Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Saturday

Rumsfeld's Trip Regarded as a Success

Aired October 06, 2001 - 14:08   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.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: And as we mentioned, the defense secretary is now back in Washington. He's been to the Middle East to secure support for America's war on terrorism.

Standing by at the Pentagon now is CNN's Kathleen Koch with the very latest from there -- Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Catherine, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld returned to the Washington, D.C. area before dawn this morning and then headed shortly thereafter to the White House to brief President Bush via videoconference on his trip.

And the consensus here is that it was indeed a success, particularly in the Secretary's next-to-last stop in the former Soviet Republic of Uzbekistan. During his three-hour visit there, Rumsfeld was able to get a commitment to allow U.S. planes, helicopters, and troops to use one of the southern air bases for humanitarian purposes, such as food drops and rescue operations.

Securing that agreement was seen as vital, since it gives the U.S. access to northern Afghanistan, that will be crucial in its campaign against Osama bin Laden.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: There is no question but that the threat that terrorists pose to the world is a real one. It's an immediate one. And it's one that can be dealt with only by taking the effort to the terrorists and to the countries that is harbor them.

That being the case, it's going to take the cooperation of nations all across the world, and certainly the support that's been provided is deeply appreciated.

I would underline the remarks made by the President. Not living in the immediate area here, needless to say, we benefit not only by the cooperation, but also by the insights and the perspectives that the President offered.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: Pentagon officials have told CNN that 1,000 light infantry troops, U.S. light infantry troops, were expected to arrive in Uzbekistan by Friday in order to provide security at that air field. We are also hearing though that important signals were sent by the President, President Islam Karimov, the Uzbekistan president.

Saying that his country -- while his country isn't quite ready yet to allow U.S. troops to stage offensive attacks from his country into Afghanistan, he has not ruled that out. And while Defense Secretary Rumsfeld says that there is no quid pro quo involved here, that it is thought that perhaps with assurances of U.S. economic assistance, some security guarantees, that that picture could change.

So Catherine, what we're seeing here is that each of the five countries that is Secretary Rumsfeld visited, also including Egypt, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, each these countries is carefully weighing the degree of support that they can offer to this U.S. campaign, especially how publicly they can offer that campaign without risking internal uprisings -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: All right, thank you. Kathleen Koch reporting from the Pentagon.

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