Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Saturday Morning News

Interview With David Silverstein

Aired January 18, 2003 - 07:44   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: Earlier we looked at the anti-war movement in the U.S. There are lots of rallies planned for today. Our next guest says Saddam Hussein is a menace and sanctions against him have not been successful. David Silverstein is in Washington with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. He says war is really the only remaining option.
Mr. Silverstein, good to have you with us.

DAVID SILVERSTEIN, FOUNDATION FOR THE DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES: Good morning. Nice to be here.

O'BRIEN: Why would you say that, that war is the only remaining option?

SILVERSTEIN: Well, I'm afraid that we've given every other option the full range of time and effort to try and solve the situation. As you know, we've been in the situation where Saddam Hussein has been under-sanctioned for over 10 years.

As you know, we've had inspectors in there in the past; they've been kicked out. And, as you know, Saddam Hussein has continued to develop weapons of mass destruction, oppress his people and, most importantly for us, pose a threat to the region and to our interest and troops there.

O'BRIEN: All right.

SILVERSTEIN: We cannot allow that to stand.

O'BRIEN: All right.

Let's talk about the inspections, though. Thus far, they've been there for several months now, and they found 12 empty shell casings. Is that enough for you?

SILVERSTEIN: Well, I'm not sure that that's enough, but I think we need to revisit the whole sanction regime. The fact is, is that the sanction -- or the folks who were there to inspect compliance were kicked out in 1998. That gave Saddam over four years to hide everything, all of his weapons of mass destruction. That they would find just 12 now, only a few weeks after going in -- they, the inspectors -- I don't think is all that significant.

What it does show us, though, is that there is an ongoing program. Saddam did not comply with all of the agreements and Saddam is the one who is on trial here, not the international community. He must prove that he has disarmed. That is what is at stake here.

O'BRIEN: All right. Well that may be the case from your perspective, but the American people fell the burden of proof is a little different. That most of them would support the president. As a matter of fact, 76 percent would support the president in a war in Iraq if it was determined that Saddam Hussein had chemical weapons or biological or nuclear weapons. But thus far, the proof remains elusive.

SILVERSTEIN: Sure. I think this discovery is a tantalizing beginning of what's to come. I think the longer that the inspectors are there the more likely they are to find more things.

O'BRIEN: Well wait a minute. Isn't that then a fairly compelling argument for letting the inspection process play its course a little longer?

SILVERSTEIN: Sure, you might think so. But the flip side of that, of course, is that Saddam will have the ability to develop more weapons, to hide more weapons, and to prepare his troops for what might be a war coming his way. And so we can't allow him to continue to play this game.

We've done it for over 10 years. We've done it since the inspectors were kicked out in '98. And we're continuing to do it now. I think there has to be a decision made at some point in the near future that there is an acceptable amount of evidence that will allow us to make a decision. Either we rid the world and the United States and our interests of this menace, or we decide we're going to let the inspectors go on and hope that he doesn't do the kinds of things that he continues to do.

O'BRIEN: Is there enough evidence right now in your mind to launch an attack today?

SILVERSTEIN: You know, I think there is. And the single greatest locus of evidence is perhaps in Kurdistan in the north, where they have a practicing democracy in an autonomous zone; something that never would have been allowed under Saddam. And of course, in the south, where there is a no-fly zone. Again, the Shia Muslims there are allowed to live reasonably freely.

The fact is, is that Saddam Hussein has been at war with his own people for 30 years. Those people deserve to be free, and the folks in the rest of the region, whether in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, you name it -- and especially American troops -- they deserve to be free of the threat of chemical weapons, of biological weapons, and any weapons that Saddam may throw their way.

O'BRIEN: Quickly, what do you think about all these protests?

SILVERSTEIN: Well I'm pleased to see that they are expressing themselves. Everybody has that right. I'm glad there's dissent in this country; something that isn't allowed in Iraq, something that could never even be though of in a place like Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

O'BRIEN: David Silverstein, joining us from Washington with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. Thank you very much for being with us on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

SILVERSTEIN: My pleasure. Thank you so much.

