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CNN Saturday Morning News

Interview With Hisham Melhem

Aired October 13, 2001 - 11:34   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.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN ANCHOR: Some Arab nations are on board and are part of President Bush's anti-terror coalition but for domestic, political reasons some are more public about it than others. That raises the question: How much are people in the various countries hearing about the U.S. campaign?

Let's talk with Hisham Melhem, he is the Washington Bureau Chief for "As-Safir," a Lebanese newspaper. Thanks so much for coming in.

HISHAM MELHEM, "AL-SAFIR": Thank you, Jeanne.

MESERVE: Let me ask you first about today's developments and the news that a U.S. Navy bomb went astray and apparently has hit a civilian area of Kabul. How will that resonate in the Arab world?

MELHEM: It will resonate very well. It will re-enforce that view that what exists there -- that this is an unjust war. And it will deepen the opposition to the war definitely.

MESERVE: Has the opposition to the U.S. war grown since it began a week ago.

MELHEM: Yesterday if you want to talk about the demonstration that occurred after the Friday prayers for all of the Arabs and Muslim world. Some of them were small, some of them were large. But if you look at this morning's coverage in the Arab media of the demonstration it was a -- the major story in addition, of course, to the problems of the anthrax in the United States.

But definitely the mood is sour and the existing regimes know that. If you want to summarize the mood in the -- among Arab intellectuals or commentators you can summarize it with the following sentence, "We are not with the United States and we are not with terrorism."

MESERVE: Would you say that support for bin Laden has grown?

MELHEM: Unfortunately in the last few days when he wrapped himself with the Palestinian cause he's gaining popularity. This is amazing but that's the sad fact. I see echoes of 1990-1991 when Sadam Hussein, again, wrapped himself with the cloak of the Palestinian issue, which is an extremely legitimate issue that resonates deeply with all Arabs and all Muslims. Osama bin Laden recently rediscovered Palestine apparently. His main focus in the past was on Chechnya, on Afghanistan, on Saudi Arabia getting the Americans out of Saudi Arabia. Now he knew the depth of the feeling of the people towards Palestine. So he's wrapping himself with the Palestinian issues and unfortunately his views are resonating well with a lot of people.

There's a great deal of intimidation of intellectuals and other religious leaders who are finding it very difficult to stand up to him and challenge him intellectually and religiously.

MESERVE: Intimidation from whom?

MELHEM: Intimidation from the mood. The governments are not going to protect anybody. The street is angry obviously at the American war in Afghanistan. They see it as a war against Islam not withstanding the assurances on the part of the president and other American officials that this is not a war against Islam. And yet many people have serious doubts about U.S. intentions in the war.

MESERVE: I wanted to ask you about that very message you mentioned. Repeatedly we've heard from the administration this is not a war against Islam. Is that message simply not getting through? And why not? Is it not being reported or not being listened to?

MELHEM: It is being reported. We write about it. Obviously I'm not sure whether everybody's listening to it. But you are dealing with the accumulation of negative U.S. policies in the region. It's going to be extremely difficult for the Americans to make a dent let alone a break through in this culture and political legacy that exists there in the region in order for you to reach the hearts and minds of the average Arab and the average Muslim.

MESERVE: What does this tell you about the outlook for ongoing cooperation for the U.S. effort in the Arab world?

MELHEM: It's going to be extremely difficult for the United States to find Arab allies and friends if the war is going to be expanded to reach other Arab countries be it Iraq or Syria or -- then the whole coalition will fall apart and then not only the people will be against it but also the various regimes including those who are very close to the United States.

MESERVE: Now many people say the U.S. is trying to keep the door open to some of those very regimes -- Syria, for instance, Iran. Do you think it's at all likely that the U.S. will win cooperation from that quarter?

MELHEM: I think there will be political costs, obviously. You have to deal with those countries. Those countries are going to be asking for some certain American concessions on the Arab-Israeli conflict, on bilateral issues.

But definitely we've seen willingness in Iran an in Syria to cooperate with the United States on the issue of combating terrorism although, like the Syrians will tell you, we have to first agree on working for the definition of terrorism because most Syrian and most Arabs believe that Israeli policies vis-a-vis the Palestinians is one of the use of terror.

MESERVE: And we have to leave it there. Hisham Melhem, thanks so much for joining us to day for that perspective.

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