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American Morning

Address Watched Carefully Internationally

Aired January 30, 2002 - 09:34   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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to right now turn back to the State of the Union address last night. When the president speaks, it is not just the American public that listens, so do America's allies and enemies around the world. Europeans often unsettled by unilateral military operations of the U.S. were paying especially close attention to the president as he outlined where the war on terrorism might go next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our war on terror has well begun, but it has only begun. This campaign may not be finished on our watch, yet it must be, and it will be, waged on our watch.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: For overseas reaction, let's turn now to CNN Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour, who joins us now from London -- Christiane, good to see you this morning. I know you haven't been able to monitor our whole show, but we've had a number of congressional leaders who pretty much support President Bush's call for action, potentially in North Korea, Iraq, and Iran. What is the European reaction to that proclamation?

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've had reaction from Britain, one of America's closest allies, from the office of Prime Minister Blair. They commended the speech, and they in fact said that it was consistent with all the words that have come out of Washington since September 11th, and that is the pursuit and the continuing pursuit of terrorism on all fronts.

But, of course, they wouldn't be drawn when asked whether they would support any military action against those three countries that President Bush listed last night: North Korea, Iraq or Iran. And there is considerable difference of opinion, and has been for a long time, between Europe and the United States over how to deal with those three countries.

On North Korea, the Europeans have basically backed the negotiated track, and European officials were dispatched to North Korea to try to restart the diplomatic track after the Bush administration, early on in its administration, broke off those diplomatic ties with North Korea. Now on Iraq, there is long-standing opposition from some of the key European allies, and of course Arab allies, on military action against Iraq.

And on Iran, it's again a complicated situation, because the Europeans have always believed in what they call "constructive engagement" while believing that terrorism and weapons of mass destruction have to be neutralized. And, of course, recently the U.S. welcomed Iran's initial cooperation, sympathy, and support in the war on terrorism, and indeed on forming the post-Taliban government in Afghanistan. And recently, of course, that's cooled off, with the U.S. accusing Iran of trying to destabilize that government.

So, that is a complicated situation. It is considered unlikely, or more difficult and complicated, to have any military action against a country like North Korea or Iran, and if there were to be military action, that Iraq would be the likeliest and perhaps even the easiest target.

ZAHN: But, Christiane, given just how complicated you've just described these relationships are, let's take Iraq out of the question -- out of the equation, and when it comes to Iran and North Korea, are you pretty much saying the Europeans feel the president is all alone on this one?

AMANPOUR: Well, they haven't yet said that, and don't forget the president's speech did not actually outline any details, strategy, or plan. What he did was ratchet up the threat assessment. He called those three countries "an axis of evil," that is certainly the sharpest rhetoric that any U.S. administration has used to describe those three countries. They were, all along, called rogue states because the U.S. accuses them of pursuing weapons of mass destruction and terrorism.

But certainly, President Bush appears to have taken the threat assessment from the hard-line wing of his administration, but when it comes to deciding what to do about it, we're not sure, because hasn't actually laid that out, and that's why the Europeans and not only allies, but others around the world, are watching very closely now to decipher how will this second phase of the war on terrorism, particularly in relation these kind of countries which are considered to pose threats, how will that be pursued.

ZAHN: Well, you've raised a number of issues we are going to continue to be focused in on here on American Morning. Glad you are back home. Once again, I haven't had a chance to tell you just what superb work you did out of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Thanks for joining us this morning.

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