's house in order by relieving a number of people in his intelligence and military services, by basically siding decisively with us in the fight against terrorism.

Of course he has a long way to go. There are a lot of people in Pakistan, we saw that in this attack yesterday, who don't like the choice he made. He's going to have to persevere.

HEMMER: Do you agree with this potential for softer targets, things like churches, as we've seen now? You refer to, in first answer, possibly schools, maybe clubs where Americans gather, possibly on the weekends, overseas?

BREMER: It's quite possible. One of the affects of the very large effort by the American government to improve security over the last couple years has been, obviously, to improve security around the embassies, military bases and so forth. And that then means that terrorists have to look for the less well-guarded but nonetheless identifiably American targets. That could be a church, a school, a company.

HEMMER: Mm-hmm. Truth be known, did this really surprise you?

BREMER: No. I think we are in, as the president has said repeatedly, a very long, difficult struggle here. There will continue to be American casualties abroad and perhaps again here at home. And we just have to persevere. We can lick this, but it's going to take not weeks or months, but years.

HEMMER: Indeed. Paul Bremer, thank you. Much appreciated, sir.

BREMER: Nice to be with you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com