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Interview With German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer

Aired July 16, 2003 - 15:16   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: Germany's foreign minister, Joschka Fischer, is making his first visit to the United States since the war in Iraq.
I spoke with the foreign minister a little earlier today. And considering how U.S. relations with Germany reached a low point during the prewar debate, I asked Fisher to describe the current relations between the two countries.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSCHKA FISCHER, GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Well, first of all, I wouldn't be so negative, because, if you look to the attacks, in the war against terror, we cooperated permanently and very closely and are cooperating very closely, our intelligence, our police, our administration.

Secondly, we contributed a lot as good allies. We had a different view of whether to go to war to Iraq, yes or no. But our airspace was open. The bases were used. Ramstein Air Base, the Rhein-Main Air Base were crucial for building up the military force in Iraq. We protected the air bases. We had a anti-warfare chemical unit in Kuwait together with others. And we sent Patriot missile systems to Israel, together with the U.S.

Fortunately, there was no need to use them. So, seeing the attacks, I don't agree that this was the lowest point. But, of course, we had a different view about going to the war to Iraq. But now I think we have a different situation, because it was quite clear. We had a different view. But at the moment when the first was done, our position was that the war must be won by the U.S., hopefully with a minimum of losses of soldiers and innocent civilians. And now we must, all together, win the peace.

WOODRUFF: Well, obviously, Germany felt the war initially was a mistake going in. But now how do you assess the U.S. handling of the postwar period? Clearly, there's been a surprising amount of resistance, at least surprising to the Bush administration, from the so-called guerrilla attacks. How do you assess how it's going postwar?

FISCHER: I think it's very important, first of all, that we manage it all together to get a unanimous decision in the U.N. about a Security Council resolution. And these resolutions made quite clear that the coalition is -- security and stability is in the hand of the coalition on the ground. I think this was a reasonable decision. But we think the U.N. should play a central role. Moving forward, we are happy about the fact that we have now been the governing council. I think this was the right decision and we should move forward -- or the administration should move forward on that track. I think this would be very helpful. And to broaden, I think the whole process for a transition is very important.

WOODRUFF: Do you think the Bush administration underestimated the amount of resistance they were going to face in this postwar period?

FISCHER: It's not a question whether it's underestimated. I think what we have to understand all together, we are sitting in the same boat, whether we were pro or against the war, that now the peace must be won.

And to win the peace, it means a peaceful transition, not only of Iraq -- it will be very complicated, a long-term task -- but also the whole region. Therefore, we appreciate very much what the Bush administration has done moving forward, by the implementation of the road map in the Middle East. But this winning the peace is a long- term task. And we have to join all our capabilities.

WOODRUFF: Mr. Minister, with all due respect, I hear what you're saying about, you're all in the same boat. We're all, the U.S. and Europe, in the same boat. At the same time, you have the administration saying, we're not going to go for an international control of Iraq. It should be U.S. and Britain, primarily. And then you have the E.U. saying, no, we're going to put some money aside for Iraq, but it has got to be controlled by the international community, two very different approaches. How does this get reconciled?

FISCHER: I don't see there are two very different approaches. We're in a permanent discussion about that. And my visit to Washington is part of this ongoing debate. And I think we'll find a common position on that.

Of course, the Security Council made quite clear in the relevant Security Council resolution, 1483, that the decisions which will be made are decisions in the hands of the coalition. And I think this is quite clear. If there is an ongoing debate and we broaden the basis, we were in favor of that. But this is a decision which has to be done in Washington and in London, mostly in Washington.

WOODRUFF: At the same time you have all this, you also have the Pentagon, the Bush administration, talking about pulling tens of thousands of U.S. troops out of your country. And many people look at this as retaliation for Germany's position on the war. Is this how you see it?

FISCHER: These are decisions, as far as it's explained to us, not of retaliation, but of a new configuration of how you locate American troops after the end of the World War and with the new challenges, especially in the crisis belt in the southern regions. So I think there are some objective criterias. (END VIDEOTAPE)

WOODRUFF: Germany's foreign minister, Joschka Fischer, saying pulling U.S. troops out of Germany would not be retaliation, in his view, for what Germany's position was on with the war in Iraq. He's in Washington for two days.