O'BRIEN: All right. Take care.

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 18, 2003 - 07:44   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Earlier we looked at the anti-war movement in the U.S. There are lots of rallies planned for today. Our next guest says Saddam Hussein is a menace and sanctions against him have not been successful. David Silverstein is in Washington with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. He says war is really the only remaining option.
Mr. Silverstein, good to have you with us.

DAVID SILVERSTEIN, FOUNDATION FOR THE DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES: Good morning. Nice to be here.

O'BRIEN: Why would you say that, that war is the only remaining option?

SILVERSTEIN: Well, I'm afraid that we've given every other option the full range of time and effort to try and solve the situation. As you know, we've been in the situation where Saddam Hussein has been under-sanctioned for over 10 years.

As you know, we've had inspectors in there in the past; they've been kicked out. And, as you know, Saddam Hussein has continued to develop weapons of mass destruction, oppress his people and, most importantly for us, pose a threat to the region and to our interest and troops there.

O'BRIEN: All right.

SILVERSTEIN: We cannot allow that to stand.

O'BRIEN: All right.

Let's talk about the inspections, though. Thus far, they've been there for several months now, and they found 12 empty shell casings. Is that enough for you?

SILVERSTEIN: Well, I'm not sure that that's enough, but I think we need to revisit the whole sanction regime. The fact is, is that the sanction -- or the folks who were there to inspect compliance were kicked out in 1998. That gave Saddam over four years to hide everything, all of his weapons of mass destruction. That they would find just 12 now, only a few weeks after going in -- they, the inspectors -- I don't think is all that significant.

What it does show us, though, is that there is an ongoing program. Saddam did not comply with all of the agreements and Saddam is the one who is on trial here, not the international community. He must prove that he has disarmed. That is what is at stake here.

O'BRIEN: All right. Well that may be the case from your perspective, but the American people fell the burden of proof is a little different. That most of them would support the president. As a matter of fact, 76 percent would support the president in a war in Iraq if it was determined that Saddam Hussein had chemical weapons or biological or nuclear weapons. But thus far, the proof remains elusive.

SILVERSTEIN: Sure. I think this discovery is a tantalizing beginning of what's to come. I think the longer that the inspectors are there the more likely they are to find more things.

O'BRIEN: Well wait a minute. Isn't that then a fairly compelling argument for letting the inspection process play its course a little longer?

SILVERSTEIN: Sure, you might think so. But the flip side of that, of course, is that Saddam will have the ability to develop more weapons, to hide more weapons, and to prepare his troops for what might be a war coming his way. And so we can't allow him to continue to play this game.

We've done it for over 10 years. We've done it since the inspectors were kicked out in '98. And we're continuing to do it now. I think there has to be a decision made at some point in the near future that there is an acceptable amount of evidence that will allow us to make a decision. Either we rid the world and the United States and our interests of this menace, or we decide we're going to let the inspectors go on and hope that he doesn't do the kinds of things that he continues to do.

O'BRIEN: Is there enough evidence right now in your mind to launch an attack today?

SILVERSTEIN: You know, I think there is. And the single greatest locus of evidence is perhaps in Kurdistan in the north, where they have a practicing democracy in an autonomous zone; something that never would have been allowed under Saddam. And of course, in the south, where there is a no-fly zone. Again, the Shia Muslims there are allowed to live reasonably freely.

The fact is, is that Saddam Hussein has been at war with his own people for 30 years. Those people deserve to be free, and the folks in the rest of the region, whether in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, you name it -- and especially American troops -- they deserve to be free of the threat of chemical weapons, of biological weapons, and any weapons that Saddam may throw their way.

O'BRIEN: Quickly, what do you think about all these protests?

SILVERSTEIN: Well I'm pleased to see that they are expressing themselves. Everybody has that right. I'm glad there's dissent in this country; something that isn't allowed in Iraq, something that could never even be though of in a place like Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

O'BRIEN: David Silverstein, joining us from Washington with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. Thank you very much for being with us on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

SILVERSTEIN: My pleasure. Thank you so much.

O'BRIEN: All right. Take care.

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