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CNN Live At Daybreak

Target: Terrorism - Rumsfeld Goes to Middle East

Aired October 03, 2001 - 08:09   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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is heading for Saudi Arabia. It is the first stop on his tour of four nations. All of them key allies in the war on terrorism.

CNN's Jeanne Meserve is at the Pentagon with more on the Rumsfeld mission -- good morning, Jeanne.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

The secretary of defense on a whirlwind tour through the region hoping to drum up more support in the Muslim world for what is a very controversial mission there -- the U.S. war against terrorism. He left last night from Andrews Air Force Base outside of Washington and spoke to reporters on board his aircraft during the first leg of his trip.

He said what the U.S. wants from its friends and allies in the region more than anything else is intelligence, particularly from those who border on Afghanistan.

Here's a quote -- he said: "I really believe that before it's over, it's not going to be a cruise missile or a bomber that is going to be a determining factor. It is going to be a scrap of information."

That said, Rumsfeld said it is going to be intelligence that is going to allow the U.S. to grab terrorism, and as he said, "pull it up by its roots and end it."

As for the man the U.S. believes is the mastermind of the terrorist acts against the United States, Osama bin Laden, Rumsfeld indicated that the U.S. already has gathered some valuable information about him and his whereabouts. He said, "I have a little bit of a handle on that, but I do not have coordinates."

On this trip, Rumsfeld is going to make -- be making stops, as you mentioned, in Saudi Arabia; also in Oman and in Egypt; also in Uzbekistan.

Rumsfeld said it's still an open question as to whether or not Uzbekistan will allow U.S. troops and planes to be based there. He said in Saudi Arabia, the U.S. will not be making any specific requests. He said, the royal family will be allowed to be a silent partner in this war against terrorism. In Egypt, Rumsfeld hopes to visit some U.S. troops who are on exercises there.

Of course, high-level talks going on in each of these locations with military leaders; also with some political leaders.

Rumsfeld says the point of the trip is to solidify relationships. What the U.S. wants is to build the kind of response that will allow the U.S. to wage a sustained war, he said, against terrorism -- Paula, back to you.

ZAHN: Thanks so much, Jeanne, for that update.

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