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 July 16, 2003 - 15:16   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Germany's foreign minister, Joschka Fischer, is making his first visit to the United States since the war in Iraq.
I spoke with the foreign minister a little earlier today. And considering how U.S. relations with Germany reached a low point during the prewar debate, I asked Fisher to describe the current relations between the two countries.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSCHKA FISCHER, GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Well, first of all, I wouldn't be so negative, because, if you look to the attacks, in the war against terror, we cooperated permanently and very closely and are cooperating very closely, our intelligence, our police, our administration.

Secondly, we contributed a lot as good allies. We had a different view of whether to go to war to Iraq, yes or no. But our airspace was open. The bases were used. Ramstein Air Base, the Rhein-Main Air Base were crucial for building up the military force in Iraq. We protected the air bases. We had a anti-warfare chemical unit in Kuwait together with others. And we sent Patriot missile systems to Israel, together with the U.S.

Fortunately, there was no need to use them. So, seeing the attacks, I don't agree that this was the lowest point. But, of course, we had a different view about going to the war to Iraq. But now I think we have a different situation, because it was quite clear. We had a different view. But at the moment when the first was done, our position was that the war must be won by the U.S., hopefully with a minimum of losses of soldiers and innocent civilians. And now we must, all together, win the peace.

WOODRUFF: Well, obviously, Germany felt the war initially was a mistake going in. But now how do you assess the U.S. handling of the postwar period? Clearly, there's been a surprising amount of resistance, at least surprising to the Bush administration, from the so-called guerrilla attacks. How do you assess how it's going postwar?

FISCHER: I think it's very important, first of all, that we manage it all together to get a unanimous decision in the U.N. about a Security Council resolution. And these resolutions made quite clear that the coalition is -- security and stability is in the hand of the coalition on the ground. I think this was a reasonable decision. But we think the U.N. should play a central role. Moving forward, we are happy about the fact that we have now been the governing council. I think this was the right decision and we should move forward -- or the administration should move forward on that track. I think this would be very helpful. And to broaden, I think the whole process for a transition is very important.

WOODRUFF: Do you think the Bush administration underestimated the amount of resistance they were going to face in this postwar period?

FISCHER: It's not a question whether it's underestimated. I think what we have to understand all together, we are sitting in the same boat, whether we were pro or against the war, that now the peace must be won.

And to win the peace, it means a peaceful transition, not only of Iraq -- it will be very complicated, a long-term task -- but also the whole region. Therefore, we appreciate very much what the Bush administration has done moving forward, by the implementation of the road map in the Middle East. But this winning the peace is a long- term task. And we have to join all our capabilities.

WOODRUFF: Mr. Minister, with all due respect, I hear what you're saying about, you're all in the same boat. We're all, the U.S. and Europe, in the same boat. At the same time, you have the administration saying, we're not going to go for an international control of Iraq. It should be U.S. and Britain, primarily. And then you have the E.U. saying, no, we're going to put some money aside for Iraq, but it has got to be controlled by the international community, two very different approaches. How does this get reconciled?

FISCHER: I don't see there are two very different approaches. We're in a permanent discussion about that. And my visit to Washington is part of this ongoing debate. And I think we'll find a common position on that.

Of course, the Security Council made quite clear in the relevant Security Council resolution, 1483, that the decisions which will be made are decisions in the hands of the coalition. And I think this is quite clear. If there is an ongoing debate and we broaden the basis, we were in favor of that. But this is a decision which has to be done in Washington and in London, mostly in Washington.

WOODRUFF: At the same time you have all this, you also have the Pentagon, the Bush administration, talking about pulling tens of thousands of U.S. troops out of your country. And many people look at this as retaliation for Germany's position on the war. Is this how you see it?

FISCHER: These are decisions, as far as it's explained to us, not of retaliation, but of a new configuration of how you locate American troops after the end of the World War and with the new challenges, especially in the crisis belt in the southern regions. So I think there are some objective criterias. (END VIDEOTAPE)

WOODRUFF: Germany's foreign minister, Joschka Fischer, saying pulling U.S. troops out of Germany would not be retaliation, in his view, for what Germany's position was on with the war in Iraq. He's in Washington for two days.

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