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American Morning

Interview With Shimon Peres

Aired September 18, 2002 - 07:15   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: The last time the United States went to war with Iraq, Israel paid a heavy price on the receiving end of dozens of Iraqi SCUD missiles. So, the question confronting Iraq is potentially a life-or-death issue for Israel.
Its foreign minister, Shimon Peres, speaks later this morning at the United Nations, and Mr. Peres joins us now to talk about Iraq and some encouraging signs for peace in the Middle East.

Welcome -- good to have you with us on day one of our new studio.

SHIMON PERES, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER: Beautiful studio -- congratulations.

ZAHN: Thank you.

Let's move on to what -- some of what Israel might have to confront at a time when the U.N. is debating exactly what to do about Iraq. The Iraqis have made it very clear that if Israel joins in any effort to oust Saddam Hussein, you'll be attacked. How much do you fear the Iraqis right now?

PERES: They say they don't possess nonconventional weapons, they don't possess missiles, so how are they going to attack? I mean, their bluff will be called in that case. But let me say one thing, which is the serious one.

It appears as though the debate is, can we trust Iraq, can we not trust Iraq, is one issue. If we should make the slightest mistake, and one morning we shall awake and discover that Iraq has nuclear bombs, everything will be too late and irrelevant.

It's a really play with that in life. It's not, you know, how to maneuver and how to make a coalition. One moment too late, one move too long, all of us will pay in unbelievable lives.

ZAHN: How vulnerable is Israel to a potential attack by Iraq?

PERES: The vulnerability of Israel will remain as long as Iraq will continue, and not only Iraq, to try and build unconventional weapons, long-range and middle-range missiles. Today, it is not really the geographic proximity, but the realistic range that counts. It's not the number of the bombs they possess, but the nature of the bombs that may threaten us.

So, we know we are aware. We are sober. We are not happy about war. We know it's dangerous. We wouldn't like to push in the slightest way the United States to make a decision. But we are aware about the very seriousness of the situation.

ZAHN: What is Israel doing to prepare for the prospect of war with Iraq?

PERES: We are preparing our self-defense, to start with. We think we have some advanced technologies, in a certain way, maybe the most developed like the Arrow that can intercept missiles. We are trying to tell our people what are the dangers.

You know, in 50 years, we went through five wars. A war is not a pleasure. It costs a high price. We have had three campaigns of terror in a short 50 years. We didn't change. We didn't give our hope for peace. We didn't give our readiness to fight for peace. And from that perspective, Israel remains the same.

And we trust the United States. We are not ashamed. We don't say it without any reservation. We think it's a serious nation. I think your own leadership knows exactly the options, the dangers. But they also know the dangers of postponing or ignoring the danger that may grow in the future.

ZAHN: I know you have described Israel as a good soldier for the U.S., but up to what point?

PERES: Until we shall win. It's not the private world, the U.S. Europe and Asia would never have guaranteed their freedom in the first and second war without your soldiers ready to go to fight. You went in to this war (ph) (UNINTELLIGIBLE), you went in tenacious (ph). You went to fight to defend freedom. It's exactly the same nature of the battle, of the purpose.

We need the United States -- when I say we, I don't refer only to Israel -- a world which wants to remain free, lives that want to be secure, need the American leadership. There is no alternative. I do not believe that the United States is fighting only for herself. The defense, the security and freedom is part of the defense and security of the whole world.

ZAHN: Quickly in closing, you talked about what Israel is doing to get prepared for the possibility of war. There was a widely circulated report in one of your local newspapers that U.S. -- that Israel would be prepared to use nuclear weapons if Iraq uses biological weapons or chemical weapons on your people. Is that a realistic scenario?

PERES: The newspapers have another purpose and it does have another consideration. We don't have to sell papers. I can assure you that Israel will be the most careful and serious nation to follow our promise not to be first to use nuclear weapons in the Middle East.

ZAHN: We are going to have to leave it there this morning. I know you need to head off to the General Assembly.

We very much appreciate your dropping by on the debut of our set here.

PERES: Thank you, and good luck.

ZAHN: Thank you.

PERES: Thank you very much.

ZAHN: Again, appreciate your time -- Foreign Minister Shimon Peres.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.







