10/03/2001 The global war against terrorism is being conducted on many fronts, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said in an October 3 interview from Washington with CNN's John King. "There are many more than two tracks, Mr. King. There are also financial tracks, with which we hope to strangle the financial resources of al-Qaida. There clearly are attempts to divide the Taliban. There are other attempts by many nations to help and assist the opposition, the Northern Alliance. And, finally, there is the pressure brought by the coalition to include the possibility of military pressure. It is a many-track front," Armitage said. Regarding possible military action, Armitage said "as I understand the American people's resolve, they would rather get it right than get it in a hurry, and that's the way the President looks at this. He wants to get it right, and he is going to attack this terrible enemy on all fronts simultaneously, and he will do it in his time, not on the terrorists' timetable." Asked about Pakistan's role in the global effort, and whether the United States had given any assurances to Pakistan that it would not use Pakistani bases for U.S. military operations, Armitage replied: "The United States has not given such assurances to the Government of Pakistan. We have agreements with the government about what we may need to do. We have not yet, to my knowledge, had to make use of Pakistani bases. We are aware of the political fragility of the society. But, equally, we are gaining confidence each day that the leadership of President Musharraf is showing the way for 140 million Pakistanis to a better future. And I think that we have seen the anti-Americanism to be less than might have been expected." Following is the transcript of the interview as released by the State Department: (begin transcript) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesman October 3, 2001 INTERVIEW (As Broadcast) Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage On CNN with John King Broadcast October 3, 2001 Washington, D.C. MR. KING: A short time ago, I had a conversation with the number two man at the State Department, the Deputy Secretary, Richard Armitage. And I began by asking him if a comparison might be drawn to a trip made more than a decade ago by then Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, and then General Colin Powell, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They traveled to the region just in advance of the United States launching the air war against Iraqi forces deployed into Kuwait and southern Iraq. DEPUTY SECRETARY ARMITAGE: I think the comparison, Mr. King, that you should draw is that, given the importance of the endeavor we're about to embark, and the importance of those countries to our efforts, that the Secretary of Defense felt he needed and, indeed, in respect required that we have face-to-face meetings with the leaders of the various countries involved. QUESTION: He told reporters on his plane on the way over that he had a pretty good sense of where Usama bin Laden was, but he did not have the exact coordinates. Does the United States have detailed intelligence now about the location of Mr. bin Laden? DEPUTY SECRETARY ARMITAGE: Well, there is intelligence about the location. How detailed it is, I think, is a matter of some conjecture. And I think the Secretary of Defense put it exactly correctly. QUESTION: From the NATO allies yesterday, word that the United States had provided "clear and compelling evidence" linking these strikes to bin Laden and his network. I understand the sensitivity of intelligence matters, sir. But can you help us understand what type of evidence we're talking about? How do you connect the dots between these hijackers and bin Laden? DEPUTY SECRETARY ARMITAGE: Well, it's both, it's a number of things. Financial records, financial transactions, communications among and between various groups, information gleaned from interrogations of people who have been picked up, as they say, busted in various attempts to disrupt terrorist cells, so it's a combination of all of them. QUESTION: This operation seems to be proceeding on two different tracks. On the one hand, we hear of efforts to try to divide the Taliban, cause defections, bring them down from within, if you will, without firing a shot. On the other hand, the British Prime Minister yesterday saying quite bluntly, surrender the terrorists or surrender power. The President once again warning the Taliban of "consequences." Explain for us, is this a two-track mission, or is there a military option only? DEPUTY SECRETARY ARMITAGE: There are many more than two tracks, Mr. King. There are also financial tracks, which we hope to strangle the financial resources of al-Qaida. There clearly are attempts to divide the Taliban. There are other attempts by many nations to help and assist the opposition, the Northern Alliance. And, finally, there is the pressure brought by the coalition to include the possibility of military pressure. It is a many-track front. QUESTION: And credibility, obviously, is very important to diplomatic endeavors. Do you run the risk, sir, if the President and the Prime Minister are speaking in such muscular language, if you will, that if there is not military strikes relatively soon, that people will start to doubt the