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American Morning

Interview With Henry Kissinger

Aired August 13, 2002 - 07:09   ET

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 turn our attention now to Iraq.
That nation's information minister once again denied U.S. claims that Iraq is developing weapons of mass destruction. He told the Arabic network, al-Jazeera, yesterday, or earlier today, there is no need for United Nations weapons inspectors to return to Baghdad, saying the inspectors wrapped up their work four years ago. And he said the claim Saddam Hussein still has weapons of mass destruction was a lie.

For his view on the latest rounds of claims and denials, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, he joins us from Washington this morning.

Good to see you again -- welcome back.

HENRY KISSINGER, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Always good to be here.

ZAHN: So, Dr. Kissinger, this, I guess, word of warning from Iraq comes just about a week after they were talking about the possibility of inviting U.N. inspectors back in. What's their strategy here?

KISSINGER: Well, their strategy may be to force a showdown. The only way out of confrontation is for Iraq to accept an inspection system, to reassure the world about the biological weapons, chemical weapons and nuclear weapons that they are building, and some of which they already have in stock. And the world simply cannot tolerate a state of terrorists, a totalitarian state like this that already has used these weapons, to possess quantities of them without bringing them under control.

ZAHN: Is that what it looks like to you, that the Iraqis are trying to provoke us, provoke the U.S. into...

KISSINGER: No, they are not trying...

ZAHN: ... a preemptive strike?

KISSINGER: I don't think they are trying to provoke us, but I think they may have concluded that the kind of inspection that would be needed to find biological and chemical weapons and to check on nuclear weapons would be so intrusive as to change the character of the Saddam Hussein regime, and they're not prepared to modify that.

ZAHN: So what does that mean for the U.S.? Do you believe it looks more likely that there will be a preemptive strike against Iraq?

KISSINGER: Well, I don't know whether one should call it a preemptive strike. If we get into a conflict with Iraq, we will have to occupy it, together with other nations, for some period of time. It won't be done with one strike.

And the president will have to make the judgment at what point -- he has stated very clearly, and so has the secretary of state, what the danger is. And at some point, he will have to decide whether there is any means of solving it by negotiation, and if not, what other measures he will take, and probably it will be some military action.

ZAHN: It's interesting that you would use the words that, you know, the nations would have to come together to occupy Iraq. Right now, there seems to be limited support for any U.S. action. You have the Germans saying, no way, no how, the Saudi Arabians saying, you can't use our air bases for attacks. Who would be in on this with the U.S. as far as you're concerned?

KISSINGER: I think we may have limited support in the military phase. I believe that many nations will attempt to join and will be prepared to join in the reconstruction phase, because Iraq is too important to be -- as far as the other nations are concerned, to leave the future of it entirely in the hands of the United States.

So I am quite convinced that after a military phase, there will be more support, if that phase is successful, which one would have to expect.

ZAHN: And you describe what you believe might be limited military support. Who would go in with the U.S.? Even the British public is making it abundantly clear they don't want Britain to join in the effort if this happens.

KISSINGER: Yes, but fundamentally, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) if there is no action now, that means that we are saying, we will wait until these weapons are used and react to an actual provocation. That is going to produce, if it comes, horrendous casualties. And I don't know whether we can -- we would prefer to have allies, and we should have allies. But if our allies leave the United States that has stood by them for 50 years in a moment that the president judges to be vital for the security of the United States, that will be a very grave decision.

But it cannot stop us in the end, provided we have come to the judgment that we have made a reasonable proposal, that it has been turned down, and that two or three years down the road, it will be worse.

ZAHN: The American public opinion polls would suggest that Congress -- the majority of Americans believe that Congress would have to approve of this action if the administration decides to go this way.

And you even have a leading member of the president's party, Chuck Hagel, a senator, saying this about a so-called unprovoked attack on Iraq, quote: "We know Saddam Hussein is a threat. The real question here is: What is the urgency of that threat? If you think you're going to drop the 82nd Airborne in Baghdad and finish the drop, I think you've been watching too many John Wayne movies."

How much work does the president have to do here to get Congress to go along with this?

KISSINGER: I don't know whether you drop the 82nd Airborne in Baghdad. That's a decision that the president and the joint chiefs of staff and the secretary of state have to make. And I don't agree with the word "unprovoked."

But I do agree that the Congress ought to be consulted, and the Congress ought to be given an opportunity to express its opinions. And that we cannot maintain the position, where on the one side, we say this is a grave threat to the United States, but we have never made up our mind. I think, the administration will have to make up its mind, and will then have to convince Congress and the American public. And since I think they have a good case, it will succeed.

ZAHN: Dr. Henry Kissinger, I know we've just got five seconds left. If you were to advise the president today, would you tell him now's the time to go in?

KISSINGER: If I were to advise the president, I would ask him for the intelligence information. And if it shows what he says it shows, I would say, waiting is too dangerous.

ZAHN: Dr. Henry Kissinger, as always, glad to share your perspective with our audience this morning. Thanks for your time -- appreciate your dropping by.

KISSINGER: Glad to be here.

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