Aired September 18, 2002 - 07:15   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: The last time the United States went to war with Iraq, Israel paid a heavy price on the receiving end of dozens of Iraqi SCUD missiles. So, the question confronting Iraq is potentially a life-or-death issue for Israel.
Its foreign minister, Shimon Peres, speaks later this morning at the United Nations, and Mr. Peres joins us now to talk about Iraq and some encouraging signs for peace in the Middle East.

Welcome -- good to have you with us on day one of our new studio.

SHIMON PERES, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER: Beautiful studio -- congratulations.

ZAHN: Thank you.

Let's move on to what -- some of what Israel might have to confront at a time when the U.N. is debating exactly what to do about Iraq. The Iraqis have made it very clear that if Israel joins in any effort to oust Saddam Hussein, you'll be attacked. How much do you fear the Iraqis right now?

PERES: They say they don't possess nonconventional weapons, they don't possess missiles, so how are they going to attack? I mean, their bluff will be called in that case. But let me say one thing, which is the serious one.

It appears as though the debate is, can we trust Iraq, can we not trust Iraq, is one issue. If we should make the slightest mistake, and one morning we shall awake and discover that Iraq has nuclear bombs, everything will be too late and irrelevant.

It's a really play with that in life. It's not, you know, how to maneuver and how to make a coalition. One moment too late, one move too long, all of us will pay in unbelievable lives.

ZAHN: How vulnerable is Israel to a potential attack by Iraq?

PERES: The vulnerability of Israel will remain as long as Iraq will continue, and not only Iraq, to try and build unconventional weapons, long-range and middle-range missiles. Today, it is not really the geographic proximity, but the realistic range that counts. It's not the number of the bombs they possess, but the nature of the bombs that may threaten us.

So, we know we are aware. We are sober. We are not happy about war. We know it's dangerous. We wouldn't like to push in the slightest way the United States to make a decision. But we are aware about the very seriousness of the situation.

ZAHN: What is Israel doing to prepare for the prospect of war with Iraq?

PERES: We are preparing our self-defense, to start with. We think we have some advanced technologies, in a certain way, maybe the most developed like the Arrow that can intercept missiles. We are trying to tell our people what are the dangers.

You know, in 50 years, we went through five wars. A war is not a pleasure. It costs a high price. We have had three campaigns of terror in a short 50 years. We didn't change. We didn't give our hope for peace. We didn't give our readiness to fight for peace. And from that perspective, Israel remains the same.

And we trust the United States. We are not ashamed. We don't say it without any reservation. We think it's a serious nation. I think your own leadership knows exactly the options, the dangers. But they also know the dangers of postponing or ignoring the danger that may grow in the future.

ZAHN: I know you have described Israel as a good soldier for the U.S., but up to what point?

PERES: Until we shall win. It's not the private world, the U.S. Europe and Asia would never have guaranteed their freedom in the first and second war without your soldiers ready to go to fight. You went in to this war (ph) (UNINTELLIGIBLE), you went in tenacious (ph). You went to fight to defend freedom. It's exactly the same nature of the battle, of the purpose.

We need the United States -- when I say we, I don't refer only to Israel -- a world which wants to remain free, lives that want to be secure, need the American leadership. There is no alternative. I do not believe that the United States is fighting only for herself. The defense, the security and freedom is part of the defense and security of the whole world.

ZAHN: Quickly in closing, you talked about what Israel is doing to get prepared for the possibility of war. There was a widely circulated report in one of your local newspapers that U.S. -- that Israel would be prepared to use nuclear weapons if Iraq uses biological weapons or chemical weapons on your people. Is that a realistic scenario?

PERES: The newspapers have another purpose and it does have another consideration. We don't have to sell papers. I can assure you that Israel will be the most careful and serious nation to follow our promise not to be first to use nuclear weapons in the Middle East.

ZAHN: We are going to have to leave it there this morning. I know you need to head off to the General Assembly.

We very much appreciate your dropping by on the debut of our set here.

PERES: Thank you, and good luck.

ZAHN: Thank you.

PERES: Thank you very much.

ZAHN: Again, appreciate your time -- Foreign Minister Shimon Peres.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.