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CNN Live At Daybreak
Why Syria?
Aired April 15, 2003 - 05:07 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: With a strong U.S. military presence still in Iraq, why is the Bush administration pointing fingers at Syria?
Let's talk more about that now.
CNN's senior political analyst Bill Schneider explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Syria and Iraq are neighbors and family. Syria is governed by the Baath Party, the same party that produced Saddam Hussein.
ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Gone is the brutal dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. Next, hopefully, is a reexamination by Syria and perhaps others about how they conduct their affairs.
SCHNEIDER: Iraq's Baath Party and Syria's Baath Party started to go their separate ways in the 1960s. When Iraq invaded Iran in 1980, Syria sided with Iran. When Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, Syria joined the multinational coalition that drove Iraq out of Kuwait.
It's only in the last six years that relations began to improve, especially after Syria's long time leader, Hafez al-Assad, died in 2000 and his son Bashar took over. The U.S. charges that military equipment has been shipped into Iraq through Syria, something the U.S. sees as a direct threat.
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We consider such trafficking as hostile acts and we'll hold the Syrian government accountable for such shipments.
SCHNEIDER: And that's not all.
RUMSFELD: We have seen the chemical weapons tests in Syria over the past 12, 15 months.
SCHNEIDER: And that's not all.
FLEISCHER: They are a state that sponsors terrorism.
SCHNEIDER: And worst of all, the administration says Syria is harboring Iraqi fugitives.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Syrian government needs to cooperate with the United States and our coalition partners and not harbor any Baathists.
SCHNEIDER: Syria has cooperated with the United States. After September 11, Syria gave the U.S. crucial information leading to the capture of suspected Islamic terrorists. But Syria believes it could be the next target. When President Bush says victory in Iraq will bring democracy to the region and end support for terrorism, Syrians say uh-oh, he's talking about us.
Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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 April 15, 2003 - 05:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: With a strong U.S. military presence still in Iraq, why is the Bush administration pointing fingers at Syria?
Let's talk more about that now.
CNN's senior political analyst Bill Schneider explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Syria and Iraq are neighbors and family. Syria is governed by the Baath Party, the same party that produced Saddam Hussein.
ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Gone is the brutal dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. Next, hopefully, is a reexamination by Syria and perhaps others about how they conduct their affairs.
SCHNEIDER: Iraq's Baath Party and Syria's Baath Party started to go their separate ways in the 1960s. When Iraq invaded Iran in 1980, Syria sided with Iran. When Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, Syria joined the multinational coalition that drove Iraq out of Kuwait.
It's only in the last six years that relations began to improve, especially after Syria's long time leader, Hafez al-Assad, died in 2000 and his son Bashar took over. The U.S. charges that military equipment has been shipped into Iraq through Syria, something the U.S. sees as a direct threat.
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We consider such trafficking as hostile acts and we'll hold the Syrian government accountable for such shipments.
SCHNEIDER: And that's not all.
RUMSFELD: We have seen the chemical weapons tests in Syria over the past 12, 15 months.
SCHNEIDER: And that's not all.
FLEISCHER: They are a state that sponsors terrorism.
SCHNEIDER: And worst of all, the administration says Syria is harboring Iraqi fugitives.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Syrian government needs to cooperate with the United States and our coalition partners and not harbor any Baathists.
SCHNEIDER: Syria has cooperated with the United States. After September 11, Syria gave the U.S. crucial information leading to the capture of suspected Islamic terrorists. But Syria believes it could be the next target. When President Bush says victory in Iraq will bring democracy to the region and end support for terrorism, Syrians say uh-oh, he's talking about us.
Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
