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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
Interviews With Pervez Musharraf, Paul Bremer
Aired June 25, 2003 - 17:00 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.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Osama bin Laden. You believe you approximately know where he is?
And Saddam Hussein.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll get him, Wolf.
BLITZER: Are their days numbered? I'll go one-on-one with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.
And with the U.S. point men in Iraq, Paul Bremer.
You've seen the public threats and the results. Now, bin Laden, behind the scenes: a CNN exclusive preview.
Cease-fire, or Middle East mirage.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'll believe it when I see it.
BLITZER: They made it to America on a raft, 9 years ago. Now they're back in Cuba accused of espionage.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) I was very happy. Then when I found out I was very sad.
BLITZER: And nobody is telling you how cute these dimples are, will those anti-cellulite creams get rid of them?
ANNOUNCER: CNN live at this hour, Wolf Blitzer Reports, live from the nation's capital, with correspondents from around the world. Wolf Blitzer Reports starts right now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: It's Wednesday, June 25, 2003. Hello from Washington, I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting.
We begin with the hunt for Osama bin Laden. In a moment, an exclusive look behind the scenes at the al Qaeda leader. But first, the latest intelligence from my conversation earlier today with a key U.S. ally.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BLITZER (voice-over): A year ago Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf believed Osama bin Laden was probably dead. But he's changed his view since then.
PERVEZ MUSHARRAF, PRESIDENT OF PAKISTAN: More chances that he's alive.
BLITZER: That talk, Musharraf says, includes intercepted communications of bin Laden's aides.
(on camera): And you believe these are authentic, these interceptions?
MUSHARRAF: Yes. They are technical intercepts, communication all are very authentic.
BLITZER (voice-over): Like top U.S. officials, Musharraf suspects bin Laden is somewhere along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
MUSHARRAF: If he's moving with a large body of people, security people around him, he'll be in Afghanistan. If he's moving with a small group, he could be on the Pakistani side in the tribal area.
BLITZER: That so-called tribal area is rugged and remote, virtually inaccessible and very dangerous. Only now are Pakistani forces daring to move in.
MUSHARRAF: On our side we have entered an area where for over a century nobody had entered.
BLITZER (on camera): But you are aggressively now going in that area via air or on the ground as much as you possibly can to search for Osama bin Laden?
MUSHARRAF: Yes indeed. We are there. We have a total, complete operation in place, integrated operation on the technical side, intelligence side. And also the capability of a force being available, fast, quick reaction force being available.
BLITZER: Based on what you know, is al Qaeda under Osama bin Laden now regrouping?
MUSHARRAF: No, I don't think so. My judgment is that al Qaeda is on the run, they are dispersed, they are (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and they are hiding. They don't have a potential -- they don't have a command and control capability of regrouping for any kind of major organized operation.
BLITZER: But what about the recent attacks in Saudi Arabia and Morocco? Those seem to be fingerprints of al Qaeda.
MUSHARRAF: Possibly. But, as I said, from our region, I'm only talking of our region, Afghanistan and Pakistan, here they are not at all organized.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And here's your turn to weigh in on the story. Our web question of the day is this -- do you think Pakistan is doing all it can to capture Osama bin Laden? We'll have the results later in this broadcast. You can vote at CNN.com/wolf.
While you're there, I'd like to hear from you. Send me your comments. I'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also where you can read my daily online column, CNN.com
Coming up a little later this hour, more of my interview with Pervez Musharraf. We'll talk about nuclear tensions between India and Pakistan, as well as Pakistan's military relationship with North Korea.
Tonight on CNN, an exclusive report about a secret letter from Osama bin Laden. What it said, who it went to and what happened next. You'll see the full report at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, live, on LIVE FROM THE HEADLINES.
Joining us now with a preview, CNN senior producer Henry Shuster. Henry, first of all, I understand part of your report is that the United States and Pakistan almost caught Osama bin Laden a few months ago. What can you tell us?
HENRY SCHUSTER, CNN SR. PRODUCER: Well, Wolf, what we can tell you is that those Pakistani troops were in that border area known as the tribal areas, looking for Osama bin Laden and other al Qaeda members in March. U.S. and Pakistani forces thought they had the al Qaeda leader in their sights, by the time they moved in, bin Laden had once again escaped.
BLITZER: But Henry, the whole issue of this capture, this noncapture, the escape, how did it unfold? What little more detail can you share with us?
SCHUSTER: Well, Wolf, we're not quite clear exactly how they learned he was there. At the time, you may remember that Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and some other al Qaeda leaders have been captured, and it's not clear if the information came from that or from technical means, as the Pakistani president alluded to. Also there was the issue of this secret letter that went out. But somehow they were there. There were rumors that they had him. In fact, there were a couple of officials in that area that actually went so far as to almost announce that they had bin Laden or one of his sons in custody.
It turned out, as far as we can tell, that once they got to where they thought he was, he was no longer there and had moved. In what way, they still don't know.
BLITZER: And the message that he may have sent out. What was -- do we know details about it?
SCHUSTER: Wolf, one thing that we know is that it was a secret letter delivered in a way that would reduce his chances of getting caught. But how letter made its way to al Qaeda terrorists we'll leave a mystery for now.
It's part of a new strategy, though, by Osama bin Laden, after suffering major cutbacks, like those lieutenants being captured. Bin Laden is now relying on local groups who are sympathetic to his terrorist cause to help him carry out attacks. Instead of those attacks being launched simultaneously like they were on 9/11 and in the U.S. embassy bombings in Africa, they are being launched in waves. We saw evidence of that in Saudi Arabia in May, which was followed by attack in Chechnya, Pakistan and Morocco. Several targets, several countries over several days. That happened also in October.
BLITZER; Henry Schuster, thanks for that report.
This important footnote: Today troops from the 82nd Airborne were out looking for Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda in Afghanistan, while Pakistani troops were on the other side of the border, also on the hunt. We heard that from Pervez Musharraf just a little while ago. And again, you can watch that report prepared by CNN's Mike Boettcher and our senior producer Henry Schuster about Osama bin Laden's secret message. That will air tonight 8:00 p.m. Eastern on "LIVE FROM THE HEADLINES."
Saddam Hussein is proving just as elusive as Osama bin Laden. More than two months after the fall of Baghdad, there is no sign of the former Iraqi leader. Will he ever be caught? Earlier today in a one-on-one interview, I put the question directly to Paul Bremer, the U.S. civil administrator in charge of Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL BREMER, U.S. ADMINISTRATOR IN IRAQ: Well, it's a big place. It's a big country. He had 30 years to build himself safe houses, palaces, tunnels, we don't know what. And we must assume that, as was the case when he was still here and ruling, he moves around a lot. He probably doesn't spend the same -- sleep twice in the same bed in a row, and he presumably has some people around him who are protecting him. We'll get him, Wolf. I'm assuming he's still alive and we will get our hands on him, dead or alive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: And we'll hear much more from Paul Bremer, including other answers to some tough questions in just a few minutes.
