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Bush, Blair to Meet in Crawford, Texas

Aired April 05, 2002 - 10:39   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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: In advance of this weekend's meeting between President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the latest polls from Britain show that people are changing their attitudes about British support of U.S. policy and the war against terrorism.

Our Matthew Chance has more from a town in Southern England.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It isn't Texas, but the line dancers of Crawley, in Southern England, like to pretend it is, at least on Friday nights. But make no mistake, beneath the Stetson hats are very British concerns about Prime Minister Blair's political closeness to Washington, on issues from Afghanistan to missile defense and Iraq.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not sure the Americans are right, but I feel that Britain as a whole should not be jumping in and backing America for everything they want to do. I think Blair wants to be an American, personally.

CHANCE: It's an attitude shared on the street. While there was strong support here for Blair's shoulder-to-shoulder stance over Afghanistan last year, British attitudes are now decidedly cooler over their prime minister's position.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think Britain needs to be independent. I think we should make up our own decisions, and not necessarily do just what the Americans want us to do.

CHANCE (on camera): So, when it comes to the possibility of the war against terror being extended to Iraq, should Britain's support be given to that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I think we should make our own decision, definitely. I mean, we fought the Second World War mainly on our own, before they decided to join us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he's too close to Washington. I mean, from the man on the street's point of view, and I'm someone who walks around London every day, he has got an awful lot of issues that he should be dealing with at home. Our own economy is not what it's cracked up to be. CHANCE: And those attitudes are matched with harsh figures. According to the Maury (ph) polling agency, four in 10 Britons now believe there country is too close to the United States. A majority are opposed to any escalation of the war against terrorism. And while most are satisfied with the relationship as it stands, it's clear more unflinching support from Tony Blair in Texas could further undermine his public approval ratings here.

(voice-over): Even Britain's with a particular affinity to things American, they want their prime minister to appear less in step with President Bush this time.

Matthew Chance, CNN in Drawly, England.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: That was some very interesting pictures from England.

Here to discuss the meeting this weekend in Crawford, Texas, we're joined by "Newsweek"'s London bureau chief Stryker McGuire.

Sryker, hello, thanks for being with us.

STRYKER MCGUIRE, "NEWSWEEK": Thanks so much.

KAGAN: Don't know if you could hear the piece that was on right before you, but it sounds like Prime Minister Tony Blair can't really afford for the summit to go entirely too well, that that could actually hurt him back home.

MCGUIRE: Well, I think a couple of things, first of all, obviously, the sentiments that I was just hearing are absolutely reflecting what's going on in this country. But having said that, Blair has very little political opposition. There's no election coming up in this country. There won't be one for another three years or more. And he can afford, therefore, to put up with a little bit of grief right now.

However, having said that, I think that in Crawford, he'll be putting his foot down a little bit, or at least that's the way it will be spun. I think that he and Bush will get a long actually very, very well. There won't be very many difficulties, but after the meeting...

KAGAN: Stryker, let me just jump in here in a second. When you say "put his foot down," which issues, where will he pick those places?

MCGUIRE: Iraq. He has to deal with some of the criticism which you just heard, and what he will do is he will reflect what is a British view, and also happen to be a European view, that to do anything in Iraq is going to have to be linked to progress in the Middle East, on the Israel-Palestine question.

KAGAN: You write in "Newsweek" that -- go ahead

MCGUIRE: Go ahead. KAGAN: You write in "Newsweek" that these two men who might not seem to have that much in common actually have in common a very good friend, and that might be the connection two the success of their relationship as world leaders.

MCGUIRE: Well, yes, I mean, you know, they met for the first time in February of last year. And before that happened, there's an oilman in Scotland by the name of Bill Gamul (ph), and Bill had gone to school with Blair as it turns out, but he's also been actually a very close friend of George Bush's since George Bush was 13 years old. Basically what happens is that Gamul put in a good word for Blair. He told Bush that Blair was a good chap, and that they could get along, even though they don't look exactly like soulmates.

KAGAN: Interesting that they would do well together, given that Tony Blair and former President Clinton were so close.

MCGUIRE: Well, exactly, and also Blair comes from party which is not -- the Labour Party, which is not in snyc, in policy terms, with the Republican Party in the United States, but Britain and the United States have a historic relationship, which overcomes all kinds of difficulties, and there's also a huge economic relationship between the two countries, which is extremely important.

KAGAN: And so what exactly do you expect will come out of this summit, just a solidifying of the agreements and the cooperation between the two countries?

MCGUIRE: Yes, I mean, I think there will be a lot of agreement, and I think that Blair could well get some concessions from Bush. They won't come on the question, necessarily, of Iraq or the Middle East, but there is a slight dispute over steel, and I think that Blair will get some concessions from the United States on that trade issue.

KAGAN: And, Stryker, just real quickly, logistically, I was wondering how Tony Blair is able to do this with the country in mourning over the queen mother.

MCGUIRE: Well, that's a very good question, and he -- however, this mourning has been going on now since last weekend, and, in fact, it has another three days or so to go. Therefore, he's out of the country this weekend, but he's been here all week, and he will be back next week for the funeral itself.

KAGAN: Got it, Stryker Mcguire, "Newsweek" magazine, London bureau chief, thank you so much for your time, appreciate it, and your expertise on the topic.

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