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American Morning

Interview with Eric Margolis

Aired August 26, 2002 - 07:17   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: There are new questions this morning about Saudi involvement with al Qaeda terrorists. Published reports saying that Saudi princes paid Osama bin Laden hundreds of millions of dollars just to spare Saudi Arabian targets, and that money helped fund the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the U.S.
To talk about these allegations, and about the possibility of a U.S. attack on Iraq, Eric Margolis, author of "War at the Top of the World." He is in Toronto.

Eric, good morning.

ERIC MARGOLIS, AUTHOR, "WAR AT THE TOP OF THE WORLD": Good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: These allegations coming out of a lawsuit by victims and relatives of those who lost their lives in 9/11. What do you make of these attacks?

MARGOLIS: I don't find these reports at all credible. I think they are part of the ongoing media campaign by people who would like to see the United States attack Iraq, and rupture its close relations with Saudi Arabia.

KAGAN: I want to get to that topic in just a second, but first, looking at this lawsuit. Are you saying that this lawsuit is bogus, and that these victims are misguided in their belief that Saudi Arabian money actually funded the 9/11 attacks?

MARGOLIS: That is correct. I have seen no evidence of this case, and in fact, the Saudis were involved in fighting against many of these militant Islamic groups, including the al Qaeda group. Allegations are being made that the Saudis were funding al Qaeda. This is simply not true. They were funding Taliban, but not al Qaeda.

KAGAN: But when we say a Saudi prince that there are thousands of these princes out there. Isn't it possible that some of them were funneling their money into this cause?

MARGOLIS: Yes, very much so. There are almost 10,000 Saudi princes. I know for certain that a few of them, a very small number, personally have been supporting Osama bin Laden as charity work, they call it, and other militant groups. But this is not the policy of the Saudi government; quite the contrary.

KAGAN: All right. I want to go to the point that you were alluding to before, this evolving theory that Iraq and Saddam Hussein are involved with al Qaeda.

First, I want to hear from Defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his comments -- let's listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: There are al Qaeda in Iraq. There are. They have left Afghanistan, they have left other locations, and they have landed in a variety of countries, one of which is Iraq.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Do you give any credence to that theory?

MARGOLIS: There are a small number, and I'm talking a very small number of Kurds who are in Afghanistan with al Qaeda or other militant Islamic groups who have returned to northern Kurdistan. However, to call this a new base for al Qaeda is really a stretch.

KAGAN: And what about this theory that Osama bin Laden actually hates Saddam Hussein, and that they wouldn't be acting together?

MARGOLIS: He does, indeed. Starting in 1996, or even earlier, Osama bin Laden has launched broadsides (ph) against Saddam Hussein, who he accused of being the worst kind of Arab tyrant, and even a hiringly (ph) of the West, ironically. The two are very bitter enemies. And Saddam Hussein also has been fighting against Islamic groups inside Iraq for a long time.

So to claim that there is any kind of link between the two, I find it really very difficult to believe.

KAGAN: But, Eric, you have to say this, they do have common enemies and common topics that they hate, including Israel, including the leader of Saudi Arabia, and interests in chemical and biological weapons. They do have a lot in common.

MARGOLIS: They do, indeed. But we have seen no links anywhere, any time, of them working together.

And let me say that the whole Middle East may have common aims, but nobody in that part of the world ever seems to work in concert.

KAGAN: All right, we will be watching it. Eric Margolis, thank you for your insight today.

MARGOLIS: You're welcome.

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