Meanwhile, we're learning much more about the violent clash in the southern Iraqi city of Basra that left six British military police dead, bombarded with bullets and grenades. CNN's Ben Wedeman saw the site firsthand near Basra.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Blood marks the spot where their dead or wounded bodies were dragged through the police station in the southern Iraqi town of Al-Majar al Kabir (ph). British military police killed in the bloodiest day for coalition forces since the fall of Saddam Hussein. The incident appears to have been sparked by local concern that British forces were about to conduct house-to-house searches for heavy weapons. House searches are highly sensitive issue in this conservative Shiite Muslim town.
"When it began, when there were children and soldiers, some people exploited the situation by opening fire on the British forces," says Dr. Adel Ashaui (ph), head of the local hospital.
The British troops retreated to the police station and were quickly surrounded by angry townspeople, many of them armed.
"There were no more than 15 or 20 armed men. They had old AK-47 rifles," says Ahmed Unis (ph), the member of the local security committee. The front of the police station is peppered with bullet holes. Several rocket-propelled grenades also hit the building. Bits of one grenade still lodged in the wall.
On the roof of the school across the street, spent rounds litter what a former soldier describes as ideal firing positions.
It is not clear exactly where or how the six British soldiers were killed. The British are treating it as an isolated incident.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This was not a carefully planned, quote, coordinated attack.
WEDEMAN: British forces are now on an elevated state of alert. Up the street from the police station, friends and relatives mourn the death of a 25-year-old shop owner Abbas Jasim (ph), one of at least four Iraqis killed in the fight. Here bitterness and anger.
(on camera): The precise details of what happened here are not clear. But what is clear is that in Iraq, even in areas normally considered calm and friendly to coalition forces, things can very suddenly and very violently spin out of control.
Ben Wedeman, CNN, in Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And accused sniper lays the blame for a cross country killing spree.
Was Lee Boyd Malvo brainwashed into murder?
A sneak peek at his new defense.
Also a disabled rape victim and a judge's controversial order on the woman's pregnancy. We'll go live to Miami for the latest on this case.
And the battle against cellulite. American women spend millions fighting it. But do the creams actually work?
We'll have an important consumer medical report. First today's news quiz.
What's the most common cosmetic surgery procedure in the United States?
Liposuction, nose reshaping, breast augmentation, face lift.
The answer coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BREAKING NEWS)
BLITZER: And this not to our viewers, we're going to have much more on this important, very important story. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" at 6:00, "LIVE FROM THE HEADLINES" at 7:00 and at 8:00. Stay with CNN in the coming hours and indeed throughout the night to get all the latest on this significant story.
Coming up a major development in the sniper case.
Also a vacation turned nightmare in Cuba. A Miami family split in two. Find out what Fidel Castro has in store for them.
Plus, Eminem pulls a Michael Jackson, the baby and the balcony. Still to come.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. For the first time, lawyers for the younger of the two Washington sniper suspects are finger pointing. They are now suggesting their client, Lee Boyd Malvo, was under the spell of his much older companion.
CNN's Jeanne Meserve has been following this case from the beginning.
She is joining us live from our Los Angeles Bureau -- Jean.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, this is the first indication of the strategy the defense may follow in the trial of sniper suspect Lee Boyd Malvo. In a motion filed today, defense attorneys request exculpatory evidence of Malvo being "Under the spell of the other sniper suspect, John Allen Mohammed." The motion refers 23 pages of police interviews of witnesses that have not been provided to the defense saying those relate to witness descriptions of Malvo being "Under the spell of John hammed during the relevant times of their relationship." The nature of that relationship has been the subject of speculation ever since the two men were arrested last fall.
During an interview with police Malvo said that the two men act as a team with one man spotting and the other man shooting. His description was they were a team of equal partners. Malvo's mother, Una James, however, in a recent interview with Television Jamaica, said that John Allen Mohammed was a "demon." And that she tried to tell authorities in Bellingham, Washington that he was a bad influence on her son. The authorities in Bellingham told the "Washington Post," that is not what she told them.
Virginia defense attorney's two who we've spoken says the motion filed today is a logical one. That taking this could help with the defense and also possibly with the sentencing aspect of the case if Malvo is convicted. It also marks the end of the cooperative relationship between Malvo's attorneys and Mohammed's attorneys. Michael Arif who is representing Malvo said there was a truce fore awhile. That he says has now ended. He said he believes that Malvo was programmed or brainwashed or totally dominated by Mohammed and that Mohammed's involvement was more than has been previously indicated.
Wolf, back to you.
BLITZER: Thanks, Jeanne Meserve reporting on this story.
Now in to an extraordinary moral and legal dilemma, a raped woman who is pregnant. Will the court force her to give birth.
CNN's, Susan Candiotti, following the story. She is joining us live now from Miami..
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Wolf. This is a controversial case. Because here in the state of Florida, a judge has had to step in and order that a severely disabled woman, who is pregnant, give birth. We know her only by her initials this mother to be, JDS. She is 22 years old, and according to police, she has the mental capacity of a 1-year-old. According to court filings, she has cerebral palsy and is autistic. She didn't become pregnant by choice. She was raped in a group home according to police, overseen by the state of Florida. JDS is more than six months pregnant.
Since she's incapable of deciding for herself, a judge based his decision on that coming from a guardian that he appointed to represent JDS. Now according the guardian's report two doctors agree JDS is "in good health." Two sonograms reveal no obvious or significant fetal abnormalities. Though JDS is autistic, a guardian adds, JDS appears to be responsive, not just sitting in a semiconscious state all the time. On a court appeal, Governor Jeb Bush is still trying to get a guardian appointed for the fetus. He says the unborn child must be protected and a judge rejected his earlier request. Tonight a spokesman for the governor calls this decision humane.
Of course, Wolf, there are a lot of unanswered questions about this. Among them, what will happen to the baby, what will happen to JDS and even the guardian is concerned about that. She warned the court that she worries where this mother will be placed. She hopes it is not in a home like the one where she had been living, a home where police say she was raped -- Wolf.
BLITZER: It's shocking across the board.
Susan Candiotti, thanks for that report.
Lets move on. For members of a Cuban family living in Miami it's a situation that could be described as a nightmare, but it's all to real. A husband and wife are being held in Havana, accused of espionage, while their two daughters are now back in Miami. And to make matters worst the U.S. government has no legal rights in the case.
Here is CNN's Havana bureau chief.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When they used to be with us, in Cuba, we were happy, and then when I just found out, that was very sad. And I started crying because I miss them.
LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): Ashley Cardosa is crying because her parents are in jail in Cuba. Arrested and held during a trip there to attend a family reunion.
Maria, Arcel Cardosa and their two young daughters left Miami in late March for Cuba never suspecting they'd be separated from their children and thrown into prison after being arrested at the Cuban airport on their way back to Florida on April 8.
Relatives in Cuba were shocked. I found out when the security police brought me the two girls, says Maria's sister, Maricel. They said there was something about a letter and that they were being accused of spying.
Maria Cardosa was allegedly carrying a letter for someone in Miami who police here found incriminating.
Although the family insists none of them had any involvement with politics. It's not clear whether the Cardosas and another brother who lives here in Cuba has been arrested has been charged or are still under investigation. But relatives in Cuba and Miami who have kept quiet for 75 days, are now going public, after the three were brought to Havana last week to the security police's main interrogation center.
Back in Miami, the children are distraught.
LIZAN CARDOSA, DAUGHTER OF ARCEL AND MARIA: I have a little sister who is suffering from this. And so am I. And it's hard on us, the whole family.
NEWMAN: In Havana, relatives it are desperate. They haven't let me appoint an attorney, says Maricel, I tried to and they said, no, not until they close their case.
Although the Cardosas are permanent U.S. residents, the U.S. diplomatic mission here in Havana can't legally intervene because they are not U.S. citizens.
Cuban officials are keeping absolutely mute about the case. And in the absence of information, there is plenty of speculation about what the Cuban government has in store for the Cardosas. Lucia Newman, CNN, Havana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: No end in sight to the war in Iraq. Was the U.S. really prepared for the aftermath? I'll ask the men in charge of reconstruction, Paul Bremer.
Plus, Greenspan and the federal reserve move on interest rates. Find out the bottom line as far as you are concerned.
And it's every woman's nightmare. Cellulite on the thighs. Will a simple cream really smooth out those dimples? A consumer medical report you'll want to know about. OK, that's still to come.
ANNOUNCER: CNN live this hour. WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, live from the nation's capital. With correspondents from around the world. Here now is Wolf Blitzer.
BLITZER:: Welcome back. Israel, which today said it fired missiles at a Hamas militant also says, it must study a proposed truce deal very carefully. The White House is also wary. For the latest let's go to our senior White House correspondent John King -- John.
JOHN KING, SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The president's national security adviser Condoleezza Rice will be making her way to the region for peace talks by the end of this week. So the president will get a first-hand account soon.
Here at the White House, some officials privately say a cease- fire could be a positive development down the road. But the president is being quite cautious, to say the least.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING (voice-over): The president was openly skeptical that any cease-fire will truly stop attacks on Israel.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'll believe it when I see it, knowing the history of the terrorists in the Middle East.
KING: And Mr. Bush was adamant that even if there is a cease- fire it would not be enough. That in his view, Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups, must be put out of business.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But the true tests for Hamas and terrorist organizations is the complete dismantlement of their terrorist networks, their capacity to blow up the peace process. That's the true test.
KING: The Middle East and the war on terrorism dominated the annual White House summit with European Union leaders. The EU worked with the White House to write the road map to peace that Mr. Bush is trying to get Israel and the Palestinians to implement. But France is among European nations which have ignored a White House request to isolate Yasser Arafat and the EU so far has resisted pressure to list the political wing of Hamas as a terrorist group, which would allow its assets to be frozen.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I urge the leaders in Europe and around the world to take swift, decisive action against terror groups such as Hamas. To cut off their funding.
KING: This was the first US/EU summit since the Iraq war strained transatlantic ties. But there is a united front now on Iran. The leaders demanded that international inspectors have full access to its nuclear facilities.
ROMAND PRADI, PRESIDENT OF EUROPEAN COMMISSION: Because we have to be sure that doesn't constitute a danger to future peace. We have to be absolutely sure.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The world speaks together. If they all comply.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Despite the president's open public skepticism about the possibility of a cease-fire, some White House officials and others across the administration say it could be a positive development. But only if it is just a first step and only if it is immediately followed by efforts to disarm Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Thanks, John King. Lots of questions still out there. John king at the White House.
Is the situation in Iraq out of control? Can the U.S.-led coalition create order out of what seems to be some sort of chaos? Earlier today I spoke with the chief U.S. civilian administrator in Iraq, the veteran diplomat Paul Bremer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Let's get to the key question at hand. Was the U.S. Prepared for what seems to be an incredibly chaotic situation unfolding on the ground inside Iraq?
PAUL BREMER, U.S. ADMINISTRATOR IN IRAQ: I think we were. And I don't think it's incredibly chaotic, Wolf. What we're seeing is a number of incidents that happened. We've had a tragic one in the British sector yesterday. But we've had a fairly constant level of attacks against coalition forces since the war ended. This was to be expected. We're dealing with it. I don't think it poses a fundamental threat to our overall objectives, which are to bring about a free and independent Iraq with a Democratically elected government. I think that's what I think we will do here.
BLITZER: As you know, there's a lot of Americans concerned, at least one soldier, Marine seems to be getting killed on a daily basis since the president declared an end of major operations on May 1.
How much longer is this kind of sniping going to continue? BREMER: It's hard to know the size of the opposition we face. It is true that we're losing men and women regularly. You have to remember that two-thirds of those are from accidents. They are not from hostile action. It doesn't make it any easier. We are faced with a group, small groups of Ba'athists, ex-members -- members of the ex-regime, Fedayeen Saddam, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) from the Republican Guard, who seem to be operating in small groups and attacking our forces.
We are acting forcefully in response. And I think as we gradually impose our will on these people, I think we'll find that the security in these isolated areas, and most of the country, after all, this is not a problem. But in these isolated areas we are gradually imposing our will and then I think we'll see things calm down.
BLITZER: You've heard suggestions from Ahmed Chalabi, the Former Iraqi Opposition leader, says Saddam Hussein personally is not only alive and well, but he's coordinating, he's orchestrating these attacks against coalition forces.
Is Chalabi right?
BREMER: We don't have any evidence that -- yet, that shows that these attacks are being centrally directed. We can't yet exclude it. But, so far it looks like they are operations that are undertaken independently by people who sympathize with Saddam, no question. But we don't yet see any sign of central command and control. We are obviously looking very closely for that to see if it comes about.
BLITZER: Is it your sense, Mr. Ambassador, that with Saddam Hussein still out there, presumably alive some place inside Iraq, many Iraqis simply don't have confidence in the U.S. and the coalition and as a result, they are holding back and going forward and cooperating with you?
