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CNN Live At Daybreak

America Under Attack: Discussion with Secretary of State Colin Powell

Aired October 10, 2001 - 07:20   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: Another chilling message from the al Qaeda terrorist network. A spokesman praised the September 11 attacks on the U.S. as a good deed and he warned of more attacks against U.S. interests.

CNN has been asked by federal officials not to use the specific wording of the tape and has agreed. The taped statement is chilling and of concern to the administration.

Analysts are examining the language to determine whether it may contain coded information to terrorists around the world to take some plan of action.

So paraphrasing now, in the tape, al Qaeda spokesman Sulaiman Bu Ghaith said the hijackings of planes will not stop and there are thousands of young Islamic fundamentalists to carry out such attacks. He did not explicitly say al Qaeda was responsible for the September 11 hijackings, but praised the hijackers.

The statement was carried by the Arab news network Al Jazeera.

Secretary of State Colin Powell begins a critical trip to India and Pakistan this week, where he will try to stabilize a region critical to the U.S.' anti-terrorist effort. And as we told you, the al Qaeda terrorists have issued new threats against the U.S. which the U.S. appears to be taking very seriously.

The secretary of state is taking time out from his very busy schedule to join us this morning. Welcome, sir. Good to have you with us.

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: Thank you. Good morning, Paula.

ZAHN: So let's talk a little bit about the concern the administration has over this latest taped statement from the al Qaeda network. Do you believe it has a coded message in it?

POWELL: Well, I don't know. That's why analysts are looking at it. But I think it's responsible on the part of CNN to shade that a little bit so that we don't have it coming full force at us and with the potential of perhaps conveying some kind of message. So I congratulate CNN for taking that step. ZAHN: On its surface, though, are you able to tell us what concerns you the most?

POWELL: What concerns me the most is that there is still this terrorist organization called al Qaeda that is at work. But at the same time I am very, very satisfied that the campaign that President Bush has put together and is leading and that has been joined by so many nations around the world, so many international organizations, is correctly aimed at the heart of al Qaeda to make sure we rip this network up not only in Afghanistan, but wherever it is located around the world, and that we get to the leader of this organization, Osama bin Laden.

But remember, it is also a campaign against all forms of terrorism and that, I think, is what has been especially useful in pulling the whole world together, this recognition that terrorism is something we all have to attack wherever it occurs throughout the world.

ZAHN: And Mr. Secretary, as you've gotten through the first phase of this campaign, a letter was sent to the U.N. Security Council reserving the right to strike against other countries in the war on terrorism. And yesterday Senator John McCain was on the air here where he says that it is a possibility the U.S. and its allies could be striking Iran, Iraq, Syria and Sudan, among other nations. Could you comment on that this morning?

POWELL: Well, I'm not going to speculate on what might happen in the future. I don't think that would be useful. The president has clearly said that the first focus of this campaign is on al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan and in the other places where al Qaeda is located throughout the world.

But the president has reserved the right to follow terrorism to its sources and to those nations that harbor or provide haven to terrorists, they do so at their risk. And that's where we have, that's where we have placed our policy and I think it's on a sound foundation. We'll see what comes in the future.

With respect to that particular sentence in the letter that we presented to the U.N., it is merely a statement of policy that's been there from the very beginning. The president reserves the right to examine what else might be necessary to go after worldwide terrorism.

ZAHN: So if you believe the letter was routine, did you know that letter was going out to the U.N.?

POWELL: I was aware that we were providing a letter to the United Nations consistent with our responsibilities to do so under Article 51.

ZAHN: And are any other nations in the coalition concerned about what is stated in this letter?

POWELL: Some nations were not expecting that particular sentence, but it is not a source of any friction or a problem with the members of the coalition.

ZAHN: So are there any weak links in the coalition this morning?

POWELL: No, none. No weak links. I think the coalition is in good shape. People keep saying it's going to fracture, it's going to come apart, it's going to get weaker, but, in fact, it has been getting stronger. More and more people recognize that this is a threat not just against the United States, but against all civilized nations. And I'm very pleased that in the four weeks we have been working on this, the coalition has come together with expressions of support. Some nations can only give expressions of support. Others want to commit their armed forces to the military part of the campaign. All are contributing with respect to going after financial institutions that provide access to funds for terrorists and so many are contributing to intelligence sharing.

So every member of the coalition has a role to play. Sometimes it's a very active role, including military contributions. Other times it's support within international bodies.

ZAHN: Mr. Boucher was hard pressed at a news conference yesterday to come up with an example of support that has been given the United States from Arab or Muslim nations since these military attacks. Can you name some countries this morning who have publicly stated or at least privately stated to you their support for this ongoing campaign?

POWELL: President Hosni Mubarak stated his support for it yesterday and support is manifested in many ways. Many of the countries in the region have provided us over flight, have provided us access to facilities and bases. And so I think that's very, very important and that is certainly a sign of their support.

ZAHN: You will be traveling to India and Pakistan next week and some Pakistani officials have expressed some concern about a long campaign. What kind of reassurances does Pakistan need right now to ensure the stability of its government?

POWELL: I think the government is quite stable. President Musharraf made a very bold and courageous decision to join the coalition and to work against terrorism. He has paid something of a political price. There are demonstrations in Pakistan. But those demonstrations are quite manageable and don't reflect what's happening throughout the country. And I look forward to meeting with him next week and reassuring him of not only the support of the United States, but the support of the international community for the courageous steps that he has taken and the path that Pakistan has put itself on.

And I also look forward to visiting India, where I'll have a chance to speak to the Indian leadership, to Prime Minister Vajpayee about the important role that India is playing in the coalition, as well.

ZAHN: Coming back to Pakistan for a moment, President Musharraf indicated earlier this week that he was told this campaign would have a limited time span. Is that the case? POWELL: I don't know of such a conversation. I'm sure he hopes it has a limited time frame. Everybody does. But it's not how long it is in time but whether it accomplishes the mission we have for it and the mission is to do everything we can to destroy al Qaeda bases, to make sure the Taliban military does not interfere with any of our operations and to do the job that we are intending to do, which is to rip up the al Qaeda network.

So it would be the wish of anyone to see it be a short campaign but the more important point is that it will be an effective cooperation. It will do the job that is intended.

ZAHN: I know you've got to be careful about what you tell me now, but can you share anything that you might be talking to the Indian government about next week in terms of the dispute over Kashmir?

POWELL: I'm sure Kashmir will be a subject of discussion, but I think I'd prefer to have those discussions with the leaders of India and Pakistan and then I'm sure I'll have an opportunity to report on the results of that discussions, those discussions.

ZAHN: We'll hold you to that and bring you back maybe some time next week.

Thank you again for your time this morning, sir, Secretary of State Colin Powell.

POWELL: Thank you, Paula.

ZAHN: Still to come, more information on the anthrax scare and a mysterious master terrorist, his face unknown. Now, he may be a prime target in the fight against terrorism.

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