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American Morning
Moammar Qaddafi Pledges to Abandon Programs to Build WMDs
Aired December 22, 2003 - 08:16 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.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi has pledged to abandon his programs to build weapons of mass destruction. Now, the pledge came just as the 15th anniversary of the terrorist bombing of PanAm 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland was marked. That happened yesterday. The explosion, of course, killed 270 people.
A Libyan agent was found guilty of planting the bomb. In September, Colonel Qaddafi's government agreed to compensate the families of the victims.
But one person who is refusing the money is Victoria Cummock.
Her husband was killed on PanAm 103.
How does she feel about this new pledge from Libya?
She joins us from Miami.
Victoria, thanks for being with us this morning.
VICTORIA CUMMOCK, LOST HUSBAND IN PANAM 103: Good morning.
COOPER: When you got news, it happened on Friday, about this deal, I guess you would call it, or this desire by the Libyan government to reveal the details of their weapons of mass destruction program, what did you think?
CUMMOCK: Well, it seems to me that the Liberians got caught with their hand in the old proverbial cookie jar. It's been one of the five conditions of lifting the U.S. sanctions that the Liberians would state that they don't have weapons of mass destruction and weren't trying to make any or get anything. And until this point, they kept saying that they weren't involved with a weapons program and, in fact, the CIA confirmed it earlier this year.
I think announcing it right before the 15th year anniversary was another attempt of the Liberians to get more bang for their buck, as they usually do.
COOPER: Yes, I mean I guess personally you're preparing for this anniversary with your children and then this announcement comes.
Does it feel like a slap in the face?
CUMMOCK: It is. I think the offer of paying compensation as well as the announcement of the weapons of mass destruction program and dissolving it is really all an effort, it's a very disingenuous effort and really shows no remorse on the part of the Libyan government.
COOPER: What do you want the Libyan government to do? I mean clearly the Libyan government seems -- Moammar Qaddafi seems to want to reenter the community of nations, wants to get rid of these sanctions. If he does, in fact, give up the details of the weapons of mass destruction program and follows the other guidelines, would you welcome him back?
CUMMOCK: Well, I think all of this is about selling oil, like you say. Libya is the seventh largest producer of oil in the world. But just offering money for the loss of my husband to me, without any consequences, isn't about justice. And furthermore it's not a deterrent to any other further attacks of terrorism.
I clearly support the U.S. sanctions. There's five things that the Qaddafi regime has to do. Number one is to claim criminal responsibility. The offering of compensation came after they claimed civil responsibility and that's very different. Second of all, they have to cooperate with the criminal investigation. So far, al- Megrahi, a Libyan official, was convicted of it, but Qaddafi's regime say that he's innocent. The third condition for lifting of the sanctions was to renounce terrorism. Up until just a few weeks ago, Qaddafi said he never has supported terrorism, only freedom fighters. So the attack on PanAm 103, the attack against the Marines, hundreds that he murdered, the attack on the French UTA plane, blowing innocent people up, those were all attacks not by terrorists, but by freedom fighters.
COOPER: Victoria, do you feel like the American public has a short memory? I mean in the 1980s Muammar Qaddafi was -- he was the bin Laden of his day. I mean he was vilified by the U.S. regime -- by the U.S. government and now it seems like he is on a track to sort of reentering the world.
Do you think that's -- do you think people just don't remember?
CUMMOCK: Well, I think that's very true. Can you imagine if in 15 years bin Laden says to the 9/11 families I don't want to talk about what happened on 9/11, but I'm going to make you an eight month offer to get -- to release any criminal responsibility or any civil responsibility about what happened during the terrorist attacks? I want to offer you some money and I want to start selling oil back to the world.
The sanctions that have been inflicted against Libya have been around way before the bombing of PanAm 103.
COOPER: Well, we appreciate you joining us, Victoria Cummock, this morning.
I'm sure we'll be talking to you again in the future.
Thanks very much.