BREMER: I don't think it's a question of them not having confidence in us. I think there is certainly a degree of intimidation by these ex-Ba'athists, these ex-regime people who are certainly going around. We see intelligence reports that indicate that. They go around in the bazaars and villages and say we are coming back and you should not cooperate. Saddam is still alive and when we come back, we will remember the people who cooperated with the coalition.
But there is some good news here. Our police are now reporting -- we have 8,000 policemen now operating in Baghdad, Iraqi policemen. And they are reporting over the last two weeks an increasing number of phone calls from citizens calling in and saying, by the way, there's some Ba'athists in the two houses down from me. We saw Ba'athists go into that building. Until a few weeks ago we weren't getting those phones calls. That suggest to me that, in fact, at least here in Baghdad, people are beginning to be more confidence that we are here. We are going to succeed. And they are more willing to step out and support us.
BLITZER: Is it fair to say, Mr. Ambassador, the war is still going on? BREMER: Well, we certainly have pockets of violence and military violence that is going on. There are areas of the country, particularly in the triangle roughly from Alramadi (ph) out west of Baghdad, up to Tikrit, Saddam's hometown and then southeast to Bakuba (ph). There is certainly a remnant of the regime there that is actively engaged in military operations. I would not say it's a war. There's no doubt about the outcome. We, after all, have 150,000 American troops here and another 20,000 coalition troops. So there's no strategic threat to us here.
BLITZER: What would happen exactly on the Syrian border, the other day. Syrian forces got injured. There was a firefight involving U.S., coalition troops and Syria.
BREMER: Well, what was involved here, and I don't want to go into many of the details. But what was involved here was not an effort against Syrians. We had an indication that a group of Iraqis were trying to cross the border illegally and we intervened to stop that. And that's basically all I can say about it at the moment.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: We'll have more of my interview with Ambassador Paul Bremer tomorrow at noon Eastern here on CNN.
Help for the U.S. economy. Find out the latest move by Alan Greenspan. He's trying to get your money moving again.
And do those special cellulite creams you see on the market really help you fight fat? Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
BLITZER: More now on my one-on-one interview earlier today with the Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. I asked him about suspicions by U.S. intelligence that Pakistan helped North Korea enrich uranium and develop a nuclear weapon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MUSHARRAF: There is no proof of it at all. And this is -- we've put it behind, it's a story of the past, and we've come beyond it and it's a closed chapter altogether.
BLITZER: The "New York Times" reported this morning -- you might have seen that in the "New York Times" -- that last year U.S. intelligence spotted Pakistani aircraft picking up missiles in North Korea to bring them back to Pakistan.
MUSHARRAF: Well, we had our relationships, certainly, with North Korea. We've got surface-to-air missiles, conventional surface-to-air missiles. Bought them -- bought these from them. We have developed them now in Pakistan. We manufactured them in Pakistan. So, therefore, there is no need of even associating ourselves with them on the conventional side. Previously, yes, we had conventional army relationships with them. Now that chapter is also closed.
BLITZER: It's closed completely. But last year you were still purchasing or obtaining missiles, ground-to-ground missiles from North Korea?
MUSHARRAF: Ground-to-air missiles. SAMs. As I said, we are manufacturing SAMs, which are of Eastern origin. And these have a base in this country. That is all (UNINTELLIGIBLE) now.
BLITZER: So right now, Mr. President, you can say categorically there is no military to military relationship with North Korea?
MUSHARRAF: Absolutely.
BLITZER: When exactly did this end?
MUSHARRAF: Well, I got (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- I am very sure of my government. It was not involved at all in -- on the strategic side, on the unconventional side. On the conventional side, yes, we did purchase, as I said, conventional surface-to-air missiles, short- range, in fact. We call them Shurab (ph) missiles. These were purchased. Now we manufacture them.
BLITZER: How worried are you, God forbid, that there could be a nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan over the issue, the sensitive issue of the disputed territory of Kashmir?
MUSHARRAF: I don't think when you are further focusing over the sensitive issue of territory of Kashmir. The conflict in Kashmir can never lead to a nuclear conflagration. I'm very sure of that. And as long as there's a conventional balance of forces which exists at the moment, and our strategy of minimum deterrence, either (ph) place, I don't see at all the possibility of conflagration going into the unconventional mode.
BLITZER: Even as we speak right now, India is testing additional missiles and continuing that for several days now. How much of a concern is that to your government?
MUSHARRAF: Well, we, as I said, we believe our strategy is a strategy of minimum deterrence, and we have quantified this deterrence in the conventional and unconventional mode. We are very comfortable (UNINTELLIGIBLE). We are very comfortable that we are maintaining a level of force which gives us this capability of deterrence.
BLITZER: Are you taking active steps right now to improve the relationship, the dialogue with India, to avoid that kind of nuclear nightmare?
MUSHARRAF: We are taking much more active steps than Indians are taking. Response from the Indian side is rather slow.
BLITZER: You are in a tough position. Some have said on the one hand you have got the Islamic fundamentalists who are angry at you because of your close relationship with the United States since 9/11. On the other hand, you have the liberal reformers, democrats in your country who don't think you are moving quickly enough to restore democracy in Pakistan. Do you sometimes feel like you are sort of in a vice?
MUSHARRAF: Well, this is the perception outside, but I keep a finger on the pulse of the country. I'm a man of the people. I may be in the military. I am very much in touch with the people of Pakistan. I understand their psyche, I understand their aspirations. I'm very clear about one thing, that the people of Pakistan like me, and that is the confidence, that is why I have the confidence of roaming around for over 20 days around the world, because I'm very sure of what the people of Pakistan want.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, speaking with me earlier today here in Washington.
Our hot Web question of the day is this: Do you think Pakistan is doing all it can to capture Osama bin Laden? You can vote at cnn.com/wolf. The results when we come back. But first, the answer to today's news quiz.
Earlier we asked -- what's the most common cosmetic surgery procedure in the United States? The answer, nose reshaping. Liposuction was number two.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(INTERRUPTED FOR CNN COVERAGE OF BREAKING NEWS)
BLITZER: Let's get to your -- our Web question of the day. You've been weighing in on this question. Do you think Pakistan is doing all it can to capture Osama bin Laden? Look at this. Twenty- eight percent of you say yes, 72 percent of you say no. Remember, you can find the exact vote tally, continue to vote, by the way, on our Web site, cnn.com/wolf. Remember, this is not a scientific poll.
Let's get to some of our e-mail. First of all, Steve writes this: "Israel has taken a stance in the past that it will not negotiate with Hamas. Will it respect a cease-fire they are offering now?"
Harris has a different perspective: "It is sad that if it is considered great progress when the radical Palestinians agree not to blow up women and children for three months. Maybe they will put their desire to exterminate all of Israel on hold for this time also."
A reminder, you can always watch us 5:00 p.m. Eastern, as well as noon Eastern, Monday through Friday. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. Thanks very much for watching. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.
