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France Might Help if Weapons of Mass Destruction Used

Aired March 18, 2003 - 10:27   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.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The French ambassador to the United States has said something very interesting. Andrea Koppel dug this up. She joins us live from the State Department. Clear this up for us. What did he say?
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, in an exclusive interview with CNN, the French ambassador to Washington, Jean-David Levitte, signaled that France might be willing to participate if, in fact -- in some sort of military operation if in fact Saddam Hussein were to use either his chemical or biological weapons against troops should war break out.

COSTELLO: Why? Why now, why say this now?

KOPPEL: Sorry. I think he is actually -- we have a sound bite from him, Carol.

COSTELLO: Go ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEAN-DAVID LEVITTE, FRENCH AMBASSADOR TO U.S.: And if Saddam Hussein uses chemical and -- or biological weapons, it would change completely the situation for the French president and the French government, and President Chirac will have to decide what we will do to help the American troops to confront this new situation. But I confirm it would change completely the perception and the situation for us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOPPEL: Now, Ambassador Levitte said that, obviously, the French president, Chirac, would decide how France might participate, but he did say that the French have equipment that might be useful.

Now, I think you were beginning to ask, Carol, why we're hearing this now? It should be no surprise relations between the United States and France and Great Britain, for that matter, are severely strained. It's already clear the Bush administration, that it is going to go forward with military action, and the French government, certainly the interpretation one could give to it, is trying to signal that it would want to help, and that it wants to repair the relationship with the United States.

In addition, Ambassador Levitte also told us that the French would want the United States to go back to the United Nations, and would want to participate in a Security Council resolution that would have humanitarian aid and assistance and reconstruction for a post- Saddam Iraq.

There is a lot of money to be made, Carol, in the reconstruction, and certainly it's also in U.S. and Great Britain's interest to have the participation of other governments so they're not footing the bill alone -- Carol.

COSTELLO: That makes me really cynical. I mean, is that really what this is all about, the bottom line? Money?

KOPPEL: Well, certainly, the French government maintains that it isn't about money, and that this is really about principle and the reason that they have opposed and continue to oppose going forward with military action and not giving inspectors more time is because they maintain that inspections are working, and that if you work to give inspectors perhaps even as little as another month, that that might be the amount of time that could just do the trick and, in fact, completely disarm Iraq.

That is something, as you know, that the U.S. and Great Britain dispute, and it's something right now we're going to be seeing lots of signals that are being sent publicly. I just spoke with a State Department official a moment ago to say, are you hearing this as well? This is what we have just heard from the French government, and he said he's beginning to get those phone calls, and that perhaps, they're beginning to send out these signals publicly, trying to mend the bridges that Jamie Rubin was just referring to.

COSTELLO: Andrea Koppel with an exclusive report for us, live from the State Department this morning. Thank you.

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 March 18, 2003 - 10:27   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The French ambassador to the United States has said something very interesting. Andrea Koppel dug this up. She joins us live from the State Department. Clear this up for us. What did he say?
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, in an exclusive interview with CNN, the French ambassador to Washington, Jean-David Levitte, signaled that France might be willing to participate if, in fact -- in some sort of military operation if in fact Saddam Hussein were to use either his chemical or biological weapons against troops should war break out.

COSTELLO: Why? Why now, why say this now?

KOPPEL: Sorry. I think he is actually -- we have a sound bite from him, Carol.

COSTELLO: Go ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEAN-DAVID LEVITTE, FRENCH AMBASSADOR TO U.S.: And if Saddam Hussein uses chemical and -- or biological weapons, it would change completely the situation for the French president and the French government, and President Chirac will have to decide what we will do to help the American troops to confront this new situation. But I confirm it would change completely the perception and the situation for us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOPPEL: Now, Ambassador Levitte said that, obviously, the French president, Chirac, would decide how France might participate, but he did say that the French have equipment that might be useful.

Now, I think you were beginning to ask, Carol, why we're hearing this now? It should be no surprise relations between the United States and France and Great Britain, for that matter, are severely strained. It's already clear the Bush administration, that it is going to go forward with military action, and the French government, certainly the interpretation one could give to it, is trying to signal that it would want to help, and that it wants to repair the relationship with the United States.

In addition, Ambassador Levitte also told us that the French would want the United States to go back to the United Nations, and would want to participate in a Security Council resolution that would have humanitarian aid and assistance and reconstruction for a post- Saddam Iraq.

There is a lot of money to be made, Carol, in the reconstruction, and certainly it's also in U.S. and Great Britain's interest to have the participation of other governments so they're not footing the bill alone -- Carol.

COSTELLO: That makes me really cynical. I mean, is that really what this is all about, the bottom line? Money?

KOPPEL: Well, certainly, the French government maintains that it isn't about money, and that this is really about principle and the reason that they have opposed and continue to oppose going forward with military action and not giving inspectors more time is because they maintain that inspections are working, and that if you work to give inspectors perhaps even as little as another month, that that might be the amount of time that could just do the trick and, in fact, completely disarm Iraq.

That is something, as you know, that the U.S. and Great Britain dispute, and it's something right now we're going to be seeing lots of signals that are being sent publicly. I just spoke with a State Department official a moment ago to say, are you hearing this as well? This is what we have just heard from the French government, and he said he's beginning to get those phone calls, and that perhaps, they're beginning to send out these signals publicly, trying to mend the bridges that Jamie Rubin was just referring to.

COSTELLO: Andrea Koppel with an exclusive report for us, live from the State Department this morning. Thank you.

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