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CNN Live At Daybreak

Interview with Nancy Soderberg On A Post-Taliban Government

Aired October 26, 2001 - 06:40   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: What happens if and when the Taliban is finally rooted out of Afghanistan?

To talk more about that, we have with us Nancy Soderberg. She is a former alternate U.S. representative to the United Nations, and she is joining us this morning, I believe, from Washington, D.C., if I am not mistaken -- good morning.

NANCY SODERBERG, FORMER ALTERNATE U.S. REPRESENTATIVE TO THE United Nations: Good morning. I'm actually in New York.

KAGAN: Oh, you are in New York. I was trying to guess by the monitors behind you, so I'm down one, but good to have you with us.

On a serious note, let's talk about what happens next, after the military campaign in Afghanistan. This week, these groups trying to meet to form this coalition government, but we have a very aged king, in his late 80s, groups that do not see eye to eye, and a country that has no legacy of democracy. This does not seem like a hopeful format for forming a coalition government.

SODERBERG: Yes, I think you're exactly right. People are really becoming aware of just how difficult it will be to forge a post- Taliban regime to keep the peace and to have a stable Afghanistan. I think one of the lessons of the last decade is that it was wrong to leave Afghanistan alone for this decade, and I think what that has taught us is this is going to be a long-term and very tough engagement.

KAGAN: And what do you make of the news today of the detainment or the arrest of opposition leader of Abdul Haq in Afghanistan?

SODERBERG: It can't be good news, no question about it. One of the things that people need to realize is, while everyone is talking about what is a post-Taliban regime going to look at, the Taliban are not leaving easily. The hope is that they'll negotiate their way out of power or be toppled out of Kabul. Neither of those are going to be easy.

KAGAN: Well, on that note, it was, I think, surprising for a lot of Americans to hear Secretary of State Powell say this week that, in fact, in this coalition government, there should be some factions of a moderate Taliban. Kind of a confusing message to Americans -- we have this military campaign against them, but in fact, it would be beneficial to have some of them stay. Is that just being realistic?

SODERBERG: I don't think it's confusing. I think that what you want to do is have a broad-based coalition government, which would include some of -- if there are -- moderate Taliban regime, certainly not the leaders, but I think you'd want to have some element in order to forge a real coalition.

The idea is that you'd have a coalition of the various rebel factions, the government, the former king, who has not been in Afghanistan for three decades, so his level of support is certainly not among the young people. But you'd have a broad coalition...

KAGAN: But symbolic, it's nonetheless.

SODERBERG: Yes, I think it's important. There seems to be agreement that he can play a constructive role, and he's willing to do so. Certainly, within the United Nations and in the U.S. government, they believe that, and I think they are probably right.

The trick is, who is going to keep the peace? This is not a country that's going to immediately live peacefully among each other. There are going to be pockets of resistance and factions. Right now, no one is volunteering for that job.

KAGAN: But the fingers seem to keep pointing to the United Nations, and it's key to the involvement. And in your former association with that organization, what do you think about that?

SODERBERG: Well, I think the U.N. is perfectly capable of coming in and helping a new government administer Kabul. The problem is that the U.N. cannot enforce the peace in Afghanistan. We learned that in Somalia, Rwanda, Bosnia. When there is a war, the U.N. cannot perform well. You need outside troops, who are willing to fight a war who can do that. The presumption is that it will be Turkish or Moroccan or some form of Muslim coalition going in, but they are not

(CROSSTALK)

KAGAN: But not American, not American?

SODERBERG: No. I think the Americans would not be the right ones to be on the grounds doing that. I think they could provide assistance in training to whatever force is there, whether it ultimately is an Afghan force or some multinational coalition. But I think it's highly unlikely that you'd have the Americans being the peacekeepers.

KAGAN: Well, and because there is fear among many in the U.S. that this could become another Vietnam, of U.S. involvement for many, many years to come. How does the U.S. avoid that?

SODERBERG: Well, by learning of the lessons from the past, and I think another Somalia is in people's minds.

I think what's also going on is this current administration doesn't want to repeat the perceived mistake of having kept Saddam Hussein in power in Iraq, and they don't want to leave the problem for the next generation. So they are learning from the lessons, and I think going about it quite right. But people should be under no allusions. This is not going to be easy.

KAGAN: It's not going to be easy, not going to be quick. Our time is quickly going, though. Nancy Soderberg, thank you for joining...

SODERBERG: My pleasure.

KAGAN: ... us this morning with your insights -- appreciate it.

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