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American Morning

Interview with Wendy Sherman, Former Ambassador

Aired February 05, 2003 - 07:06   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.


PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: When Secretary Powell goes before the U.N., as Richard just mentioned, he, of course, will be playing those audiotapes of Iraqi scientists actually talking about concealing weapons and being coached for the responses to inspectors. And the Security Council will see slides, as we just mentioned, showing materials being moved just moments before inspectors arrive.
A little bit earlier this morning, I spoke with Wendy Sherman, a former ambassador and counselor to the State Department. And I asked her how or what Mr. Powell has to do to win over some of his skeptics.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WENDY SHERMAN, FMR. COUNSELOR TO STATE DEPT.: I think Secretary Powell will make a very commanding presence and a very commanding presentation. And I think what he's going to do here is try to show a package of lies and deceptions and the presence of weapons that haven't been declared by Saddam Hussein. But I think we're going to have a situation here where it's not just a motivational speech to a bunch of salesmen. This is the United Nations Security Council. He has to make a very compelling case, but he can't overreach either, because people will want to know that this evidence is real.

And so, I think he's got a tough job today, but he is a commanding presence.

ZAHN: Do you think there is a risk based on what we know this morning of his overreaching?

SHERMAN: I think they're going to be very careful, particularly on the al Qaeda information, and what those connections are. I think...

ZAHN: Well, apparently there is debating at this hour, even as the two of us speak, about...

SHERMAN: Because I think this is very difficult. I don't think -- the American people feel a tremendous sense of vulnerability after 9/11, and I think the Columbia tragedy over the weekend added to that sense of vulnerability. So, they want evidence. They want the inspections to continue. They aren't enthusiastic about war, to say the least; no one is.

But at the same time, they are looking to the president of the United States to protect them, to keep them safe, to deal with all of these threats, against terrorism, the threat of North Korea, the threats in the Middle East, the threat of Iraq. And so, I think that if they feel there is evidence put on the table, they really are going to go with him and support the president, even though they have grave concerns about how we're proceeding here.

ZAHN: How much is the credibility of the U.N. at stake here? These are after all U.N. resolutions that were written by members of the United Nations. This doesn't make the inspection process look too thorough, does it?

SHERMAN: I think that one of the reasons that President Chirac of France is saying the inspections should continue is because he wants this process to play out.

ZAHN: As maligned as some people say it is?

SHERMAN: I think many people believe that it isn't serious, it isn't real, that there's no way the inspectors will ever find what they're looking for. But nonetheless, on September 12 of this year -- of last year actually, President Bush empowered the United Nations to be the arbiter of this situation, and once you've empowered a body, it's a little difficult to take it back.

ZAHN: How difficult is it, though, for the U.N. to ignore some of this evidence?

SHERMAN: I think the U.N. will take it very seriously, and I think those who are sort of on the line -- Russia in particular, which the president has spent a great deal of time talking to President Putin -- will be looking at this evidence very carefully. But those who are not convinced, not sure they're quite ready to be convinced, I'm not sure this is going to take them over the edge.

At the end of the day, I think the president of the United States has decided that the only way for getting Saddam Hussein to disarm is to disarm him with force.

ZAHN: Do you think that's the right way to go? Nothing else seems to be working, does it?

SHERMAN: Well, I think that this is a very tough situation. I think that it is tough to go to war under these circumstances, but I think the president has already decided.

ZAHN: But you're still not answering the question of whether you think that's the appropriate thing to do. Do you have faith that if you allow the inspections process to proceed for another couple of months, based on what he's going to tell us today, is it going to yield anything?

SHERMAN: I think my greater concern and one of the reasons that you may feel I'm not giving a straight answer is that I think that the president has to be able to walk, talk, chew gum and make one of those bubble gum wrapper chains at the same time. And he not only has to focus on Iraq, but he has to focus on North Korea, on India-Pakistan, on the Middle East, on our economy, and most importantly, the war against terrorism and our homeland defense. And I think I share the anxiety of the American people that we're not looking at all of the pieces here, that we're so focused on going to war with Iraq that we're not seeing the whole picture.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: That was Wendy Sherman, the ambassador during the Clinton administration.