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 June 25, 2003 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Osama bin Laden. You believe you approximately know where he is?
And Saddam Hussein.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll get him, Wolf.
BLITZER: Are their days numbered? I'll go one-on-one with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.
And with the U.S. point men in Iraq, Paul Bremer.
You've seen the public threats and the results. Now, bin Laden, behind the scenes: a CNN exclusive preview.
Cease-fire, or Middle East mirage.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'll believe it when I see it.
BLITZER: They made it to America on a raft, 9 years ago. Now they're back in Cuba accused of espionage.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) I was very happy. Then when I found out I was very sad.
BLITZER: And nobody is telling you how cute these dimples are, will those anti-cellulite creams get rid of them?
ANNOUNCER: CNN live at this hour, Wolf Blitzer Reports, live from the nation's capital, with correspondents from around the world. Wolf Blitzer Reports starts right now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: It's Wednesday, June 25, 2003. Hello from Washington, I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting.
We begin with the hunt for Osama bin Laden. In a moment, an exclusive look behind the scenes at the al Qaeda leader. But first, the latest intelligence from my conversation earlier today with a key U.S. ally.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BLITZER (voice-over): A year ago Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf believed Osama bin Laden was probably dead. But he's changed his view since then.
PERVEZ MUSHARRAF, PRESIDENT OF PAKISTAN: More chances that he's alive.
BLITZER: That talk, Musharraf says, includes intercepted communications of bin Laden's aides.
(on camera): And you believe these are authentic, these interceptions?
MUSHARRAF: Yes. They are technical intercepts, communication all are very authentic.
BLITZER (voice-over): Like top U.S. officials, Musharraf suspects bin Laden is somewhere along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
MUSHARRAF: If he's moving with a large body of people, security people around him, he'll be in Afghanistan. If he's moving with a small group, he could be on the Pakistani side in the tribal area.
BLITZER: That so-called tribal area is rugged and remote, virtually inaccessible and very dangerous. Only now are Pakistani forces daring to move in.
MUSHARRAF: On our side we have entered an area where for over a century nobody had entered.
BLITZER (on camera): But you are aggressively now going in that area via air or on the ground as much as you possibly can to search for Osama bin Laden?
MUSHARRAF: Yes indeed. We are there. We have a total, complete operation in place, integrated operation on the technical side, intelligence side. And also the capability of a force being available, fast, quick reaction force being available.
BLITZER: Based on what you know, is al Qaeda under Osama bin Laden now regrouping?
MUSHARRAF: No, I don't think so. My judgment is that al Qaeda is on the run, they are dispersed, they are (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and they are hiding. They don't have a potential -- they don't have a command and control capability of regrouping for any kind of major organized operation.
BLITZER: But what about the recent attacks in Saudi Arabia and Morocco? Those seem to be fingerprints of al Qaeda.
MUSHARRAF: Possibly. But, as I said, from our region, I'm only talking of our region, Afghanistan and Pakistan, here they are not at all organized.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And here's your turn to weigh in on the story. Our web question of the day is this -- do you think Pakistan is doing all it can to capture Osama bin Laden? We'll have the results later in this broadcast. You can vote at CNN.com/wolf.
While you're there, I'd like to hear from you. Send me your comments. I'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also where you can read my daily online column, CNN.com
Coming up a little later this hour, more of my interview with Pervez Musharraf. We'll talk about nuclear tensions between India and Pakistan, as well as Pakistan's military relationship with North Korea.
Tonight on CNN, an exclusive report about a secret letter from Osama bin Laden. What it said, who it went to and what happened next. You'll see the full report at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, live, on LIVE FROM THE HEADLINES.
Joining us now with a preview, CNN senior producer Henry Shuster. Henry, first of all, I understand part of your report is that the United States and Pakistan almost caught Osama bin Laden a few months ago. What can you tell us?
HENRY SCHUSTER, CNN SR. PRODUCER: Well, Wolf, what we can tell you is that those Pakistani troops were in that border area known as the tribal areas, looking for Osama bin Laden and other al Qaeda members in March. U.S. and Pakistani forces thought they had the al Qaeda leader in their sights, by the time they moved in, bin Laden had once again escaped.
BLITZER: But Henry, the whole issue of this capture, this noncapture, the escape, how did it unfold? What little more detail can you share with us?
SCHUSTER: Well, Wolf, we're not quite clear exactly how they learned he was there. At the time, you may remember that Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and some other al Qaeda leaders have been captured, and it's not clear if the information came from that or from technical means, as the Pakistani president alluded to. Also there was the issue of this secret letter that went out. But somehow they were there. There were rumors that they had him. In fact, there were a couple of officials in that area that actually went so far as to almost announce that they had bin Laden or one of his sons in custody.
It turned out, as far as we can tell, that once they got to where they thought he was, he was no longer there and had moved. In what way, they still don't know.
BLITZER: And the message that he may have sent out. What was -- do we know details about it?
SCHUSTER: Wolf, one thing that we know is that it was a secret letter delivered in a way that would reduce his chances of getting caught. But how letter made its way to al Qaeda terrorists we'll leave a mystery for now.
It's part of a new strategy, though, by Osama bin Laden, after suffering major cutbacks, like those lieutenants being captured. Bin Laden is now relying on local groups who are sympathetic to his terrorist cause to help him carry out attacks. Instead of those attacks being launched simultaneously like they were on 9/11 and in the U.S. embassy bombings in Africa, they are being launched in waves. We saw evidence of that in Saudi Arabia in May, which was followed by attack in Chechnya, Pakistan and Morocco. Several targets, several countries over several days. That happened also in October.
BLITZER; Henry Schuster, thanks for that report.
This important footnote: Today troops from the 82nd Airborne were out looking for Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda in Afghanistan, while Pakistani troops were on the other side of the border, also on the hunt. We heard that from Pervez Musharraf just a little while ago. And again, you can watch that report prepared by CNN's Mike Boettcher and our senior producer Henry Schuster about Osama bin Laden's secret message. That will air tonight 8:00 p.m. Eastern on "LIVE FROM THE HEADLINES."
Saddam Hussein is proving just as elusive as Osama bin Laden. More than two months after the fall of Baghdad, there is no sign of the former Iraqi leader. Will he ever be caught? Earlier today in a one-on-one interview, I put the question directly to Paul Bremer, the U.S. civil administrator in charge of Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL BREMER, U.S. ADMINISTRATOR IN IRAQ: Well, it's a big place. It's a big country. He had 30 years to build himself safe houses, palaces, tunnels, we don't know what. And we must assume that, as was the case when he was still here and ruling, he moves around a lot. He probably doesn't spend the same -- sleep twice in the same bed in a row, and he presumably has some people around him who are protecting him. We'll get him, Wolf. I'm assuming he's still alive and we will get our hands on him, dead or alive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: And we'll hear much more from Paul Bremer, including other answers to some tough questions in just a few minutes.
