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American Morning
White House Already Planning for Post-War Iraq
Aired March 12, 2003 - 08:19 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The White House already planning for a post-war Iraq and reconstruction will carry a heavy price tag. Some are wondering in Congress how high would it go? Some critics are saying the White House has been secretive about any post-war plans and they're also suggesting that it did not help yesterday when a Pentagon official failed to show up at a Senate hearing on this very issue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHRIS DODD (D), CONNECTICUT: There's an arrogance here to deny the Congress of the United States an opportunity to ask civil questions of people charged with trying to provide estimates of what the cost of this would be. And I think Democrats and Republicans are equally disturbed about this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: That was the comment from yesterday. Today, the chairman of the Iraqi-American Council, Aziz Al-Taee, has been working with Iraqi opposition groups on a blueprint for a post-war Iraq and he joins us live here on AMERICAN MORNING in New York.
Nice to see you.
Good morning.
AZIZ AL-TAEE, IRAQI-AMERICAN COUNCIL: Good morning.
HEMMER: First things first, before we talk about the price tag, what happens in a post-war Iraq relative to terrorism against American targets, either in Iraq, overseas or in this country?
AL-TAEE: I think democracy in Iraq will put an end to any terrorist organization that exists in Iraq right now. There are a few terrorist organizations -- and I'm not talking about al Qaeda. I'm talking about Mujahedeen had a 100,000 strong Iranian background organization. It's an anti-Iranian government that's supported by Saddam. There is Abu Nidal organization and Abu Labas (ph). All of these terrorist organizations that Saddam has supported.
There will be an end to these organizations and there will be an official...
HEMMER: Yes, that is within Iraq, though. But do they foster and do they fester in other areas outside your borders of your country? AL-TAEE: Not really because, you know, these organizations were a production of dictatorships that the United States administrations in the past has supported. Now, after September 11, something changed. We realized that that policy of installing and supporting dictatorships cannot work and the only way out of these problems is democracy throughout the region.
By setting Iraq as an example, by the Iraqi people as a democratic system, I think all the nations will realize the only way to get to the point of view is really by democracy, and not by terrorism.
HEMMER: Let's see now on the price tag here. It has been rather elusive. Some are suggesting the costs of this war after the war is over could be as high as $20 billion per year for several years.
Where does the money come from and who pays?
AL-TAEE: The liberation war will be financed from the Iraqi rich resources. We have oil and we have a lot of tourism because of all the major religions, the holy sites there. Also, it will be much less than the cumulative costs of September 11 or another attack like September 11, which a chemical or biological weapon can be used.
HEMMER: You raise a good point about the oil reserves. It could be five times what is known in Kuwait, and we know what Kuwait has done since the 1940s with their own source of oil. Donald Rumsfeld mentioned that yesterday. He said the oil reserves could pay for this war. In effect, are the Iraqis paying for a U.S.-led invasion of your country?
AL-TAEE: Actually, it's going to be most probably the Iraq resources will pay for the, you know, the liberation, and I don't want to call it invasion. I want to take the opportunity also to send another message for Saddam that we've been sending, for him to prevent a war by stepping down and going into exile.
So it's, at this point it's totally up to Saddam to prevent the war by going into exile.
HEMMER: Now, you mentioned it and you buy into the theory that really originates from Paul Wolfowitz in Washington, D.C., that if you establish a democracy in Iraq, the other countries around it will feed off of that.
Where is the proof to suggest that this democratic theory, this domino theory, will, indeed, take place, much like we saw in the late 1980s in Eastern Europe?
AL-TAEE: Exactly, in Eastern Europe and also in Southern America. What happened is we have had all the Arab rulers, including Saudi Arabia and Egypt and most of these Arab rulers have been oppressing the people for so long and the same thing with Saddam. He has killed two million people, sent to exile another four millions. And if this is about something for the Iraqi people, it's about liberation and putting an end to a holocaust that has lasted 34 years. HEMMER: Aziz Al-Taee, we'll talk again.
AL-TAEE: Thank you, Bill.
HEMMER: Best of luck to you.