CUMMOCK: Thanks for your interest.
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 December 22, 2003 - 08:16 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi has pledged to abandon his programs to build weapons of mass destruction. Now, the pledge came just as the 15th anniversary of the terrorist bombing of PanAm 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland was marked. That happened yesterday. The explosion, of course, killed 270 people.
A Libyan agent was found guilty of planting the bomb. In September, Colonel Qaddafi's government agreed to compensate the families of the victims.
But one person who is refusing the money is Victoria Cummock.
Her husband was killed on PanAm 103.
How does she feel about this new pledge from Libya?
She joins us from Miami.
Victoria, thanks for being with us this morning.
VICTORIA CUMMOCK, LOST HUSBAND IN PANAM 103: Good morning.
COOPER: When you got news, it happened on Friday, about this deal, I guess you would call it, or this desire by the Libyan government to reveal the details of their weapons of mass destruction program, what did you think?
CUMMOCK: Well, it seems to me that the Liberians got caught with their hand in the old proverbial cookie jar. It's been one of the five conditions of lifting the U.S. sanctions that the Liberians would state that they don't have weapons of mass destruction and weren't trying to make any or get anything. And until this point, they kept saying that they weren't involved with a weapons program and, in fact, the CIA confirmed it earlier this year.
I think announcing it right before the 15th year anniversary was another attempt of the Liberians to get more bang for their buck, as they usually do.
COOPER: Yes, I mean I guess personally you're preparing for this anniversary with your children and then this announcement comes.
Does it feel like a slap in the face?
CUMMOCK: It is. I think the offer of paying compensation as well as the announcement of the weapons of mass destruction program and dissolving it is really all an effort, it's a very disingenuous effort and really shows no remorse on the part of the Libyan government.
COOPER: What do you want the Libyan government to do? I mean clearly the Libyan government seems -- Moammar Qaddafi seems to want to reenter the community of nations, wants to get rid of these sanctions. If he does, in fact, give up the details of the weapons of mass destruction program and follows the other guidelines, would you welcome him back?
CUMMOCK: Well, I think all of this is about selling oil, like you say. Libya is the seventh largest producer of oil in the world. But just offering money for the loss of my husband to me, without any consequences, isn't about justice. And furthermore it's not a deterrent to any other further attacks of terrorism.
I clearly support the U.S. sanctions. There's five things that the Qaddafi regime has to do. Number one is to claim criminal responsibility. The offering of compensation came after they claimed civil responsibility and that's very different. Second of all, they have to cooperate with the criminal investigation. So far, al- Megrahi, a Libyan official, was convicted of it, but Qaddafi's regime say that he's innocent. The third condition for lifting of the sanctions was to renounce terrorism. Up until just a few weeks ago, Qaddafi said he never has supported terrorism, only freedom fighters. So the attack on PanAm 103, the attack against the Marines, hundreds that he murdered, the attack on the French UTA plane, blowing innocent people up, those were all attacks not by terrorists, but by freedom fighters.
COOPER: Victoria, do you feel like the American public has a short memory? I mean in the 1980s Muammar Qaddafi was -- he was the bin Laden of his day. I mean he was vilified by the U.S. regime -- by the U.S. government and now it seems like he is on a track to sort of reentering the world.
Do you think that's -- do you think people just don't remember?
CUMMOCK: Well, I think that's very true. Can you imagine if in 15 years bin Laden says to the 9/11 families I don't want to talk about what happened on 9/11, but I'm going to make you an eight month offer to get -- to release any criminal responsibility or any civil responsibility about what happened during the terrorist attacks? I want to offer you some money and I want to start selling oil back to the world.
The sanctions that have been inflicted against Libya have been around way before the bombing of PanAm 103.
COOPER: Well, we appreciate you joining us, Victoria Cummock, this morning.
I'm sure we'll be talking to you again in the future.
Thanks very much.
CUMMOCK: Thanks for your interest.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