Meanwhile, we're learning much more about the violent clash in the southern Iraqi city of Basra that left six British military police dead, bombarded with bullets and grenades. CNN's Ben Wedeman saw the site firsthand near Basra.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Blood marks the spot where their dead or wounded bodies were dragged through the police station in the southern Iraqi town of Al-Majar al Kabir (ph). British military police killed in the bloodiest day for coalition forces since the fall of Saddam Hussein. The incident appears to have been sparked by local concern that British forces were about to conduct house-to-house searches for heavy weapons. House searches are highly sensitive issue in this conservative Shiite Muslim town.
"When it began, when there were children and soldiers, some people exploited the situation by opening fire on the British forces," says Dr. Adel Ashaui (ph), head of the local hospital.
The British troops retreated to the police station and were quickly surrounded by angry townspeople, many of them armed.
"There were no more than 15 or 20 armed men. They had old AK-47 rifles," says Ahmed Unis (ph), the member of the local security committee. The front of the police station is peppered with bullet holes. Several rocket-propelled grenades also hit the building. Bits of one grenade still lodged in the wall.
On the roof of the school across the street, spent rounds litter what a former soldier describes as ideal firing positions.
It is not clear exactly where or how the six British soldiers were killed. The British are treating it as an isolated incident.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This was not a carefully planned, quote, coordinated attack.
WEDEMAN: British forces are now on an elevated state of alert. Up the street from the police station, friends and relatives mourn the death of a 25-year-old shop owner Abbas Jasim (ph), one of at least four Iraqis killed in the fight. Here bitterness and anger.
(on camera): The precise details of what happened here are not clear. But what is clear is that in Iraq, even in areas normally considered calm and friendly to coalition forces, things can very suddenly and very violently spin out of control.
Ben Wedeman, CNN, in Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And accused sniper lays the blame for a cross country killing spree.
Was Lee Boyd Malvo brainwashed into murder?
A sneak peek at his new defense.
Also a disabled rape victim and a judge's controversial order on the woman's pregnancy. We'll go live to Miami for the latest on this case.
And the battle against cellulite. American women spend millions fighting it. But do the creams actually work?
We'll have an important consumer medical report. First today's news quiz.
What's the most common cosmetic surgery procedure in the United States?
Liposuction, nose reshaping, breast augmentation, face lift.
The answer coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BREAKING NEWS)
BLITZER: And this not to our viewers, we're going to have much more on this important, very important story. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" at 6:00, "LIVE FROM THE HEADLINES" at 7:00 and at 8:00. Stay with CNN in the coming hours and indeed throughout the night to get all the latest on this significant story.
Coming up a major development in the sniper case.
Also a vacation turned nightmare in Cuba. A Miami family split in two. Find out what Fidel Castro has in store for them.
Plus, Eminem pulls a Michael Jackson, the baby and the balcony. Still to come.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. For the first time, lawyers for the younger of the two Washington sniper suspects are finger pointing. They are now suggesting their client, Lee Boyd Malvo, was under the spell of his much older companion.
CNN's Jeanne Meserve has been following this case from the beginning.
She is joining us live from our Los Angeles Bureau -- Jean.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, this is the first indication of the strategy the defense may follow in the trial of sniper suspect Lee Boyd Malvo. In a motion filed today, defense attorneys request exculpatory evidence of Malvo being "Under the spell of the other sniper suspect, John Allen Mohammed." The motion refers 23 pages of police interviews of witnesses that have not been provided to the defense saying those relate to witness descriptions of Malvo being "Under the spell of John hammed during the relevant times of their relationship." The nature of that relationship has been the subject of speculation ever since the two men were arrested last fall.
During an interview with police Malvo said that the two men act as a team with one man spotting and the other man shooting. His description was they were a team of equal partners. Malvo's mother, Una James, however, in a recent interview with Television Jamaica, said that John Allen Mohammed was a "demon." And that she tried to tell authorities in Bellingham, Washington that he was a bad influence on her son. The authorities in Bellingham told the "Washington Post," that is not what she told them.
Virginia defense attorney's two who we've spoken says the motion filed today is a logical one. That taking this could help with the defense and also possibly with the sentencing aspect of the case if Malvo is convicted. It also marks the end of the cooperative relationship between Malvo's attorneys and Mohammed's attorneys. Michael Arif who is representing Malvo said there was a truce fore awhile. That he says has now ended. He said he believes that Malvo was programmed or brainwashed or totally dominated by Mohammed and that Mohammed's involvement was more than has been previously indicated.
Wolf, back to you.
BLITZER: Thanks, Jeanne Meserve reporting on this story.
Now in to an extraordinary moral and legal dilemma, a raped woman who is pregnant. Will the court force her to give birth.
CNN's, Susan Candiotti, following the story. She is joining us live now from Miami..
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Wolf. This is a controversial case. Because here in the state of Florida, a judge has had to step in and order that a severely disabled woman, who is pregnant, give birth. We know her only by her initials this mother to be, JDS. She is 22 years old, and according to police, she has the mental capacity of a 1-year-old. According to court filings, she has cerebral palsy and is autistic. She didn't become pregnant by choice. She was raped in a group home according to police, overseen by the state of Florida. JDS is more than six months pregnant.
Since she's incapable of deciding for herself, a judge based his decision on that coming from a guardian that he appointed to represent JDS. Now according the guardian's report two doctors agree JDS is "in good health." Two sonograms reveal no obvious or significant fetal abnormalities. Though JDS is autistic, a guardian adds, JDS appears to be responsive, not just sitting in a semiconscious state all the time. On a court appeal, Governor Jeb Bush is still trying to get a guardian appointed for the fetus. He says the unborn child must be protected and a judge rejected his earlier request. Tonight a spokesman for the governor calls this decision humane.
Of course, Wolf, there are a lot of unanswered questions about this. Among them, what will happen to the baby, what will happen to JDS and even the guardian is concerned about that. She warned the court that she worries where this mother will be placed. She hopes it is not in a home like the one where she had been living, a home where police say she was raped -- Wolf.
BLITZER: It's shocking across the board.
Susan Candiotti, thanks for that report.
Lets move on. For members of a Cuban family living in Miami it's a situation that could be described as a nightmare, but it's all to real. A husband and wife are being held in Havana, accused of espionage, while their two daughters are now back in Miami. And to make matters worst the U.S. government has no legal rights in the case.
Here is CNN's Havana bureau chief.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When they used to be with us, in Cuba, we were happy, and then when I just found out, that was very sad. And I started crying because I miss them.
LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): Ashley Cardosa is crying because her parents are in jail in Cuba. Arrested and held during a trip there to attend a family reunion.
Maria, Arcel Cardosa and their two young daughters left Miami in late March for Cuba never suspecting they'd be separated from their children and thrown into prison after being arrested at the Cuban airport on their way back to Florida on April 8.
Relatives in Cuba were shocked. I found out when the security police brought me the two girls, says Maria's sister, Maricel. They said there was something about a letter and that they were being accused of spying.
Maria Cardosa was allegedly carrying a letter for someone in Miami who police here found incriminating.
Although the family insists none of them had any involvement with politics. It's not clear whether the Cardosas and another brother who lives here in Cuba has been arrested has been charged or are still under investigation. But relatives in Cuba and Miami who have kept quiet for 75 days, are now going public, after the three were brought to Havana last week to the security police's main interrogation center.
Back in Miami, the children are distraught.
LIZAN CARDOSA, DAUGHTER OF ARCEL AND MARIA: I have a little sister who is suffering from this. And so am I. And it's hard on us, the whole family.
NEWMAN: In Havana, relatives it are desperate. They haven't let me appoint an attorney, says Maricel, I tried to and they said, no, not until they close their case.
Although the Cardosas are permanent U.S. residents, the U.S. diplomatic mission here in Havana can't legally intervene because they are not U.S. citizens.
Cuban officials are keeping absolutely mute about the case. And in the absence of information, there is plenty of speculation about what the Cuban government has in store for the Cardosas. Lucia Newman, CNN, Havana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: No end in sight to the war in Iraq. Was the U.S. really prepared for the aftermath? I'll ask the men in charge of reconstruction, Paul Bremer.
Plus, Greenspan and the federal reserve move on interest rates. Find out the bottom line as far as you are concerned.
And it's every woman's nightmare. Cellulite on the thighs. Will a simple cream really smooth out those dimples? A consumer medical report you'll want to know about. OK, that's still to come.
ANNOUNCER: CNN live this hour. WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, live from the nation's capital. With correspondents from around the world. Here now is Wolf Blitzer.
BLITZER:: Welcome back. Israel, which today said it fired missiles at a Hamas militant also says, it must study a proposed truce deal very carefully. The White House is also wary. For the latest let's go to our senior White House correspondent John King -- John.
JOHN KING, SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The president's national security adviser Condoleezza Rice will be making her way to the region for peace talks by the end of this week. So the president will get a first-hand account soon.
Here at the White House, some officials privately say a cease- fire could be a positive development down the road. But the president is being quite cautious, to say the least.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING (voice-over): The president was openly skeptical that any cease-fire will truly stop attacks on Israel.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'll believe it when I see it, knowing the history of the terrorists in the Middle East.
KING: And Mr. Bush was adamant that even if there is a cease- fire it would not be enough. That in his view, Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups, must be put out of business.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But the true tests for Hamas and terrorist organizations is the complete dismantlement of their terrorist networks, their capacity to blow up the peace process. That's the true test.
KING: The Middle East and the war on terrorism dominated the annual White House summit with European Union leaders. The EU worked with the White House to write the road map to peace that Mr. Bush is trying to get Israel and the Palestinians to implement. But France is among European nations which have ignored a White House request to isolate Yasser Arafat and the EU so far has resisted pressure to list the political wing of Hamas as a terrorist group, which would allow its assets to be frozen.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I urge the leaders in Europe and around the world to take swift, decisive action against terror groups such as Hamas. To cut off their funding.
KING: This was the first US/EU summit since the Iraq war strained transatlantic ties. But there is a united front now on Iran. The leaders demanded that international inspectors have full access to its nuclear facilities.
ROMAND PRADI, PRESIDENT OF EUROPEAN COMMISSION: Because we have to be sure that doesn't constitute a danger to future peace. We have to be absolutely sure.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The world speaks together. If they all comply.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Despite the president's open public skepticism about the possibility of a cease-fire, some White House officials and others across the administration say it could be a positive development. But only if it is just a first step and only if it is immediately followed by efforts to disarm Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Thanks, John King. Lots of questions still out there. John king at the White House.
Is the situation in Iraq out of control? Can the U.S.-led coalition create order out of what seems to be some sort of chaos? Earlier today I spoke with the chief U.S. civilian administrator in Iraq, the veteran diplomat Paul Bremer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Let's get to the key question at hand. Was the U.S. Prepared for what seems to be an incredibly chaotic situation unfolding on the ground inside Iraq?
PAUL BREMER, U.S. ADMINISTRATOR IN IRAQ: I think we were. And I don't think it's incredibly chaotic, Wolf. What we're seeing is a number of incidents that happened. We've had a tragic one in the British sector yesterday. But we've had a fairly constant level of attacks against coalition forces since the war ended. This was to be expected. We're dealing with it. I don't think it poses a fundamental threat to our overall objectives, which are to bring about a free and independent Iraq with a Democratically elected government. I think that's what I think we will do here.
BLITZER: As you know, there's a lot of Americans concerned, at least one soldier, Marine seems to be getting killed on a daily basis since the president declared an end of major operations on May 1.
How much longer is this kind of sniping going to continue? BREMER: It's hard to know the size of the opposition we face. It is true that we're losing men and women regularly. You have to remember that two-thirds of those are from accidents. They are not from hostile action. It doesn't make it any easier. We are faced with a group, small groups of Ba'athists, ex-members -- members of the ex-regime, Fedayeen Saddam, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) from the Republican Guard, who seem to be operating in small groups and attacking our forces.
We are acting forcefully in response. And I think as we gradually impose our will on these people, I think we'll find that the security in these isolated areas, and most of the country, after all, this is not a problem. But in these isolated areas we are gradually imposing our will and then I think we'll see things calm down.
BLITZER: You've heard suggestions from Ahmed Chalabi, the Former Iraqi Opposition leader, says Saddam Hussein personally is not only alive and well, but he's coordinating, he's orchestrating these attacks against coalition forces.
Is Chalabi right?
BREMER: We don't have any evidence that -- yet, that shows that these attacks are being centrally directed. We can't yet exclude it. But, so far it looks like they are operations that are undertaken independently by people who sympathize with Saddam, no question. But we don't yet see any sign of central command and control. We are obviously looking very closely for that to see if it comes about.
BLITZER: Is it your sense, Mr. Ambassador, that with Saddam Hussein still out there, presumably alive some place inside Iraq, many Iraqis simply don't have confidence in the U.S. and the coalition and as a result, they are holding back and going forward and cooperating with you?