AL-TAEE: Thank you.
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 March 12, 2003 - 08:19 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The White House already planning for a post-war Iraq and reconstruction will carry a heavy price tag. Some are wondering in Congress how high would it go? Some critics are saying the White House has been secretive about any post-war plans and they're also suggesting that it did not help yesterday when a Pentagon official failed to show up at a Senate hearing on this very issue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHRIS DODD (D), CONNECTICUT: There's an arrogance here to deny the Congress of the United States an opportunity to ask civil questions of people charged with trying to provide estimates of what the cost of this would be. And I think Democrats and Republicans are equally disturbed about this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: That was the comment from yesterday. Today, the chairman of the Iraqi-American Council, Aziz Al-Taee, has been working with Iraqi opposition groups on a blueprint for a post-war Iraq and he joins us live here on AMERICAN MORNING in New York.
Nice to see you.
Good morning.
AZIZ AL-TAEE, IRAQI-AMERICAN COUNCIL: Good morning.
HEMMER: First things first, before we talk about the price tag, what happens in a post-war Iraq relative to terrorism against American targets, either in Iraq, overseas or in this country?
AL-TAEE: I think democracy in Iraq will put an end to any terrorist organization that exists in Iraq right now. There are a few terrorist organizations -- and I'm not talking about al Qaeda. I'm talking about Mujahedeen had a 100,000 strong Iranian background organization. It's an anti-Iranian government that's supported by Saddam. There is Abu Nidal organization and Abu Labas (ph). All of these terrorist organizations that Saddam has supported.
There will be an end to these organizations and there will be an official...
HEMMER: Yes, that is within Iraq, though. But do they foster and do they fester in other areas outside your borders of your country? AL-TAEE: Not really because, you know, these organizations were a production of dictatorships that the United States administrations in the past has supported. Now, after September 11, something changed. We realized that that policy of installing and supporting dictatorships cannot work and the only way out of these problems is democracy throughout the region.
By setting Iraq as an example, by the Iraqi people as a democratic system, I think all the nations will realize the only way to get to the point of view is really by democracy, and not by terrorism.
HEMMER: Let's see now on the price tag here. It has been rather elusive. Some are suggesting the costs of this war after the war is over could be as high as $20 billion per year for several years.
Where does the money come from and who pays?
AL-TAEE: The liberation war will be financed from the Iraqi rich resources. We have oil and we have a lot of tourism because of all the major religions, the holy sites there. Also, it will be much less than the cumulative costs of September 11 or another attack like September 11, which a chemical or biological weapon can be used.
HEMMER: You raise a good point about the oil reserves. It could be five times what is known in Kuwait, and we know what Kuwait has done since the 1940s with their own source of oil. Donald Rumsfeld mentioned that yesterday. He said the oil reserves could pay for this war. In effect, are the Iraqis paying for a U.S.-led invasion of your country?
AL-TAEE: Actually, it's going to be most probably the Iraq resources will pay for the, you know, the liberation, and I don't want to call it invasion. I want to take the opportunity also to send another message for Saddam that we've been sending, for him to prevent a war by stepping down and going into exile.
So it's, at this point it's totally up to Saddam to prevent the war by going into exile.
HEMMER: Now, you mentioned it and you buy into the theory that really originates from Paul Wolfowitz in Washington, D.C., that if you establish a democracy in Iraq, the other countries around it will feed off of that.
Where is the proof to suggest that this democratic theory, this domino theory, will, indeed, take place, much like we saw in the late 1980s in Eastern Europe?
AL-TAEE: Exactly, in Eastern Europe and also in Southern America. What happened is we have had all the Arab rulers, including Saudi Arabia and Egypt and most of these Arab rulers have been oppressing the people for so long and the same thing with Saddam. He has killed two million people, sent to exile another four millions. And if this is about something for the Iraqi people, it's about liberation and putting an end to a holocaust that has lasted 34 years. HEMMER: Aziz Al-Taee, we'll talk again.
AL-TAEE: Thank you, Bill.
HEMMER: Best of luck to you.
AL-TAEE: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
