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American Morning

Henry Kissinger Speaks on the Middle East and U.S.-China Relations

Aired February 22, 2002 - 08:35   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: Now on to the president's trip to China. Mr. Bush, this morning, is heading home after his six-day, three- nation trek across Asia. His visit to China was well timed, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of President Nixon's historic trip that actually opened up the communist nation to the West.

Then Secretary of State Henry Kissinger laid the diplomatic foundation for the Nixon visit during a secretive mission in the summer of '71. And I talked with Dr. Henry Kissinger about President Bush in Beijing and the current state of relations between the two countries, and of course, the Middle East.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. HENRY KISSINGER, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: More military phase used to be focused more on civilians on both sides, and I think it will lead in a measurable time to some cease-fire.

ZAHN: How is that?

KISSINGER: Because I think that both sides are reaching the level of exhaustion and I don't think it can keep going like this indefinitely.

ZAHN: We have seen cease-fires enacted before and they never held. What...

KISSINGER: No, (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

ZAHN: ... makes you think this time it will be any different?

KISSINGER: The fundamental problem is that those people who want to negotiate on the Israeli side have some sort of an idea of a peace after which everything stops. Those on the Arab side who want to negotiate look at it more as an interim phase. And to reconcile these two (UNINTELLIGIBLE) groups, it's going to be difficult. And one needs a period of cease-fire, of normal life starting, creation of a Palestinian state, some -- something about settlement but try to avoid such issues as refugees, holy places, a final settlement on the -- of Jerusalem until one has restored some kind of normal level.

ZAHN: You can put off those things for a certain length of time, but what kind of timeframe are we talking about here? KISSINGER: I would think that if one could be get something of an interim nature for say five years and in that period see whether one can get the other settled. I am convinced that what blew up the situation in the Middle East was to attempt to make a final settlement in the last year of the Clinton administration because it put every issue on the table and all the radical groups on both sides, and especially on the Palestinian side, could then focus on issues like refugees, which are the most difficult one for them to accept.

ZAHN: But you could argue they might end up with less this time than they could have gotten at Camp David, couldn't they of?

KISSINGER: They certainly have less this time than they might have had at Camp David. I mean you cannot go from a position now to total peace in one jump.

ZAHN: Before we let you go, love to move you on to the issue of China, which perhaps you know more about than just about anybody else. President on his way home from a tour where he said that he made great strides in agreements on the issues of technology and trade with the Chinese, not so on the issue of Taiwan in the issue of coming up with some kind of an agreement for the Chinese to limit the -- their weapons proliferation and sale of weapons. Your analysis of the trip, was it -- was it a success?

KISSINGER: I think it was a successful trip. The president made the basic point of his strategy and of his concerns in a number of countries.

My impression is that the conversations with the Chinese were quite constructive. The Taiwan issue cannot get settled. What is needed on Taiwan is restraint, but not a -- that it will not be pushed to a confrontation, and that seems to me to be happening. Proliferation for the Chinese, as long as we sell weapons to Taiwan, they're not going to give us pledges. But I think the Chinese understand the president's basic concern on proliferation and they're going to be careful about sending it to states that he has defined as being part of the "axis of evil."

So I think progress has been made, and the president has stated his position, even though it's unpopular, in very strong and effective terms.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: And I am pleased, Jack, to be able to tell you that Dr. Kissinger will be a -- joining us on a regular basis as a contributor.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: That's great.

ZAHN: We're going to look at it as House Calls (ph) with Dr. Henry Kissinger.

CAFFERTY: Well he's -- he's got a unique perspective, particularly on the Middle East, so we'll look forward to that.

ZAHN: Absolutely.

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