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American Morning
Keeping Peace in Liberia?
Aired July 03, 2003 - 07:03 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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Will the U.S. respond to international pressure for an American peacekeeping force in war-torn Liberia? President Bush is said to be considering the move. He also issued that challenge to Saddam loyalists bent on amBushing U.S. forces in Iraq.
John King live now at the White House with more.
Good morning -- John.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Miles.
The political dust up here in Washington over the president's taunt against those who have been attacking U.S. forces, and as the White House deals with that, the word we are getting that an announcement could come soon. The president could be sending the U.S. troops on another dangerous mission.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING (voice-over): The president all but dared those trying to kill U.S. forces in Iraq to attack again, and sources tell CNN he is poised to order troops on another dangerous mission: peacekeeping in the Western African nation of Liberia.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're exploring all options as to how to keep the situation peaceful and stable.
KING: Administration sources say an official announcement could come as early as this week, and say the president and top national security aides discussed deploying 500 to 1,000 U.S. troops for a mission that also would include West African forces.
These sources describe the Pentagon as somewhat reluctant. It is stretched thin in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the last major deployment in Africa, in Somalia, ended in retreat 10 years ago after 18 Americans were killed.
Just last week, Mr. Bush called on Liberian President Charles Taylor to step down. Now, he wants him to leave the country as well.
BUSH: In order to for there to be peace and stability in Liberia, Charles Taylor needs to leave now.
KING: Taylor is under United Nations indictment for war crimes. The official White House line is that Taylor should leave Liberia now and still face trial later. But:
SUSAN RICE, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: It sounds to me like President Bush is opening the door to a deal in which Taylor goes into exile and escapes the jurisdiction of the U.N. Special Court.
KING: Mr. Bush took questions after introducing his new global AIDS coordinator. He says the attacks in Iraq are an effort to get the United States to pack up and leave before a new government is established.
BUSH: My answer is, bring them on. We've got the force necessary to deal with the security situation.
KING: The president once again rejected the idea that intelligence saying Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction was wrong.
BUSH: He had them, and it's just a matter of time.
KING: As a candidate for president, then Governor Bush promised to think long and hard before sending U.S. troops overseas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Now, as the Pentagon fine tunes the plans for a likely Liberia deployment, the White House says such a deployment would meet the president's test. Aides say he believes it is in the vital U.S. national security interests, and that the deployment would be limited, Miles, most officials here saying 90 to 120 days.
O'BRIEN: John, the president's remarks there, "Bring them on," causing quite a bit of a stir already -- Dick Gephardt with some harsh criticism of that. Is that apt to be the first of what we are going to be hearing?
KING: Other Democrats weighing in as well. The president said, "Bring them on," essentially taunting those who have been attacking and in some cases killing U.S. troops to try it again. The White House says the president was not issuing a dare, that he was simply voicing confidence in the U.S. troops in Iraq.
But Dick Gephardt, who is one of the Democrats running for president, as you noted at the top of the show, criticized that his macho rhetoric, said the president should be focused instead on improving the security situation. Frank Lautenberg, a senator from New Jersey, said he served in the military and he cannot imagine any military commander, let alone the commander-in-chief, essentially daring the enemy to attack U.S. troops.
So, this is one of those rare occasions where the Democrats see an opening to criticize this president when it comes to the military policy in Iraq. We will see how it plays out.
O'BRIEN: CNN's John King at the White House, thank you very much.
So, should the U.S. get involved in Liberia's civil war?
Joining us now from Washington, our security analyst, Kelly McCann.
Good morning -- Kelly.
J. KELLY MCCANN, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: Hi, Miles. How are you?
O'BRIEN: I'm well. I'm well. Let's talk about the numbers, first of all -- the number of troops. What's an appropriate number? Between 500 and 1,000 seems like a thin force to me.
MCCANN: Well, usually, you've got to remember, the initial force that goes in is likely to be a Marine expeditionary unit, which uses a Marine battalion as kind of a platform to task organize. And that task organization has to do with the mission. If it's just to disarm, run checkpoints that would disarm some of these rebel factions and use fixed point sites to kind of direct a kind movement of troops, that's one thing. If it's combat patrols that will reach out beyond the urban areas, that's another thing.
So, again, what's the right number? The only people that will make that call are the planners who have all of the intel, Miles.
O'BRIEN: I suppose another thing to throw in the mix there is if there is, in fact, a need to pursue and perhaps arrest Mr. Taylor, if Mr. Taylor has not left the country, as President Bush has requested. Of course, that brings up all kinds of possibilities and thoughts of Somalia when you start thinking about it. And would that increase the numbers required?
MCCANN: Well, again, it depends. You know, what I've noticed over about the past decade, we've gotten focused on one person. And every time if you've noticed a trend that we say we're going to go after one person, ultimately, people find out it's much more difficult than they may have thought to begin with.