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







Aired February 5, 2003 - 07:06   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: When Secretary Powell goes before the U.N., as Richard just mentioned, he, of course, will be playing those audiotapes of Iraqi scientists actually talking about concealing weapons and being coached for the responses to inspectors. And the Security Council will see slides, as we just mentioned, showing materials being moved just moments before inspectors arrive.
A little bit earlier this morning, I spoke with Wendy Sherman, a former ambassador and counselor to the State Department. And I asked her how or what Mr. Powell has to do to win over some of his skeptics.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WENDY SHERMAN, FMR. COUNSELOR TO STATE DEPT.: I think Secretary Powell will make a very commanding presence and a very commanding presentation. And I think what he's going to do here is try to show a package of lies and deceptions and the presence of weapons that haven't been declared by Saddam Hussein. But I think we're going to have a situation here where it's not just a motivational speech to a bunch of salesmen. This is the United Nations Security Council. He has to make a very compelling case, but he can't overreach either, because people will want to know that this evidence is real.

And so, I think he's got a tough job today, but he is a commanding presence.

ZAHN: Do you think there is a risk based on what we know this morning of his overreaching?

SHERMAN: I think they're going to be very careful, particularly on the al Qaeda information, and what those connections are. I think...

ZAHN: Well, apparently there is debating at this hour, even as the two of us speak, about...

SHERMAN: Because I think this is very difficult. I don't think -- the American people feel a tremendous sense of vulnerability after 9/11, and I think the Columbia tragedy over the weekend added to that sense of vulnerability. So, they want evidence. They want the inspections to continue. They aren't enthusiastic about war, to say the least; no one is.

But at the same time, they are looking to the president of the United States to protect them, to keep them safe, to deal with all of these threats, against terrorism, the threat of North Korea, the threats in the Middle East, the threat of Iraq. And so, I think that if they feel there is evidence put on the table, they really are going to go with him and support the president, even though they have grave concerns about how we're proceeding here.

ZAHN: How much is the credibility of the U.N. at stake here? These are after all U.N. resolutions that were written by members of the United Nations. This doesn't make the inspection process look too thorough, does it?

SHERMAN: I think that one of the reasons that President Chirac of France is saying the inspections should continue is because he wants this process to play out.

ZAHN: As maligned as some people say it is?

SHERMAN: I think many people believe that it isn't serious, it isn't real, that there's no way the inspectors will ever find what they're looking for. But nonetheless, on September 12 of this year -- of last year actually, President Bush empowered the United Nations to be the arbiter of this situation, and once you've empowered a body, it's a little difficult to take it back.

ZAHN: How difficult is it, though, for the U.N. to ignore some of this evidence?

SHERMAN: I think the U.N. will take it very seriously, and I think those who are sort of on the line -- Russia in particular, which the president has spent a great deal of time talking to President Putin -- will be looking at this evidence very carefully. But those who are not convinced, not sure they're quite ready to be convinced, I'm not sure this is going to take them over the edge.

At the end of the day, I think the president of the United States has decided that the only way for getting Saddam Hussein to disarm is to disarm him with force.

ZAHN: Do you think that's the right way to go? Nothing else seems to be working, does it?

SHERMAN: Well, I think that this is a very tough situation. I think that it is tough to go to war under these circumstances, but I think the president has already decided.

ZAHN: But you're still not answering the question of whether you think that's the appropriate thing to do. Do you have faith that if you allow the inspections process to proceed for another couple of months, based on what he's going to tell us today, is it going to yield anything?

SHERMAN: I think my greater concern and one of the reasons that you may feel I'm not giving a straight answer is that I think that the president has to be able to walk, talk, chew gum and make one of those bubble gum wrapper chains at the same time. And he not only has to focus on Iraq, but he has to focus on North Korea, on India-Pakistan, on the Middle East, on our economy, and most importantly, the war against terrorism and our homeland defense. And I think I share the anxiety of the American people that we're not looking at all of the pieces here, that we're so focused on going to war with Iraq that we're not seeing the whole picture.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: That was Wendy Sherman, the ambassador during the Clinton administration.

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