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American Morning

Word U.N. Giving Chilly Reception to Proposal from Iraq to Reopen Talks

Aired February 05, 2002 - 07:32   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: There is word this morning that the United Nations is giving a chilly reception to a proposal from Iraq to reopen talks. What does Iraq hope to accomplish? Well, let's turn to our own ambassador-in-residence, Richard Butler -- good morning -- welcome back.

RICHARD BUTLER, FORMER UNITED NATIONS CHIEF INSPECTOR: Good morning, Paula.

ZAHN: What does Iraq think it's going to get?

BUTLER: Well, I think they probably want to head off the evil day. That is when the United States attacks them and seeks to change the government in Iraq.

ZAHN: Well, isn't it pretty significant that Secretary-General Kofi Annan had to sort of check his agenda to see if there was any time on it to meet with the Iraqi officials?

BUTLER: It was. Indeed it was. It was a very carefully worded response by the secretary-general.

What happened, Paula, was that the secretary of the Arab League, that's all of the Arab nations, Amr Mussa, came to see Kofi Annan yesterday, bringing a message from Saddam Hussein, because Mussa had been in Baghdad a week ago. And in that message, Hussein said, "We want to come to New York and talk about everything involving us, including the return of inspectors, arms control inspectors without preconditions."

The secretary-general, Kofi Annan, said, "If you come to New York, you will have to talk about the resolutions of the U.N. that apply to you." In other words the law.

Now, there's a big contrast between those two positions. They can't come without preconditions. The preconditions are there. This is the law that they must accept arms control and inspections for example.

ZAHN: So will these meetings happen?

BUTLER: Kofi Annan played that very cleverly. He said, "I will look at my calendar." He didn't step up and say, "Come next week." Now, I think that this is Iraq's attempt to head off what was threatened in the president's State of the Union speech.

ZAHN: All right. But there were talks that were held as recently as a year ago that yielded absolutely nothing. What makes you think that these new talks, if they are held, will yield anything there?

BUTLER: I don't think they will. What happened two years ago was that they came and they lectured Kofi Annan for two days about how they don't have any weapons, which is absolute nonsense, and all of these evils that have been visited upon them. And he had to listen to that for two days eye glazing irrelevant stuff. And I think he was signaling this day he is not going to do that again.

But, Paula, there is this very real issue of the U.S. and its European allies. Already some in Europe are saying they are worried about the axis of evil speech. They will clearly support this idea of talks in New York again with Baghdad. There is going to be great pressure put on the U.S. about this.

ZAHN: So what is the allies -- what are the allies greatest fears at this point? That the U.S. will go it alone?

BUTLER: That's right. And in that context, I want to call attention to something that Senator John McCain said at a major speech in Munich in Germany a few days ago. This was an annual European Security Conference. I don't know if we have got the text here...

ZAHN: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

BUTLER: Let's have a look at that.

ZAHN: We'll let you read through this. There we go.

BUTLER: McCain said, and I think this is really important, "A day of reckoning is approaching, not simply for Saddam Hussein, but for all members of the Atlantic community, whose governments face the choice of ending the threat we face every day from this rogue regime or carrying on as if such behavior, in the wake of September 11, was somehow still tolerable." Now, that's not the president. That's Senator McCain, but you know, his...

(CROSSTALK)

ZAHN: That's essentially the same message.

BUTLER: Absolutely. And he is saying...

ZAHN: You are either with us or you're against us.

BUTLER: That's right. He is saying to the Europeans the world has changed. Global politics has changed. We are serious about this threat from rogue regimes and weapons of mass destruction, and the day of reckoning is coming, specifically with respect to Iraq. And either you are with us or against us. That was a very, very clear message.

ZAHN: So we've talked a little bit about how this speech played internationally. But the bottom line is even domestically, there seems to be growing support for the idea of America going it alone if it has to.

BUTLER: I think that's right. There are real issues to be worked out. What would replace Saddam Hussein for example? But I don't think there is any doubt in the minds of many within the United States, there is some doubt amongst their allies, but I think there is a growing awareness that there is a terrorist in Baghdad, and he is called Saddam Hussein. And he has weapons of mass destruction. He has a terrorist training camp there just outside of Baghdad. And he has had contacts with al Qaeda, and that this is real and serious, and something will have to be done about it.

Now, at the U.N., the Iraqis are trying to head it off. I don't think that will work. In Europe, our allies are saying, you know, we are nervous about this. McCain took to them the reality that the day of reckoning is coming. Paula, this is a fascinating set of circumstances. It is changing global politics in a big way, and in that context, I call attention to the fact that the president in his State of the Union address referred to new cooperation with Russia, China and India. He didn't mention Japan, didn't particularly mention Europe. Global politics are changing around this issue, Paula. It's going to be a fascinating journey to say the least.

ZAHN: We would love for you to stand by later on this morning, when -- we want you to react to an interview I did with the president of the Philippines...

BUTLER: OK. Good.

ZAHN: ... over the weekend -- thanks, Richard.

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