I think more what this might be like is Cedras out of Haiti. You'll remember that he was allowed to leave. Basically the U.S. wanted to see Aristide brought back in, and Cedras basically was allowed to leave and he ended up in Panama.
So, I mean, I think that that's the first door that's been opened to him. Now, if he doesn't take that door, we'll have to see.
O'BRIEN: Well, of course, he is facing war crimes, the possibility of that I guess. Immunity is something that might have to be offered to Mr. Taylor before he'd leave.
MCCANN: Well, and who would take him? Who would want him in their country? Remember that Ghana, Sierra Leone, all of that region, that whole neighboring countries, they're all having problems right now -- Guinea, rather -- I'm sorry. They're having serious problems. So, it's not likely that they would accept him. In fact, it's been said that there were factions, rebel factions from both of those countries who are mixing the pot in Liberia. So, it's interesting. O'BRIEN: Another important thing is when those troops get on the ground, the rules of engagement, how they operate, how they're supported, it's another way of asking how do you avoid another Mogadishu?
MCCANN: Well, I'll tell you even more than that, Miles, the rules of engagement, because we've got more veterans now than we had previously. Is the cultural issue and the aloofness to your target? It's one thing when you fight men and you see a male as your target, a man who is a combatant. It's another thing when you see a 14 or a 13 or a 15-year-old boy. And that is significantly different, and that will have an impact on the U.S. troops.
But there are other reasons to go to Liberia. They run the Maritime Registry out of there, and we know that that's kind of linked to terrorism and the movement of drugs that supports terrorism. Conflict diamonds, that's one of the regions that the U.N. put the resolution on, that they couldn't sell their diamonds. So, there are many reasons moral and Pax Americana to go into Liberia.
O'BRIEN: And a final thought here, just a big picture here. With forces engaged in Afghanistan and Iraq and other places around the world, of course, where there are boots on the ground, is this asking too much of our U.S. military forces?
MCCANN: I don't think it's asking too much of the military forces. I think it begs the question about the U.N., and I think that this administration knows that. In other words, here is another case where the U.N. is saying, please send some troops here to this region. And the administration can turn around and say, but you are supposedly the world army and can't. So, there may be other reasons afoot.
O'BRIEN: All right, much more to talk about on this; no time, though. Kelly McCann, our security, analyst, always a pleasure.
MCCANN: Pleasure, Miles.
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 July 3, 2003 - 07:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Will the U.S. respond to international pressure for an American peacekeeping force in war-torn Liberia? President Bush is said to be considering the move. He also issued that challenge to Saddam loyalists bent on amBushing U.S. forces in Iraq.
John King live now at the White House with more.
Good morning -- John.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Miles.
The political dust up here in Washington over the president's taunt against those who have been attacking U.S. forces, and as the White House deals with that, the word we are getting that an announcement could come soon. The president could be sending the U.S. troops on another dangerous mission.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING (voice-over): The president all but dared those trying to kill U.S. forces in Iraq to attack again, and sources tell CNN he is poised to order troops on another dangerous mission: peacekeeping in the Western African nation of Liberia.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're exploring all options as to how to keep the situation peaceful and stable.
KING: Administration sources say an official announcement could come as early as this week, and say the president and top national security aides discussed deploying 500 to 1,000 U.S. troops for a mission that also would include West African forces.
These sources describe the Pentagon as somewhat reluctant. It is stretched thin in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the last major deployment in Africa, in Somalia, ended in retreat 10 years ago after 18 Americans were killed.
Just last week, Mr. Bush called on Liberian President Charles Taylor to step down. Now, he wants him to leave the country as well.
BUSH: In order to for there to be peace and stability in Liberia, Charles Taylor needs to leave now.
KING: Taylor is under United Nations indictment for war crimes. The official White House line is that Taylor should leave Liberia now and still face trial later. But:
SUSAN RICE, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: It sounds to me like President Bush is opening the door to a deal in which Taylor goes into exile and escapes the jurisdiction of the U.N. Special Court.
KING: Mr. Bush took questions after introducing his new global AIDS coordinator. He says the attacks in Iraq are an effort to get the United States to pack up and leave before a new government is established.
BUSH: My answer is, bring them on. We've got the force necessary to deal with the security situation.
KING: The president once again rejected the idea that intelligence saying Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction was wrong.
BUSH: He had them, and it's just a matter of time.
KING: As a candidate for president, then Governor Bush promised to think long and hard before sending U.S. troops overseas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Now, as the Pentagon fine tunes the plans for a likely Liberia deployment, the White House says such a deployment would meet the president's test. Aides say he believes it is in the vital U.S. national security interests, and that the deployment would be limited, Miles, most officials here saying 90 to 120 days.
