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CNN Saturday Morning News
Interview With George Galloway
Aired February 08, 2003 - 07:15 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.
MILES O'BRIEN CNN ANCHOR: As we told you at the top of the program, the top U.N. weapons inspectors arrived in Baghdad while you were sleeping for talks that could determine Iraq's future. Hans Blix, Mohamed ElBaradei are demanding more cooperation from Iraq on disclosing information about banned weapons. Their visit comes less than a week before the inspectors present their third assessment report to the United Nations. That due on February 14.
Joining me from London to talk about all of this, George Galloway, a member of parliament who is opposed to war who met Saddam Hussein personally in August to interview him for a column he writes.
Mr. Galloway, good to have you with us. Welcome.
What are your impressions of Saddam Hussein, the individual?
GEORGE GALLOWAY, MEMBER, BRITISH PARLIAMENT: Well, Saddam Hussein is a dictator, like most of the Arab countries. He exists in a one-party dictatorship, and of course most of those dictatorships are supported and propped up by the United States and Great Britain.
O'BRIEN: No, no, no. No, Mr. Galloway, I'm just asking you...
GALLOWAY: I have no doubt that (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
O'BRIEN: ... as an individual, what is he like as a person? We know he's a dictator, we knew that before.
GALLOWAY: Yes, I'm just -- well, yes, I'm -- but I'm coming to that.
O'BRIEN: All right.
GALLOWAY: Because I don't want you to think that I'm in any way a supporter of his. I've never been...
O'BRIEN: But that wasn't my -- that wasn't my question...
GALLOWAY: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE) America with him.
O'BRIEN: Just give me an assessment of him.
GALLOWAY: Well, I know that, but it's very...
O'BRIEN: Could you just give me an assessment...
GALLOWAY: Well, kindly let me...
O'BRIEN: ... of him as a person?
GALLOWAY: ... answer your question...
O'BRIEN: All right, go ahead.
GALLOWAY: Well, kindly let me answer your questions as I please. I'm the one who's come in to your office to be interviewed.
O'BRIEN: OK.
GALLOWAY: Now, Saddam Hussein, in the time that I've met him, was entirely rational...
O'BRIEN: OK.
GALLOWAY: ... sane, and not into suicide. And that led me to conclude that he was ready to cooperate with the peaceful and diplomatic ways that the inspectors are now trying to broker of resolving this crisis.
I'm trying to make the point to you that he's not some screaming madman, and I think often your shows and your network try to spread that misconception.
O'BRIEN: All right. Well, let me ask you this, then. When you say he -- you had the sense that he wants to cooperate. Do you feel that what you heard from him jives with what you've been seeing? Have you been seeing true cooperation, or have you been seeing a cat-and- mouse game, do you think?
GALLOWAY: No, I think the bar keeps being raised, but the cooperation keeps on coming. And your own news bulletins are reporting that the Iraqis are now going that extra mile to satisfy the demands of the inspectors. And I suspect that the inspectors will return from Baghdad with a plea for more time in this new atmosphere to continue their job. The $64,000 question is whether George W. Bush is ready to give them that more time.
If he doesn't, then Mr. Blair will find it virtually impossible to join the war, because British public opinion will not wear a situation where the U.N. is saying they want more time in this new atmosphere to continue the process, and George Bush says no.
O'BRIEN: What's your best assessment? Does Saddam Hussein have much more to tell us than he's revealing? Does he have chemical, biological, perhaps nuclear weapons?
GALLOWAY: Well, he certainly doesn't have nuclear weapons, and the nuclear inspector have already declared that. The only person still claiming that is George W. Bush, in the increasingly frantic propaganda effort.
Whether there are any unaccounted-for chemical and biological weapons, only the inspectors can tell. It would have helped if the U.S. had been giving the inspectors the information they say they unveiled to the world in the Security Council this week. Maybe if they'd given those photographs to the inspectors earlier, we would have been able to learn the truth about them.
O'BRIEN: Well, what...
GALLOWAY: The important point is, we should avoid going over a cliff, because we don't know the damage that will be done to ourselves as well as others at the bottom of that cliff.
O'BRIEN: Tell me, what about Mr. Powell's presentation? Secretary of State before the United Nations, did it convince you, did it change your opinion in any way?
GALLOWAY: Well, I don't think it convinced anyone outside of some U.S. circles. The American case for war went down in the public opinion poll ratings, not least because Mr. Powell seemed to be relying, indeed lavishly praised, a dossier produced by the British government, which has in the last 72 hours been utterly discredited as having come from the sweepings of the Internet floor and been the work of an undergraduate student, much of it 12 years old.
This is the document that Mr. Powell described as a fine and exquisite piece of work.
O'BRIEN: Mr. Galloway, are you concerned about being perceived as an apologist for Saddam Hussein, sort of the Neville Chamberlain of your generation?
GALLOWAY: Well, you know, people on the left were the people who opposed Neville Chamberlain. And I think that's funny, coming from an American, who sat watching Britain in flames on newsreel while the barbarians were at our gates setting London on fire.
