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CNN Live Today

Interview With Adnan Pachachi

Aired September 24, 2003 - 10:23   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: The Bush administration will likely defend its budget request by citing yet another terror attack in Iraq earlier this morning as (UNINTELLIGIBLE) triggered a series of bombs in northern Baghdad. Two commuter buses were hit, killing one passenger and wounding a dozen others. The intended target was believed to have been a nearby U.S. military vehicle.
Now let's a closer look at challenges and the struggles through the eyes of an Iraqi. Adnan Pachachi is a member of the Iraqi Governing Council. He has served as Iraq's foreign minister and ambassador to the U.N. before the Ba'athist seized power in a coup in 1968 and he is joining us from the United Nations this morning. Good morning, thank you for being with us.

ADNAN PACHACHI, IRAQI GOVERNING COUNCIL: Good morning.

KAGAN: What did you take away from President Bush's speech yesterday before the U.N.?

PACHACHI: Well, I -- we were very impressed by his speech. It was focused. He devoted a major part of his speech to Iraq. And we are, of course, grateful for the assistance that has been given and is going to be given to Iraq. The Iraqi needs are enormous and our resources are limited.

So it is very important for us that the money that the president has asked Congress to allocate to Iraq, put to the restoration of Iraq is very important to us.

KAGAN: Let's talk about the timeframe here of turning over power to the Governing Council. President Bush is not giving a specific timetable saying as needed, as the Iraqis are ready. And yet you hear others, a member of your own council, Ahmed Chalabi, calling for almost an immediate turnover. What do you think would be the appropriate timing?

PACHACHI: Well, I think the draft resolution circulated by the United States asks the Governing Council to set a timetable for a constitution (UNINTELLIGIBLE). And we are prepared to do that.

KAGAN: But if you were setting that timetable, you're from the inside, what do you think would be an appropriate timetable, sir?

PACHACHI: Well, see, it all depends on how long it will take us to draft a new constitution. I'm thinking in terms of probably six or seven months to be followed by a referendum on the constitution and the elections. But in the meanwhile, in the meanwhile, I think the sovereignty of the Iraqi state should be vested in the governing council. See, the Iraqi state has not disappeared. It's still there, it's one of the founding members of the United Nations. And the resolutions of the Security Council affirmed the sovereignty of Iraq and its territorial integrity.

We believe that during this transitional period, the sovereignty of the Iraqi state should be vested in the Governing Council which is the only Iraqi body with a broadly-based representation and its actually now having very wide responsibilities and is governing the country in collaboration and in consultation with the United Nations as well as, of course, the coalition authority.

KAGAN: I want to ask you, there's a new poll outdone by the Gallup Organization from here in the U.S.. They went over to Iraq and asked some citizens some questions. Some basic questions here.

Do you think the ousting of Saddam Hussein was worth it given all of the troubles today? Actually -- we'll look at that one, since that one's up. The question here, U.S. military invasion has made Iraq better off or worse off? Forty-seven percent of the people asked saying worse off.

Mr. Ambassador, could you comment on those numbers?

PACHACHI: Well, first of all, I think the Iraqis, a great majority, know that without the United States military intervention the regime of Saddam Hussein would still be governing Iraq now. I think this is something that all are agreed on.

KAGAN: But do you think that's just a reaction to people's daily lives? How it's been impacted? As terrible as it was as under Saddam Hussein most people under that weren't afraid to leave their home, weren't afraid to send their children to school, could walk down the street, let say, the major streets of Baghdad without fear of criminals taking over? That the impact, the daily impact to the average Iraqi today is not better.

PACHACHI: Unfortunately, there wasn't enough preparation for the power vacuum that was inevitably going to exist after the fall of the regime. And that's why there was a period of lawlessness, of looting, of murder and killing. And shortages of all the major requirements of the population in the first few weeks after the fall of the regime. And that has affected the situation very much.

In addition to that, there are -- there are a lot of weapons in the -- among the people. And because of the release of all of the criminals who were in jail before they thought this was a very good opportunity for them to use the abundant weapons. And because of the breakdown of law and order to terrorize the people.

And then there is, of course, the problem of the remnants of the Ba'ath Party, the Ba'ath Party. And the frustration by some religious fundamentalist organizations which want to destabilize the situation.

(CROSSTALK)

KAGAN: I just want to ask you a personal question here because what you have done by agreeing to be on this council clearly comes with some personal risk. Earlier this week, one of the few women serving on the Governing Council, Aquila al-Hashimi, was shot, she was attacked. And today is fighting for her life and what we hear, not doing very well in Baghdad. Do you have any of the latest on her condition?

PACHACHI: Well, unfortunately, I heard that her situation has deteriorated somewhat. And, of course, we are all praying that she could -- that she would survive.

Of course, we are all targeted. There's no doubt of that. And we are doing this at great personal risk, I mean each and every one of us. But we feel that this is a duty that we have to undertake. And the Iraqi people expect us to help Iraq get out of this terrible predicament it's in now.

KAGAN: We wish you well with the difficult job as the head of you and your fellow council members. Thank you for joining us today, Mr. Ambassador. Appreciate it.

