Posted on 03/14/2003 7:40:40 PM PST by George W. Bush
An interview of Henry Kissinger by Greta Von Susteran on Fox News at 9pm:
Greta: Former secretary of state Henry Kissinger joins us. Welcome, Dr. Kissinger.
Kissinger: Good to be here as always.
Greta: Dr. Kissinger, is there any point to this summit on Sunday? Do you think it's a good idea?
Kissinger: I think it's a good idea for the president to meet with the two allies who deserve so much credit for having supported us and who have -- who have set an example which if the other allies had joined would have given us an opportunity to present Saddam with a much were a united front and much tougher alternatives.
Greta: Here's what I don't understand, though, Dr. Kissinger. He's meeting with two countries, Spain and Britain who already agree with us. Would it not make more sense for the president to meet with Jacques Chirac, for instance, and they need to settle up together?
Kissinger: No. I think we have reached the end game of the diplomacy. First of all, President Chirac: there's no problem in misunderstanding us. He understands us very well. And he has decided to oppose us for reasons that go much beyond the immediate Iraqi issue. He knows very well that it isn't possible to disarm Iraq in the time period and part of the methods that he has -- that he has put forward. That's nothing the president can say to him that would make any difference.
Greta: But what needs to be said to Spain and Britain if they already agree to us? I mean, I'm not sure I understand the point of the meeting.
Kissinger: Well, the issue -- no. The issue isn't just do they agree with our objective. But if there is military if there is an end game to the diplomacy, it's important that we understand the range of things that could be agreed on. It's even more important that those countries that have supported us and the countries that will continue to support us come to some understanding and reinforce the understanding of what to do in the post-military phase. So that it is obvious what all this was about, and I think it is an -- it is very useful for the meeting to take place.
Greta: In the event we don't have the nine votes, that it's quite obvious, should the United States push for a vote anyway and force the countries to stand up and be counted or should the president walk away from the table and take whatever action he deems appropriate?
Kissinger: Well, I think it's -- that's a purely tactical decision on what he -- he wants the vote and make people stand up. It's pretty clear who has opposed us. It's pretty clear by refusing to support us has contributed to the failure of the vote if that's what will happen. And in any event, even if we were to win the vote, France and Russia have indicated that they would veto it. So the three leaders have to discuss on Sunday is the consequences of action by the United Nations, not how to avoid nonaction.
Greta: Are you surprised by all of this, of what has unfolded in terms of the diplomatic efforts or was this predictable?
Kissinger: I never thought it possible that France and Germany, our strongest military our strongest allies on the continent would not only vote against the United States, but around -- all over the world would agitate against the United States. I think it is a body blow to the Atlantic alliance, it's a body blow to 50 years of Atlantic relationships and presents the whole traditional region with a huge challenge to how to pick up the wreckage afterwards.
Greta: Which brings me to next question, after the war should we forget about the problem we had with France and go back to where we were with the relationship or is this something we're going to remember as we go through the next diplomatic issues with them?
Kissinger: Two things. If we go back and pretend that nothing has happened, then this sort of behavior will occur over and over again. On the other hand this is not -- we shouldn't focus only on recrimination. A serious investigation inwardly has to be undertaken of how this happened, why it happened, what common objectives still exist, how they can be achieved and that has to be able to be expressed in some manner. And if it isn't, then indeed it will be true that the alliance relationship as it existed will be coming to an end. The worst thing we can do is to pretend that nothing has happened.
I agree. I saw Kissinger on an interview last week say astonishing what the French and Germans were doing.
I agree. Chirac thinks there will be no down side with relations with the US. Hope he's wrong.
Well, she certainly doesn't show any signs of it in this interview!
I just e-maild Greta about 30 minutes ago to tell her she had the best show on FOX. And I meant it too. She asks great questions and IMHO when she has those 3 generals around her they look to me like they like her and have a lot of respect for her. ....
In a nutshell. Wreckage indeed.
This is not to excuse the arrogant Frogs of their ingratitude for post-war freedom from German occupation. I suspect that debility is congenital.
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