resolve? DEPUTY SECRETARY ARMITAGE: No, I think, speaking -- as I understand the American people's resolve, they would rather get it right than get it in a hurry, and that's the way the President looks at this. He wants to get it right, and he is going to attack this terrible enemy on all fronts simultaneously, and he will do it in his time, not on the terrorists' timetable. QUESTION: There have been in the three weeks since these tragic events a number of stories about efforts over the year to try to capture Mr. bin Laden or to kill Mr. bin Laden. Obviously, the Clinton administration chose the cruise missile option back in 1998. One report this morning is saying that the United States under the Clinton administration had an agreement with the Pakistani intelligence service to try to go after bin Laden and that that agreement fell apart after the military coup in which General Musharraf seized power in Pakistan. Is that true, sir? DEPUTY SECRETARY ARMITAGE: Well, I don't think I would be long for this job if I were commenting on intelligence activities. What is true is that we would all be a lot better off if Usama bin Laden was not here. QUESTION: Let me ask you, sir, about the difficult diplomacy. We hear assurances from Secretary Powell, yourself, the President, that the Saudis are fully cooperating. Yet, in the Saudi press back in the region, they say they do not want their bases used for offensive military actions. Can you explain to us, sir, is there a degree of disagreement between the United States and Saudi Arabia? Or is this just an example, if you will, of having to speak to the home political audience? DEPUTY SECRETARY ARMITAGE: Every nation has a home political audience. But I am unaware of any major difficulties with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I think they, like many others, want to know exactly what we're up to. And I think Secretary Rumsfeld will explain that very well, and I suspect that you will see the Government of Saudi Arabia fully supportive of President Bush's efforts. [Break in interview as broadcast] MR. KING: Earlier today, I had a conversation with the Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage. Another key nation, obviously, in this diplomatic effort is Pakistan. The Pakistani Government has been cooperating, but there is a great sensitivity about the United States using bases in Pakistan to launch operations into Afghanistan. I asked the Deputy Secretary of State if the United States had given any assurances to the Government of Pakistan that it would not use those bases for US military operations. DEPUTY SECRETARY ARMITAGE: The United States has not given such assurances to the Government of Pakistan. We have agreements with the government about what we may need to do. We have not yet, to my knowledge, had to make use of Pakistani bases. We are aware of the political fragility of the society. But, equally, we are gaining confidence each day that the leadership of President Musharraf is showing the way for 140 million Pakistanis to a better future. And I think that we have seen the anti-Americanism to be less than might have been expected. QUESTION: A remarkable and a broad-based effort by the administration under way to build this international coalition. Some suggest that, in doing so, perhaps the administration is having to slow down on some other fronts that might offend some of the people, the very people you want involved in this coalition, including our State Department correspondent, Andrea Koppel, reporting that the State Department is delaying the release of its annual report on religious freedom around the world for fear of antagonizing countries that you hope will join this coalition, like the Chinese, like even the Saudi Arabians. Is that true, sir? DEPUTY SECRETARY ARMITAGE: I think if you look at last year's religious freedom report, you will see that many of the countries who are countries of concern will be repeated this year. Since the events of September 11th, our attention has been primarily devoted to coalition building, and I don't feel that I have had the sufficient time to devote to the issue of religious freedom to warrant the issuance of the report. It will be issued in good time, and it will be just like our Trafficking in Persons Report, one that fully reflects American values and American standards. QUESTION: How about the issue of missile defense? The President's budget in the quadrennial military review makes clear this administration is committed to a missile defense. He is asking for more money from the Congress. But is there a sense, and would the State Department recommend to the Pentagon, slow down a little bit, do not cross the line and antagonize the Russians by violating the ABM treaty at this time? DEPUTY SECRETARY ARMITAGE: Well, it is not for the State Department to recommend to the Defense Department something that's wholly in the DOD area. We have discussions with the Russian Federation. The President has discussions with President Putin to include missile defense. Those discussions are ongoing continually, and I am very hopeful that we will have a satisfactory conclusion with the Russians. QUESTION: Deputy Secretary Armitage, we are grateful for your time this morning, sir. Thank you very much. DEPUTY SECRETARY ARMITAGE: Thank you, Mr. King. (end transcript)
|