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CNN Saturday Morning News
Syrian Government Joins Calls for U.S. to Pull out of Iraq
Aired April 19, 2003 - 09:02 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.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: The government of Syria has joined other Arab nations in calling for the quick removal of coalition forces from Iraq. No surprise there.
CNN's Sheila MacVicar joins us by phone from Damascus with details -- Sheila.
SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Anderson.
Yes, this took place in a meeting of Arab foreign ministers which was -- had been held over the course of the last couple of days in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh.
Now, there were a number of things discussed, one of them, of course, as you have said, the view that -- of these Arab nations, including amongst them some Arab nations which, in one way or another, supported or contributed to the U.S. invasion of Iraq by providing facilities or other logistical, other logistical facilities, now saying that they would like to see those U.S. forces get out of Iraq as soon as possible in an end to what they call the occupation.
Now, that, of course, reflects a difference of opinion which is fairly widespread here in this part of the world, the difference between liberation, as the U.S. sees it, and occupation. And that that is, in fact, something that is a growing concern to a number of people throughout the region.
At the same time, those foreign ministers also basically said that they would support Syria, that they did not welcome the kind of U.S. administration statements that have been heard against Syria in recent days, Anderson.
COOPER: Sheila, let me ask you, you know, we often hear statements from the governments in this region, public statements that then we hear later are at odds with what they are privately saying to the U.S. Is it possible this is the same kind of situation?
MACVICAR: I don't think that there is any appetite anywhere in this region for any renewed adventuring against yet another Arab state. There was quiet agreement that the regime of Saddam Hussein was a bad regime. a regime which was bad for its people, bad for the region, a regime which, because it remained in power, had been economically damaging to many of its potential economic partners around it.
But the notion now that the U.S. would somehow move on to Syria and somehow engage in yet some other kind of remaking of Syria is causing widespread consternation. It's not just Syria that looks at the U.S. and says, Well, what are you thinking about doing here? It's also Saudi Arabia, it's Egypt, it's other places in the Gulf state which have a great deal at stake through this, and which wonder what the United States is up to.
So again, you -- I don't think you can simply say that this is sort of being two-faced and that they really would welcome the downfall of the regime of Bashar al-Assad. If it's a question of democracy, well, then, you have to look at how much more -- how much real democracy there is in some of these other states as well, Anderson.
COOPER: I know it's a little off topic, but I just want to ask you, you know, we were told that Secretary of State Colin Powell will be visiting Syria, and where there are going to be some vigorous discussions, I believe, was the sort of euphemism they were using. But the question sort of, it begs the question, how much is Assad, the young Assad, really in control in Syria?
MACVICAR: This is a question that American pundits like to ask. I would like to point out that the young Mr. Assad has been president of Syria longer than President Bush has been president of the United States. That's the first thing.
The second thing is, yes, clearly, there are factions. There is an old guard, there is a new guard. There are some tensions within this society. And you can see sometimes those things play out.
But the question about whether or not Bashar al-Assad is a really a figurehead or a puppet for a military or a military and intelligence service regime would seem on the basis not to be a very accurate one.
There are things that go on in the country which, clearly, are very difficult for the president to acknowledge. It may be easier for him to suggest that he doesn't know what is going on, it may be easier for him to suggest that there are things that are being carried out by people that he has no knowledge of.
But this is the kind of regime which is pretty well wired. And if the regime knows what's going on, one has to assume that the president knows what's going on.
And so when Colin Powell comes here, the people that he will be speaking to will be the Syrian foreign minister and the Syrian president. Those are the people that the United States who hold accountable for whatever their demands are.
And if there is to be any movement forward on the wider question of the Arab-Israeli peace process, then the person that they will have to talk to is Bashar al-Assad, and he is the person that will make an agreement and then will be expected to stick to that agreement.
COOPER: All right, Sheila MacVicar live in Damascus, thanks very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Iraq>
Aired April 19, 2003 - 09:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: The government of Syria has joined other Arab nations in calling for the quick removal of coalition forces from Iraq. No surprise there.
CNN's Sheila MacVicar joins us by phone from Damascus with details -- Sheila.
SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Anderson.
Yes, this took place in a meeting of Arab foreign ministers which was -- had been held over the course of the last couple of days in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh.
Now, there were a number of things discussed, one of them, of course, as you have said, the view that -- of these Arab nations, including amongst them some Arab nations which, in one way or another, supported or contributed to the U.S. invasion of Iraq by providing facilities or other logistical, other logistical facilities, now saying that they would like to see those U.S. forces get out of Iraq as soon as possible in an end to what they call the occupation.
Now, that, of course, reflects a difference of opinion which is fairly widespread here in this part of the world, the difference between liberation, as the U.S. sees it, and occupation. And that that is, in fact, something that is a growing concern to a number of people throughout the region.
At the same time, those foreign ministers also basically said that they would support Syria, that they did not welcome the kind of U.S. administration statements that have been heard against Syria in recent days, Anderson.
COOPER: Sheila, let me ask you, you know, we often hear statements from the governments in this region, public statements that then we hear later are at odds with what they are privately saying to the U.S. Is it possible this is the same kind of situation?
MACVICAR: I don't think that there is any appetite anywhere in this region for any renewed adventuring against yet another Arab state. There was quiet agreement that the regime of Saddam Hussein was a bad regime. a regime which was bad for its people, bad for the region, a regime which, because it remained in power, had been economically damaging to many of its potential economic partners around it.
But the notion now that the U.S. would somehow move on to Syria and somehow engage in yet some other kind of remaking of Syria is causing widespread consternation. It's not just Syria that looks at the U.S. and says, Well, what are you thinking about doing here? It's also Saudi Arabia, it's Egypt, it's other places in the Gulf state which have a great deal at stake through this, and which wonder what the United States is up to.
So again, you -- I don't think you can simply say that this is sort of being two-faced and that they really would welcome the downfall of the regime of Bashar al-Assad. If it's a question of democracy, well, then, you have to look at how much more -- how much real democracy there is in some of these other states as well, Anderson.
COOPER: I know it's a little off topic, but I just want to ask you, you know, we were told that Secretary of State Colin Powell will be visiting Syria, and where there are going to be some vigorous discussions, I believe, was the sort of euphemism they were using. But the question sort of, it begs the question, how much is Assad, the young Assad, really in control in Syria?
MACVICAR: This is a question that American pundits like to ask. I would like to point out that the young Mr. Assad has been president of Syria longer than President Bush has been president of the United States. That's the first thing.
The second thing is, yes, clearly, there are factions. There is an old guard, there is a new guard. There are some tensions within this society. And you can see sometimes those things play out.
But the question about whether or not Bashar al-Assad is a really a figurehead or a puppet for a military or a military and intelligence service regime would seem on the basis not to be a very accurate one.
There are things that go on in the country which, clearly, are very difficult for the president to acknowledge. It may be easier for him to suggest that he doesn't know what is going on, it may be easier for him to suggest that there are things that are being carried out by people that he has no knowledge of.
But this is the kind of regime which is pretty well wired. And if the regime knows what's going on, one has to assume that the president knows what's going on.
And so when Colin Powell comes here, the people that he will be speaking to will be the Syrian foreign minister and the Syrian president. Those are the people that the United States who hold accountable for whatever their demands are.
And if there is to be any movement forward on the wider question of the Arab-Israeli peace process, then the person that they will have to talk to is Bashar al-Assad, and he is the person that will make an agreement and then will be expected to stick to that agreement.
COOPER: All right, Sheila MacVicar live in Damascus, thanks very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Iraq>
