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Interview With Aziz Mekouar
Aired May 22, 2003 - 15:17 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.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Officials in Morocco said today that they are searching for nine Moroccans in connection with last week's suicide attacks in Casablanca. Forty-one people died in the bombings, including 12 suicide bombers.
With me now to talk more about Morocco's response to the attacks is the Moroccan ambassador to the United States, Aziz Mekouar.
Mr. Ambassador, thank you for being with us. Is there any more evidence now of a link between al Qaeda and these bombings?
AZIZ MEKOUAR, MOROCCAN AMBASSADOR TO U.S.: We have everything, the signature of what happened. The events, as they are, lets us think that there is a real connection, international connection with the bombings of last week in Morocco.
WOODRUFF: But no hard proof yet?
MEKOUAR: Not yet, but I think that we are close to it.
WOODRUFF: You have two groups, fundamentalist groups, at least, based in Morocco. One called Righteous Path, the other Retrenchment and Excommunication. These groups tied to al Qaeda?
MEKOUAR: Yes. Well, we suppose so. We suppose so, but remember that last year, at the same time, more or less, in June or July, we arrested a cell of al Qaeda in Morocco that was planning to attack the 6th Fleet on the Straits of Gibraltar. And we have been working the last two years very closely with the American government to -- against, I mean, on this fight against terror. And we have been working very hard and we have been -- we dismantled several cells all around the world, thanks to this cooperation.
WOODRUFF: The idea that the Morocco is a target of these terrorists, there was one Moroccan official who was quoted in "The Washington Post" as saying, "It is a price that we pay for siding with America in the war on terror." He said, "In a certain way, we've been equated with Israel as the infidel country." Is that what's going on?
MEKOUAR: Well let me -- remember what Morocco is. Morocco is a democracy. We believe in human rights, women's rights. We have been working on that for the last years. We've been working hand in hand with the United States on the war against terror very closely.
WOODRUFF: And you're paying the price for that? Is that...
MEKOUAR: Well, maybe this is one of the reasons of what happened last week in Morocco. You know, this is the first time that something like that happens in Morocco.
Morocco is a very safe country. It was a very quiet country, and nothing like that has ever happened. People were very, very stunned and surprised by this. The Moroccans are reacting very toughly against this.
WOODRUFF: You do describe your close relationship with the United States. Let me cite you what a Moroccan journalist said in the newspaper. Attajihd Mustaffa Kafi (ph), he said, "It's a big contradiction. Morocco gives big political support to the United States."
But he said, "On the other hand, we have no real aid. Morocco defends U.S. interests." And he said the U.S. should respect Morocco.
MEKOUAR: Well, I think that the relationship between Morocco and the U.S. is good, and we have a close relationship with the government.
WOODRUFF: Is it an even relationship?
MEKOUAR: Well, yes. We hope to have more political support of the American government. It has been good, but we hope for more.
And, for instance, if we think about cooperation aid, it's very, very low. But we hope that in the future we will have more of that. But anyway, our friendship with the United States is a longstanding friendship.
We were, I think, the first country which recognized the United States, and this has to be said. And we have been very close to the United States in the last 50 years and mainly during the Cold War. We were on the same side.
WOODRUFF: Morocco's ambassador to the United States, Aziz Mekouar, thank you very much.
MEKOUAR: Thank you very much. Thank you.
WOODRUFF: We appreciate you coming in to talk with us. Good to see you -- thanks.
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 May 22, 2003 - 15:17 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Officials in Morocco said today that they are searching for nine Moroccans in connection with last week's suicide attacks in Casablanca. Forty-one people died in the bombings, including 12 suicide bombers.
With me now to talk more about Morocco's response to the attacks is the Moroccan ambassador to the United States, Aziz Mekouar.
Mr. Ambassador, thank you for being with us. Is there any more evidence now of a link between al Qaeda and these bombings?
AZIZ MEKOUAR, MOROCCAN AMBASSADOR TO U.S.: We have everything, the signature of what happened. The events, as they are, lets us think that there is a real connection, international connection with the bombings of last week in Morocco.
WOODRUFF: But no hard proof yet?
MEKOUAR: Not yet, but I think that we are close to it.
WOODRUFF: You have two groups, fundamentalist groups, at least, based in Morocco. One called Righteous Path, the other Retrenchment and Excommunication. These groups tied to al Qaeda?
MEKOUAR: Yes. Well, we suppose so. We suppose so, but remember that last year, at the same time, more or less, in June or July, we arrested a cell of al Qaeda in Morocco that was planning to attack the 6th Fleet on the Straits of Gibraltar. And we have been working the last two years very closely with the American government to -- against, I mean, on this fight against terror. And we have been working very hard and we have been -- we dismantled several cells all around the world, thanks to this cooperation.
WOODRUFF: The idea that the Morocco is a target of these terrorists, there was one Moroccan official who was quoted in "The Washington Post" as saying, "It is a price that we pay for siding with America in the war on terror." He said, "In a certain way, we've been equated with Israel as the infidel country." Is that what's going on?
MEKOUAR: Well let me -- remember what Morocco is. Morocco is a democracy. We believe in human rights, women's rights. We have been working on that for the last years. We've been working hand in hand with the United States on the war against terror very closely.
WOODRUFF: And you're paying the price for that? Is that...
MEKOUAR: Well, maybe this is one of the reasons of what happened last week in Morocco. You know, this is the first time that something like that happens in Morocco.
Morocco is a very safe country. It was a very quiet country, and nothing like that has ever happened. People were very, very stunned and surprised by this. The Moroccans are reacting very toughly against this.
WOODRUFF: You do describe your close relationship with the United States. Let me cite you what a Moroccan journalist said in the newspaper. Attajihd Mustaffa Kafi (ph), he said, "It's a big contradiction. Morocco gives big political support to the United States."
But he said, "On the other hand, we have no real aid. Morocco defends U.S. interests." And he said the U.S. should respect Morocco.
MEKOUAR: Well, I think that the relationship between Morocco and the U.S. is good, and we have a close relationship with the government.
WOODRUFF: Is it an even relationship?
MEKOUAR: Well, yes. We hope to have more political support of the American government. It has been good, but we hope for more.
And, for instance, if we think about cooperation aid, it's very, very low. But we hope that in the future we will have more of that. But anyway, our friendship with the United States is a longstanding friendship.
We were, I think, the first country which recognized the United States, and this has to be said. And we have been very close to the United States in the last 50 years and mainly during the Cold War. We were on the same side.
WOODRUFF: Morocco's ambassador to the United States, Aziz Mekouar, thank you very much.
MEKOUAR: Thank you very much. Thank you.
WOODRUFF: We appreciate you coming in to talk with us. Good to see you -- thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