O'BRIEN: All right. George Galloway, member of parliament, and a man who most recently met Saddam Hussein in August for an interview for his column. Thank you for being with us on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
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 8, 2003 - 07:15 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN CNN ANCHOR: As we told you at the top of the program, the top U.N. weapons inspectors arrived in Baghdad while you were sleeping for talks that could determine Iraq's future. Hans Blix, Mohamed ElBaradei are demanding more cooperation from Iraq on disclosing information about banned weapons. Their visit comes less than a week before the inspectors present their third assessment report to the United Nations. That due on February 14.
Joining me from London to talk about all of this, George Galloway, a member of parliament who is opposed to war who met Saddam Hussein personally in August to interview him for a column he writes.
Mr. Galloway, good to have you with us. Welcome.
What are your impressions of Saddam Hussein, the individual?
GEORGE GALLOWAY, MEMBER, BRITISH PARLIAMENT: Well, Saddam Hussein is a dictator, like most of the Arab countries. He exists in a one-party dictatorship, and of course most of those dictatorships are supported and propped up by the United States and Great Britain.
O'BRIEN: No, no, no. No, Mr. Galloway, I'm just asking you...
GALLOWAY: I have no doubt that (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
O'BRIEN: ... as an individual, what is he like as a person? We know he's a dictator, we knew that before.
GALLOWAY: Yes, I'm just -- well, yes, I'm -- but I'm coming to that.
O'BRIEN: All right.
GALLOWAY: Because I don't want you to think that I'm in any way a supporter of his. I've never been...
O'BRIEN: But that wasn't my -- that wasn't my question...
GALLOWAY: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE) America with him.
O'BRIEN: Just give me an assessment of him.
GALLOWAY: Well, I know that, but it's very...
O'BRIEN: Could you just give me an assessment...
GALLOWAY: Well, kindly let me...
O'BRIEN: ... of him as a person?
GALLOWAY: ... answer your question...
O'BRIEN: All right, go ahead.
GALLOWAY: Well, kindly let me answer your questions as I please. I'm the one who's come in to your office to be interviewed.
O'BRIEN: OK.
GALLOWAY: Now, Saddam Hussein, in the time that I've met him, was entirely rational...
O'BRIEN: OK.
GALLOWAY: ... sane, and not into suicide. And that led me to conclude that he was ready to cooperate with the peaceful and diplomatic ways that the inspectors are now trying to broker of resolving this crisis.
I'm trying to make the point to you that he's not some screaming madman, and I think often your shows and your network try to spread that misconception.
O'BRIEN: All right. Well, let me ask you this, then. When you say he -- you had the sense that he wants to cooperate. Do you feel that what you heard from him jives with what you've been seeing? Have you been seeing true cooperation, or have you been seeing a cat-and- mouse game, do you think?
GALLOWAY: No, I think the bar keeps being raised, but the cooperation keeps on coming. And your own news bulletins are reporting that the Iraqis are now going that extra mile to satisfy the demands of the inspectors. And I suspect that the inspectors will return from Baghdad with a plea for more time in this new atmosphere to continue their job. The $64,000 question is whether George W. Bush is ready to give them that more time.
If he doesn't, then Mr. Blair will find it virtually impossible to join the war, because British public opinion will not wear a situation where the U.N. is saying they want more time in this new atmosphere to continue the process, and George Bush says no.
O'BRIEN: What's your best assessment? Does Saddam Hussein have much more to tell us than he's revealing? Does he have chemical, biological, perhaps nuclear weapons?
GALLOWAY: Well, he certainly doesn't have nuclear weapons, and the nuclear inspector have already declared that. The only person still claiming that is George W. Bush, in the increasingly frantic propaganda effort.
Whether there are any unaccounted-for chemical and biological weapons, only the inspectors can tell. It would have helped if the U.S. had been giving the inspectors the information they say they unveiled to the world in the Security Council this week. Maybe if they'd given those photographs to the inspectors earlier, we would have been able to learn the truth about them.
O'BRIEN: Well, what...
GALLOWAY: The important point is, we should avoid going over a cliff, because we don't know the damage that will be done to ourselves as well as others at the bottom of that cliff.
O'BRIEN: Tell me, what about Mr. Powell's presentation? Secretary of State before the United Nations, did it convince you, did it change your opinion in any way?
GALLOWAY: Well, I don't think it convinced anyone outside of some U.S. circles. The American case for war went down in the public opinion poll ratings, not least because Mr. Powell seemed to be relying, indeed lavishly praised, a dossier produced by the British government, which has in the last 72 hours been utterly discredited as having come from the sweepings of the Internet floor and been the work of an undergraduate student, much of it 12 years old.
This is the document that Mr. Powell described as a fine and exquisite piece of work.
O'BRIEN: Mr. Galloway, are you concerned about being perceived as an apologist for Saddam Hussein, sort of the Neville Chamberlain of your generation?
GALLOWAY: Well, you know, people on the left were the people who opposed Neville Chamberlain. And I think that's funny, coming from an American, who sat watching Britain in flames on newsreel while the barbarians were at our gates setting London on fire.
O'BRIEN: All right. George Galloway, member of parliament, and a man who most recently met Saddam Hussein in August for an interview for his column. Thank you for being with us on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
