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America's New War: United States Pushes for Global Coalition

Aired September 19, 2001 - 05:48   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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: as the United States continues -- considers, rather, its next step in this new war President Bush continues this process of building a coalition to help fight terrorism around the world. Over the past day or so he's been talking with French President Jacques Chirac, who visited him in Washington to talk about France's possible role in any coalition.

Joining us now from Paris to talk about more on this is French Defense Minister Alain Richard. Good morning, Minister Richard, we thank you very much for taking time to talk with us this morning.

ALAIN RICHARD, FRENCH DEFENSE MINISTER: Good morning to you.

HARRIS: Let me first ask you about comments that we heard yesterday from President Chirac. He questioned President Bush's use of the word "war" when he described what was going on right now in the fight against terrorism. Do you agree with questioning the use of "war"? Is this a war or not?

RICHARD: There is basically a common danger and a common aggression. The United States has been struck directly and aggressed but all of us feel directly threatened and we knew that there is a long and very determined operation to be conducted to suppress the danger and the capacities of terrorism. So I won't go very much further about the terms that we use.

What is really the matter is what kinds of actions do we conduct together. And I think in this situation being allies -- plain allies is very important.

I think the United States have very high conceptions of their alliances -- of their commitments with alliances. We have those same feelings.

HARRIS: Can you give us an idea of how you view the way this alliance is going to work and how it is going to shape up?

RICHARD: Well, I think there are two different timings. One is about conceiving a completely -- a comprehensive theme plan of action against all the troops of terrorism. And I think we have to agree at least on the basis on that because then we have to develop to construct a long term action, which will require a lot of agreements of organizations of practical cooperation. But this is the base of it because we know that terrorism as it is organized strikes all of us is a comprehensive organization. It's not only about weapons. And within this frame I think we have to try and suppress the actual material basis of the organization in the country or faction that can harbor them.

And this can be -- and in our view this should be determined and organized and fought in common.

HARRIS: You raise a very good point that has -- we've talked quite a bit about -- the different elements that may be involved in terrorism -- about it not necessarily being only about militarism, it can also be about the financial structure of any so called terrorist network.

Let me ask you on that particular point then how far and how broad do you think any war, if you'll allow me to use that word, should be? Should it only be targeted at Afghanistan at this particular point and at Osama bin Laden or should this war be waged on a broader scale to wipe out all so called terrorist networks?

RICHARD: Well, you made the right point. In our view these phenomena can be extended to a large range of countries or regions. And what is required -- because of this immediate and dramatic danger but for more long term reasons what is required is a real network of safety and of, I would say, credibility of financial movements that can avoid us all sorts of destabilizing operations conducted in -- under controlled states or regions.

And I think the very question of what other standards of safety and security we give to our financial connections the whole world is a very, very important matter.

HARRIS: You've given us a very good illustration of just how detailed and intrigue this job is going to be. French Defense Minister, Alain Richard, we thank you very much for your time. We greatly appreciate you taking time to talk with us this morning.

And we'll be back with more in just a moment -- don't go away.

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