PACHACHI: Thank you.

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 September 24, 2003 - 10:23   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: The Bush administration will likely defend its budget request by citing yet another terror attack in Iraq earlier this morning as (UNINTELLIGIBLE) triggered a series of bombs in northern Baghdad. Two commuter buses were hit, killing one passenger and wounding a dozen others. The intended target was believed to have been a nearby U.S. military vehicle.
Now let's a closer look at challenges and the struggles through the eyes of an Iraqi. Adnan Pachachi is a member of the Iraqi Governing Council. He has served as Iraq's foreign minister and ambassador to the U.N. before the Ba'athist seized power in a coup in 1968 and he is joining us from the United Nations this morning. Good morning, thank you for being with us.

ADNAN PACHACHI, IRAQI GOVERNING COUNCIL: Good morning.

KAGAN: What did you take away from President Bush's speech yesterday before the U.N.?

PACHACHI: Well, I -- we were very impressed by his speech. It was focused. He devoted a major part of his speech to Iraq. And we are, of course, grateful for the assistance that has been given and is going to be given to Iraq. The Iraqi needs are enormous and our resources are limited.

So it is very important for us that the money that the president has asked Congress to allocate to Iraq, put to the restoration of Iraq is very important to us.

KAGAN: Let's talk about the timeframe here of turning over power to the Governing Council. President Bush is not giving a specific timetable saying as needed, as the Iraqis are ready. And yet you hear others, a member of your own council, Ahmed Chalabi, calling for almost an immediate turnover. What do you think would be the appropriate timing?

PACHACHI: Well, I think the draft resolution circulated by the United States asks the Governing Council to set a timetable for a constitution (UNINTELLIGIBLE). And we are prepared to do that.

KAGAN: But if you were setting that timetable, you're from the inside, what do you think would be an appropriate timetable, sir?

PACHACHI: Well, see, it all depends on how long it will take us to draft a new constitution. I'm thinking in terms of probably six or seven months to be followed by a referendum on the constitution and the elections. But in the meanwhile, in the meanwhile, I think the sovereignty of the Iraqi state should be vested in the governing council. See, the Iraqi state has not disappeared. It's still there, it's one of the founding members of the United Nations. And the resolutions of the Security Council affirmed the sovereignty of Iraq and its territorial integrity.

We believe that during this transitional period, the sovereignty of the Iraqi state should be vested in the Governing Council which is the only Iraqi body with a broadly-based representation and its actually now having very wide responsibilities and is governing the country in collaboration and in consultation with the United Nations as well as, of course, the coalition authority.

KAGAN: I want to ask you, there's a new poll outdone by the Gallup Organization from here in the U.S.. They went over to Iraq and asked some citizens some questions. Some basic questions here.

Do you think the ousting of Saddam Hussein was worth it given all of the troubles today? Actually -- we'll look at that one, since that one's up. The question here, U.S. military invasion has made Iraq better off or worse off? Forty-seven percent of the people asked saying worse off.

Mr. Ambassador, could you comment on those numbers?

PACHACHI: Well, first of all, I think the Iraqis, a great majority, know that without the United States military intervention the regime of Saddam Hussein would still be governing Iraq now. I think this is something that all are agreed on.

KAGAN: But do you think that's just a reaction to people's daily lives? How it's been impacted? As terrible as it was as under Saddam Hussein most people under that weren't afraid to leave their home, weren't afraid to send their children to school, could walk down the street, let say, the major streets of Baghdad without fear of criminals taking over? That the impact, the daily impact to the average Iraqi today is not better.

PACHACHI: Unfortunately, there wasn't enough preparation for the power vacuum that was inevitably going to exist after the fall of the regime. And that's why there was a period of lawlessness, of looting, of murder and killing. And shortages of all the major requirements of the population in the first few weeks after the fall of the regime. And that has affected the situation very much.

In addition to that, there are -- there are a lot of weapons in the -- among the people. And because of the release of all of the criminals who were in jail before they thought this was a very good opportunity for them to use the abundant weapons. And because of the breakdown of law and order to terrorize the people.

And then there is, of course, the problem of the remnants of the Ba'ath Party, the Ba'ath Party. And the frustration by some religious fundamentalist organizations which want to destabilize the situation.

(CROSSTALK)

KAGAN: I just want to ask you a personal question here because what you have done by agreeing to be on this council clearly comes with some personal risk. Earlier this week, one of the few women serving on the Governing Council, Aquila al-Hashimi, was shot, she was attacked. And today is fighting for her life and what we hear, not doing very well in Baghdad. Do you have any of the latest on her condition?

PACHACHI: Well, unfortunately, I heard that her situation has deteriorated somewhat. And, of course, we are all praying that she could -- that she would survive.

Of course, we are all targeted. There's no doubt of that. And we are doing this at great personal risk, I mean each and every one of us. But we feel that this is a duty that we have to undertake. And the Iraqi people expect us to help Iraq get out of this terrible predicament it's in now.

KAGAN: We wish you well with the difficult job as the head of you and your fellow council members. Thank you for joining us today, Mr. Ambassador. Appreciate it.

PACHACHI: Thank you.

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