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Interview With Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni

Aired June 13, 2003 - 15:12   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: President Bush met this week with the president of Uganda in the Oval Office. Mr. Bush praised the policies of President Yoweri Museveni on several issues, including the fight against AIDS. A little earlier, I spoke with Mr. Museveni, and I started by asking him how his country has been able to reduce the incidence of AIDS from 30 percent back in the late '80s to 5 percent today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PRES. YOWERI MUSEVENI, UGANDA: We realized that although AIDS was incurable, we had no more medicine or vaccine for AIDS. We realized that it was not very infectious. It does not pass easily from one person to another person.

WOODRUFF: Not as infectious as people think?

MUSEVENI: Not as infectious, except in a few known ways. And that was our entry point. The moment we realized that it did not go through insect bites, it did not through breathing, then we knew that we could stop it. It was only spreading through sex and through blood transfusion and sharing needles.

So we just targeted those and it turned out we changed the behavior. Our model has now been (UNINTELLIGIBLE) as A, B, C. Abstinence, be loyal to your partner, and if you can't, as a fallback position use condoms.

WOODRUFF: And that's been successful?

MUSEVENI: It has been successful.

WOODRUFF: You also talked to the president about trade, which you say your country needs more than aid, help from other countries. Are you getting the sort of cooperation you want from American corporations and companies?

MUSEVENI: We are getting very good cooperation from American corporations. They are rushing in, actually. The only recent problem we're having is with the Customs Department, which is misclassifying some of the (UNINTELLIGIBLE), and therefore disallowing them. But our rights to the concerned people and protest -- because, otherwise, companies are rushing in, coming to invest in Africa, and making a lot of orders from Africa.

WOODRUFF: Which is good news. MUSEVENI: It's very good news for us.

WOODRUFF: I also want to ask you about what -- senior Bush administration officials say the president spoke very firmly to you about ending Uganda's involvement in the Congo civil war, the neighboring country. Millions of people have died in the last few years. Are you prepared now to stop supplying weapons to the militias in the Congo?

MUSEVENI: I don't remember President Bush talking to me about Congo. That must have been (UNINTELLIGIBLE). But, in any case, we are not supplying weapons to those militias. We were there and we withdrew. It's now the work of the United Nations. It's not our work anymore.

WOODRUFF: So your troops are out, and no more supplying of weapons to the Congo either?

MUSEVENI: No, no.

WOODRUFF: But you say the president did not raise this with you.

MUSEVENI: No, not at all. I don't remember him raising it.

WOODRUFF: Last question. Terrorism. It has been reported that al Qaeda is trying to recruit new terrorists all across the continent of Africa. Do you believe they'll be successful?

MUSEVENI: Well, of course it's very good that Mr. Bush has taken a strong stand and strong actions in Africa, a stand in Iraq. That has sent a very good message to those who want to involve themselves in terrorism. Nevertheless, you might get some desperate characters who may be recruited, so we must be on the lookout.

And there are a lot of hardships in Africa. There are a lot of unemployed people. There are...

WOODRUFF: So fertile territory?

MUSEVENI: Yes, it's fertile. But it can be defeated. What was rotten (ph) in the past was (UNINTELLIGIBLE) action, and that's why I salute to President Bush.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WOODRUFF: President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda.

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 June 13, 2003 - 15:12   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush met this week with the president of Uganda in the Oval Office. Mr. Bush praised the policies of President Yoweri Museveni on several issues, including the fight against AIDS. A little earlier, I spoke with Mr. Museveni, and I started by asking him how his country has been able to reduce the incidence of AIDS from 30 percent back in the late '80s to 5 percent today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PRES. YOWERI MUSEVENI, UGANDA: We realized that although AIDS was incurable, we had no more medicine or vaccine for AIDS. We realized that it was not very infectious. It does not pass easily from one person to another person.

WOODRUFF: Not as infectious as people think?

MUSEVENI: Not as infectious, except in a few known ways. And that was our entry point. The moment we realized that it did not go through insect bites, it did not through breathing, then we knew that we could stop it. It was only spreading through sex and through blood transfusion and sharing needles.

So we just targeted those and it turned out we changed the behavior. Our model has now been (UNINTELLIGIBLE) as A, B, C. Abstinence, be loyal to your partner, and if you can't, as a fallback position use condoms.

WOODRUFF: And that's been successful?

MUSEVENI: It has been successful.

WOODRUFF: You also talked to the president about trade, which you say your country needs more than aid, help from other countries. Are you getting the sort of cooperation you want from American corporations and companies?

MUSEVENI: We are getting very good cooperation from American corporations. They are rushing in, actually. The only recent problem we're having is with the Customs Department, which is misclassifying some of the (UNINTELLIGIBLE), and therefore disallowing them. But our rights to the concerned people and protest -- because, otherwise, companies are rushing in, coming to invest in Africa, and making a lot of orders from Africa.

WOODRUFF: Which is good news. MUSEVENI: It's very good news for us.

WOODRUFF: I also want to ask you about what -- senior Bush administration officials say the president spoke very firmly to you about ending Uganda's involvement in the Congo civil war, the neighboring country. Millions of people have died in the last few years. Are you prepared now to stop supplying weapons to the militias in the Congo?

MUSEVENI: I don't remember President Bush talking to me about Congo. That must have been (UNINTELLIGIBLE). But, in any case, we are not supplying weapons to those militias. We were there and we withdrew. It's now the work of the United Nations. It's not our work anymore.

WOODRUFF: So your troops are out, and no more supplying of weapons to the Congo either?

MUSEVENI: No, no.

WOODRUFF: But you say the president did not raise this with you.

MUSEVENI: No, not at all. I don't remember him raising it.

WOODRUFF: Last question. Terrorism. It has been reported that al Qaeda is trying to recruit new terrorists all across the continent of Africa. Do you believe they'll be successful?

MUSEVENI: Well, of course it's very good that Mr. Bush has taken a strong stand and strong actions in Africa, a stand in Iraq. That has sent a very good message to those who want to involve themselves in terrorism. Nevertheless, you might get some desperate characters who may be recruited, so we must be on the lookout.

And there are a lot of hardships in Africa. There are a lot of unemployed people. There are...

WOODRUFF: So fertile territory?

MUSEVENI: Yes, it's fertile. But it can be defeated. What was rotten (ph) in the past was (UNINTELLIGIBLE) action, and that's why I salute to President Bush.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WOODRUFF: President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda.

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