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Iranian President Pledges Support for Group Near Top of U.S. Government's Terrorist List
Aired May 14, 2003 - 05:34 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: While visiting Lebanon, Iranian President Mohammad Khatami pledged his country's continued support for a group near the top of the U.S. government's list of terrorist organizations.
Brent Sadler joins us by phone from Beirut with more on that -- good morning, Brent.
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Well, Iran has given its first response to the terrorist bombings in Saudi Arabia. Iranian President Mohammad Khatami condemning those bombings that killed 29 people, including eight Americans. The Saudi attacks targeting the housing compounds of Western and Arab families, he said, provides, "a pretext for those who want to impose wars on people."
President Khatami leads the reformist camp in Iran that advocates better relations with the United States, which considers Tehran to be one of the world's major sponsors of terrorism. Iran rejects that accusation and further accusations that groups such as the Iranian backed Lebanese Hezbollah and radical groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad are terrorists.
Since President Khatami arrived here Monday, his message has been consistent -- the United States, he says, should back away from its demands to pressure Syria, Iran and Lebanon to drop support for Hezbollah. But there's been no sign of that Iranian support wavering for Hezbollah.
In fact, the Iranian leader's presence here has given the group a golden opportunity to showcase its agenda as a force it says legitimately resists Israel and has now turned itself into an influential Lebanese political party, with nine members of the parliament here, an agenda which received unequivocal support from the Iranian president, who also cautioned the United States against creating other crises in the region, especially with Syria, which the Iranian president visits later this day -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Brent, you got into it a little bit. Just so Americans can understand, how does Iran define a terrorist group if it doesn't think Hezbollah is a terrorist group?
SADLER: Well, this is the debate which rages between Tehran, Syria, Lebanon and the United States almost on a weekly basis. The Lebanese regard that Hezbollah is resisting Israeli troops, which still occupy a patch of disputed land in the foot of the Golan Heights. So there are sporadic exchanges between Israeli forces in South Lebanon and Hezbollah.
Hezbollah, of course, associated, accused by the U.S. in the 1980s of being involved in kidnappings and bombings of U.S. and other Western targets. So that has been a tussle of definition of who is a resistance and who is a terrorist fighter over the past two decades.
Now, really, in sharper focus, obviously since the 9/11 terror attacks against the United States. But this issue is continually being hammered by the United States, which wants to force Syria and Iran to stop supplying military assistance to Hezbollah -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Brent Sadler reporting live from Beirut this morning.
Many thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
U.S. Government's Terrorist List>
Aired May 14, 2003 - 05:34 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: While visiting Lebanon, Iranian President Mohammad Khatami pledged his country's continued support for a group near the top of the U.S. government's list of terrorist organizations.
Brent Sadler joins us by phone from Beirut with more on that -- good morning, Brent.
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Well, Iran has given its first response to the terrorist bombings in Saudi Arabia. Iranian President Mohammad Khatami condemning those bombings that killed 29 people, including eight Americans. The Saudi attacks targeting the housing compounds of Western and Arab families, he said, provides, "a pretext for those who want to impose wars on people."
President Khatami leads the reformist camp in Iran that advocates better relations with the United States, which considers Tehran to be one of the world's major sponsors of terrorism. Iran rejects that accusation and further accusations that groups such as the Iranian backed Lebanese Hezbollah and radical groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad are terrorists.
Since President Khatami arrived here Monday, his message has been consistent -- the United States, he says, should back away from its demands to pressure Syria, Iran and Lebanon to drop support for Hezbollah. But there's been no sign of that Iranian support wavering for Hezbollah.
In fact, the Iranian leader's presence here has given the group a golden opportunity to showcase its agenda as a force it says legitimately resists Israel and has now turned itself into an influential Lebanese political party, with nine members of the parliament here, an agenda which received unequivocal support from the Iranian president, who also cautioned the United States against creating other crises in the region, especially with Syria, which the Iranian president visits later this day -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Brent, you got into it a little bit. Just so Americans can understand, how does Iran define a terrorist group if it doesn't think Hezbollah is a terrorist group?
SADLER: Well, this is the debate which rages between Tehran, Syria, Lebanon and the United States almost on a weekly basis. The Lebanese regard that Hezbollah is resisting Israeli troops, which still occupy a patch of disputed land in the foot of the Golan Heights. So there are sporadic exchanges between Israeli forces in South Lebanon and Hezbollah.
Hezbollah, of course, associated, accused by the U.S. in the 1980s of being involved in kidnappings and bombings of U.S. and other Western targets. So that has been a tussle of definition of who is a resistance and who is a terrorist fighter over the past two decades.
Now, really, in sharper focus, obviously since the 9/11 terror attacks against the United States. But this issue is continually being hammered by the United States, which wants to force Syria and Iran to stop supplying military assistance to Hezbollah -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Brent Sadler reporting live from Beirut this morning.
Many thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
U.S. Government's Terrorist List>