BREMER: I don't think it's a question of them not having confidence in us. I think there is certainly a degree of intimidation by these ex-Ba'athists, these ex-regime people who are certainly going around. We see intelligence reports that indicate that. They go around in the bazaars and villages and say we are coming back and you should not cooperate. Saddam is still alive and when we come back, we will remember the people who cooperated with the coalition.
But there is some good news here. Our police are now reporting -- we have 8,000 policemen now operating in Baghdad, Iraqi policemen. And they are reporting over the last two weeks an increasing number of phone calls from citizens calling in and saying, by the way, there's some Ba'athists in the two houses down from me. We saw Ba'athists go into that building. Until a few weeks ago we weren't getting those phones calls. That suggest to me that, in fact, at least here in Baghdad, people are beginning to be more confidence that we are here. We are going to succeed. And they are more willing to step out and support us.
BLITZER: Is it fair to say, Mr. Ambassador, the war is still going on? BREMER: Well, we certainly have pockets of violence and military violence that is going on. There are areas of the country, particularly in the triangle roughly from Alramadi (ph) out west of Baghdad, up to Tikrit, Saddam's hometown and then southeast to Bakuba (ph). There is certainly a remnant of the regime there that is actively engaged in military operations. I would not say it's a war. There's no doubt about the outcome. We, after all, have 150,000 American troops here and another 20,000 coalition troops. So there's no strategic threat to us here.
BLITZER: What would happen exactly on the Syrian border, the other day. Syrian forces got injured. There was a firefight involving U.S., coalition troops and Syria.
BREMER: Well, what was involved here, and I don't want to go into many of the details. But what was involved here was not an effort against Syrians. We had an indication that a group of Iraqis were trying to cross the border illegally and we intervened to stop that. And that's basically all I can say about it at the moment.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: We'll have more of my interview with Ambassador Paul Bremer tomorrow at noon Eastern here on CNN.
Help for the U.S. economy. Find out the latest move by Alan Greenspan. He's trying to get your money moving again.
And do those special cellulite creams you see on the market really help you fight fat? Stay with us.
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(NEWSBREAK)
BLITZER: More now on my one-on-one interview earlier today with the Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. I asked him about suspicions by U.S. intelligence that Pakistan helped North Korea enrich uranium and develop a nuclear weapon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MUSHARRAF: There is no proof of it at all. And this is -- we've put it behind, it's a story of the past, and we've come beyond it and it's a closed chapter altogether.
BLITZER: The "New York Times" reported this morning -- you might have seen that in the "New York Times" -- that last year U.S. intelligence spotted Pakistani aircraft picking up missiles in North Korea to bring them back to Pakistan.
MUSHARRAF: Well, we had our relationships, certainly, with North Korea. We've got surface-to-air missiles, conventional surface-to-air missiles. Bought them -- bought these from them. We have developed them now in Pakistan. We manufactured them in Pakistan. So, therefore, there is no need of even associating ourselves with them on the conventional side. Previously, yes, we had conventional army relationships with them. Now that chapter is also closed.
BLITZER: It's closed completely. But last year you were still purchasing or obtaining missiles, ground-to-ground missiles from North Korea?
MUSHARRAF: Ground-to-air missiles. SAMs. As I said, we are manufacturing SAMs, which are of Eastern origin. And these have a base in this country. That is all (UNINTELLIGIBLE) now.
BLITZER: So right now, Mr. President, you can say categorically there is no military to military relationship with North Korea?
MUSHARRAF: Absolutely.
BLITZER: When exactly did this end?
MUSHARRAF: Well, I got (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- I am very sure of my government. It was not involved at all in -- on the strategic side, on the unconventional side. On the conventional side, yes, we did purchase, as I said, conventional surface-to-air missiles, short- range, in fact. We call them Shurab (ph) missiles. These were purchased. Now we manufacture them.
BLITZER: How worried are you, God forbid, that there could be a nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan over the issue, the sensitive issue of the disputed territory of Kashmir?
MUSHARRAF: I don't think when you are further focusing over the sensitive issue of territory of Kashmir. The conflict in Kashmir can never lead to a nuclear conflagration. I'm very sure of that. And as long as there's a conventional balance of forces which exists at the moment, and our strategy of minimum deterrence, either (ph) place, I don't see at all the possibility of conflagration going into the unconventional mode.
BLITZER: Even as we speak right now, India is testing additional missiles and continuing that for several days now. How much of a concern is that to your government?
MUSHARRAF: Well, we, as I said, we believe our strategy is a strategy of minimum deterrence, and we have quantified this deterrence in the conventional and unconventional mode. We are very comfortable (UNINTELLIGIBLE). We are very comfortable that we are maintaining a level of force which gives us this capability of deterrence.
BLITZER: Are you taking active steps right now to improve the relationship, the dialogue with India, to avoid that kind of nuclear nightmare?
MUSHARRAF: We are taking much more active steps than Indians are taking. Response from the Indian side is rather slow.
BLITZER: You are in a tough position. Some have said on the one hand you have got the Islamic fundamentalists who are angry at you because of your close relationship with the United States since 9/11. On the other hand, you have the liberal reformers, democrats in your country who don't think you are moving quickly enough to restore democracy in Pakistan. Do you sometimes feel like you are sort of in a vice?
MUSHARRAF: Well, this is the perception outside, but I keep a finger on the pulse of the country. I'm a man of the people. I may be in the military. I am very much in touch with the people of Pakistan. I understand their psyche, I understand their aspirations. I'm very clear about one thing, that the people of Pakistan like me, and that is the confidence, that is why I have the confidence of roaming around for over 20 days around the world, because I'm very sure of what the people of Pakistan want.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, speaking with me earlier today here in Washington.
Our hot Web question of the day is this: Do you think Pakistan is doing all it can to capture Osama bin Laden? You can vote at cnn.com/wolf. The results when we come back. But first, the answer to today's news quiz.
Earlier we asked -- what's the most common cosmetic surgery procedure in the United States? The answer, nose reshaping. Liposuction was number two.
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BLITZER: Let's get to your -- our Web question of the day. You've been weighing in on this question. Do you think Pakistan is doing all it can to capture Osama bin Laden? Look at this. Twenty- eight percent of you say yes, 72 percent of you say no. Remember, you can find the exact vote tally, continue to vote, by the way, on our Web site, cnn.com/wolf. Remember, this is not a scientific poll.
Let's get to some of our e-mail. First of all, Steve writes this: "Israel has taken a stance in the past that it will not negotiate with Hamas. Will it respect a cease-fire they are offering now?"
Harris has a different perspective: "It is sad that if it is considered great progress when the radical Palestinians agree not to blow up women and children for three months. Maybe they will put their desire to exterminate all of Israel on hold for this time also."
A reminder, you can always watch us 5:00 p.m. Eastern, as well as noon Eastern, Monday through Friday. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. Thanks very much for watching. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.
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