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American Morning
Deadly Violence This Weekend in Iraq
Aired January 19, 2004 - 08:17 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Now to the deadly violence this weekend in Iraq. A suicide bomber set off a truck bomb at the headquarters of the U.S.-led coalition Sunday in Baghdad. At least 23 people were killed, more than 60 wounded. It came the day before U.S. Administrator L. Paul Bremer and U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan are set to discuss Iraq's future.
What does the attack mean to the security of coalition forces and to the future of Iraq?
William Cohen is a former secretary of defense and Chairman and CEO of the Cohen Group.
He is live in Washington this morning.
Mr. Secretary, thanks so much for being with us today.
Let's begin with that suicide bombing.
As we said, this took place right outside the headquarters of the U.S.-led occupation authority. Now, we have L. Paul Bremer here in New York this morning, going to be discussing the future of Iraq with Secretary General Kofi Annan.
Is there a possibility that this latest violence was an attempt to tell the U.N. not to get involved in Iraq?
WILLIAM COHEN, CHAIRMAN & CEO, THE COHEN GROUP: Oh, I think the -- those who are exploding these bombs are determined to send a message to any who might be of assistance to the United States and coalition forces that they are targets. They've already attacks the U.N. facilities earlier. They have attacked the Red Cross. There are no groups that are immune from their gun sights and bombs.
So I think that has been a consistent message on the part of the either remnants of Saddam loyalists or al Qaeda fanatics.
But I think what has to happen right now is that we have to be able to indicate that the situation is going to be secure, stable and that there is a political legitimacy that can be established. Those three things have to be achieve and they're all intertwined. And so Jerry Bremer going to the United Nations is really to seek Kofi Annan's assistance. There may be some reluctance on the part of the United Nations, who say that maybe this is simply an effort for the United States to seek cover and to seek a scapegoat for the failure to achieve those three goals that I mentioned.
COLLINS: You mentioned the other bombing at the U.N. compound. As I'm sure you'll recall, Kofi Annan withdrew all the U.N. staffers.
Will this latest incident give him pause to return the workers?
COHEN: Oh, I think he's going to be very concerned as to whether or not we have established a secure enough environment or will establish a secure enough environment for U.N. workers to be able to safely carry out their mission. I think other things are going to be taking place in addition to going to Kofi Annan.
You've seen something of a modification of the U.S. position by indicating to the Canadians that they will be able to participate in the reconstruction effort. I suspect that a similar message may be going forth to the Germans, the French and perhaps others in order to build a consensus from within the Security Council to say that the United Nations should come back in.
But we had spent a good deal of time diminishing the significance of the U.N. going into the war. I think it's incumbent upon us now to point out the significance, the importance of the U.N. in helping to engage in so-called nation building.
So all of those factors are at play right now.
COLLINS: And what about the significance of troop rotation, Mr. Secretary? This is about to begin this month throughout Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait.
What's this going to do for troop morale?
COHEN: Well, first let me say what an extraordinary job the troops have done to date. They have carried out a mission which seemingly impossible, against impossible odds in terms of the environment in which they have to function. They have suffered many wounds and the wounded are suffering terrible wounds, and yet their morale is still high. Those who are wounded at Walter Reed and elsewhere still have high morale.
I think that as far as the United States is concerned in terms of building that morale for the future is to point out that this mission has to be successful and that those voices that are calling for it being a mistake or an undesirable or a voluntary war, I think we are harming morale in doing that. The people who are fighting this war are doing it because we decided as a nation, the United States, that it was important to remove Saddam from power because of the threat of chemical, biological and possibly nuclear weapons.
So morale, I think, is still high, even though right now we're seeing a new transition. The message that has to go out is both good news and bad news for the troops going in. Fresh troops are absolutely essential. The new troops coming in are also going to find they've got a learning curve, which will have to be a very steep one and they'll have to run very quickly in order to accommodate themselves and acclimate themselves to a very tough environment.
COLLINS: And we, of course, will hear much more about Iraq's future as the day goes on with the meetings taking place today right here in New York.
Former Secretary of Defense William Cohen.
Thanks so much for being with us this morning live from Washington.