O'BRIEN: John, the president's remarks there, "Bring them on," causing quite a bit of a stir already -- Dick Gephardt with some harsh criticism of that. Is that apt to be the first of what we are going to be hearing?
KING: Other Democrats weighing in as well. The president said, "Bring them on," essentially taunting those who have been attacking and in some cases killing U.S. troops to try it again. The White House says the president was not issuing a dare, that he was simply voicing confidence in the U.S. troops in Iraq.
But Dick Gephardt, who is one of the Democrats running for president, as you noted at the top of the show, criticized that his macho rhetoric, said the president should be focused instead on improving the security situation. Frank Lautenberg, a senator from New Jersey, said he served in the military and he cannot imagine any military commander, let alone the commander-in-chief, essentially daring the enemy to attack U.S. troops.
So, this is one of those rare occasions where the Democrats see an opening to criticize this president when it comes to the military policy in Iraq. We will see how it plays out.
O'BRIEN: CNN's John King at the White House, thank you very much.
So, should the U.S. get involved in Liberia's civil war?
Joining us now from Washington, our security analyst, Kelly McCann.
Good morning -- Kelly.
J. KELLY MCCANN, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: Hi, Miles. How are you?
O'BRIEN: I'm well. I'm well. Let's talk about the numbers, first of all -- the number of troops. What's an appropriate number? Between 500 and 1,000 seems like a thin force to me.
MCCANN: Well, usually, you've got to remember, the initial force that goes in is likely to be a Marine expeditionary unit, which uses a Marine battalion as kind of a platform to task organize. And that task organization has to do with the mission. If it's just to disarm, run checkpoints that would disarm some of these rebel factions and use fixed point sites to kind of direct a kind movement of troops, that's one thing. If it's combat patrols that will reach out beyond the urban areas, that's another thing.
So, again, what's the right number? The only people that will make that call are the planners who have all of the intel, Miles.
O'BRIEN: I suppose another thing to throw in the mix there is if there is, in fact, a need to pursue and perhaps arrest Mr. Taylor, if Mr. Taylor has not left the country, as President Bush has requested. Of course, that brings up all kinds of possibilities and thoughts of Somalia when you start thinking about it. And would that increase the numbers required?
MCCANN: Well, again, it depends. You know, what I've noticed over about the past decade, we've gotten focused on one person. And every time if you've noticed a trend that we say we're going to go after one person, ultimately, people find out it's much more difficult than they may have thought to begin with.
I think more what this might be like is Cedras out of Haiti. You'll remember that he was allowed to leave. Basically the U.S. wanted to see Aristide brought back in, and Cedras basically was allowed to leave and he ended up in Panama.
So, I mean, I think that that's the first door that's been opened to him. Now, if he doesn't take that door, we'll have to see.
O'BRIEN: Well, of course, he is facing war crimes, the possibility of that I guess. Immunity is something that might have to be offered to Mr. Taylor before he'd leave.
MCCANN: Well, and who would take him? Who would want him in their country? Remember that Ghana, Sierra Leone, all of that region, that whole neighboring countries, they're all having problems right now -- Guinea, rather -- I'm sorry. They're having serious problems. So, it's not likely that they would accept him. In fact, it's been said that there were factions, rebel factions from both of those countries who are mixing the pot in Liberia. So, it's interesting. O'BRIEN: Another important thing is when those troops get on the ground, the rules of engagement, how they operate, how they're supported, it's another way of asking how do you avoid another Mogadishu?
MCCANN: Well, I'll tell you even more than that, Miles, the rules of engagement, because we've got more veterans now than we had previously. Is the cultural issue and the aloofness to your target? It's one thing when you fight men and you see a male as your target, a man who is a combatant. It's another thing when you see a 14 or a 13 or a 15-year-old boy. And that is significantly different, and that will have an impact on the U.S. troops.
But there are other reasons to go to Liberia. They run the Maritime Registry out of there, and we know that that's kind of linked to terrorism and the movement of drugs that supports terrorism. Conflict diamonds, that's one of the regions that the U.N. put the resolution on, that they couldn't sell their diamonds. So, there are many reasons moral and Pax Americana to go into Liberia.
O'BRIEN: And a final thought here, just a big picture here. With forces engaged in Afghanistan and Iraq and other places around the world, of course, where there are boots on the ground, is this asking too much of our U.S. military forces?
MCCANN: I don't think it's asking too much of the military forces. I think it begs the question about the U.N., and I think that this administration knows that. In other words, here is another case where the U.N. is saying, please send some troops here to this region. And the administration can turn around and say, but you are supposedly the world army and can't. So, there may be other reasons afoot.
O'BRIEN: All right, much more to talk about on this; no time, though. Kelly McCann, our security, analyst, always a pleasure.
MCCANN: Pleasure, Miles.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