COHEN: A pleasure, Heidi.
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 January 19, 2004 - 08:17 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Now to the deadly violence this weekend in Iraq. A suicide bomber set off a truck bomb at the headquarters of the U.S.-led coalition Sunday in Baghdad. At least 23 people were killed, more than 60 wounded. It came the day before U.S. Administrator L. Paul Bremer and U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan are set to discuss Iraq's future.
What does the attack mean to the security of coalition forces and to the future of Iraq?
William Cohen is a former secretary of defense and Chairman and CEO of the Cohen Group.
He is live in Washington this morning.
Mr. Secretary, thanks so much for being with us today.
Let's begin with that suicide bombing.
As we said, this took place right outside the headquarters of the U.S.-led occupation authority. Now, we have L. Paul Bremer here in New York this morning, going to be discussing the future of Iraq with Secretary General Kofi Annan.
Is there a possibility that this latest violence was an attempt to tell the U.N. not to get involved in Iraq?
WILLIAM COHEN, CHAIRMAN & CEO, THE COHEN GROUP: Oh, I think the -- those who are exploding these bombs are determined to send a message to any who might be of assistance to the United States and coalition forces that they are targets. They've already attacks the U.N. facilities earlier. They have attacked the Red Cross. There are no groups that are immune from their gun sights and bombs.
So I think that has been a consistent message on the part of the either remnants of Saddam loyalists or al Qaeda fanatics.
But I think what has to happen right now is that we have to be able to indicate that the situation is going to be secure, stable and that there is a political legitimacy that can be established. Those three things have to be achieve and they're all intertwined. And so Jerry Bremer going to the United Nations is really to seek Kofi Annan's assistance. There may be some reluctance on the part of the United Nations, who say that maybe this is simply an effort for the United States to seek cover and to seek a scapegoat for the failure to achieve those three goals that I mentioned.
COLLINS: You mentioned the other bombing at the U.N. compound. As I'm sure you'll recall, Kofi Annan withdrew all the U.N. staffers.
Will this latest incident give him pause to return the workers?
COHEN: Oh, I think he's going to be very concerned as to whether or not we have established a secure enough environment or will establish a secure enough environment for U.N. workers to be able to safely carry out their mission. I think other things are going to be taking place in addition to going to Kofi Annan.
You've seen something of a modification of the U.S. position by indicating to the Canadians that they will be able to participate in the reconstruction effort. I suspect that a similar message may be going forth to the Germans, the French and perhaps others in order to build a consensus from within the Security Council to say that the United Nations should come back in.
But we had spent a good deal of time diminishing the significance of the U.N. going into the war. I think it's incumbent upon us now to point out the significance, the importance of the U.N. in helping to engage in so-called nation building.
So all of those factors are at play right now.
COLLINS: And what about the significance of troop rotation, Mr. Secretary? This is about to begin this month throughout Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait.
What's this going to do for troop morale?
COHEN: Well, first let me say what an extraordinary job the troops have done to date. They have carried out a mission which seemingly impossible, against impossible odds in terms of the environment in which they have to function. They have suffered many wounds and the wounded are suffering terrible wounds, and yet their morale is still high. Those who are wounded at Walter Reed and elsewhere still have high morale.
I think that as far as the United States is concerned in terms of building that morale for the future is to point out that this mission has to be successful and that those voices that are calling for it being a mistake or an undesirable or a voluntary war, I think we are harming morale in doing that. The people who are fighting this war are doing it because we decided as a nation, the United States, that it was important to remove Saddam from power because of the threat of chemical, biological and possibly nuclear weapons.
So morale, I think, is still high, even though right now we're seeing a new transition. The message that has to go out is both good news and bad news for the troops going in. Fresh troops are absolutely essential. The new troops coming in are also going to find they've got a learning curve, which will have to be a very steep one and they'll have to run very quickly in order to accommodate themselves and acclimate themselves to a very tough environment.
COLLINS: And we, of course, will hear much more about Iraq's future as the day goes on with the meetings taking place today right here in New York.
Former Secretary of Defense William Cohen.
Thanks so much for being with us this morning live from Washington.
COHEN: A pleasure, Heidi.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
