21 May 2003
Transcript: Wolfowitz Discusses NATO, Iraq on Romanian Radio
(May 19 interview with Deputy Defense Secretary) (2610)
The seven countries invited to join NATO, including Romania, can bring
a new spirit to the Alliance because they have experienced tyranny
recently and now want to contribute to the defense of freedom and
democracy, U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said May 19 on
Radio Romania.
Asked specifically about Romania's prospective role in NATO, Wolfowitz
said, "Clearly one of their strengths actually is the military area.
... The reforms that Defense Minister [Ioan Mircea] Pascu has been
leading are really outstanding, and the energy that's going into them
is impressive."
He said the reforms are evident in the effectiveness and
professionalism shown by Romanian forces serving with the anti-terror
coalition in Afghanistan.
Asked how Romania fits into the Pentagon's plan to redistribute U.S.
overseas military forces, Wolfowitz said that while "we haven't made
any decisions yet," the contribution Romania made to operations in
Afghanistan and Iraq "makes us think about Romania in a different way
than we did before."
As a nation, "considering how embedded the old totalitarian system was
here, Romanians are an inspiring example to people in Iraq and
elsewhere in the world in what you can achieve with freedom,"
Wolfowitz said.
He said Romania's "greatest challenge ...is to remove the obstacles to
a truly successful economy," including corruption. "Speaking as
someone who very much looks forward to Romania's success, I would say
some focus on economic reform would be the place I would place the
greatest emphasis."
Asked about Romania's participation in Iraq reconstruction efforts,
Wolfowitz said it must be handled "on a competitive basis. What I hope
we can make sure is that there is a level playing field and that
Romanian companies have the information they need to have in order to
compete on that level playing field."
The next step in fighting terrorism, he said, "is to make sure that
the post-Saddam era in Iraq is successful," and that Iraq becomes "a
place where not only do terrorists have no home" but also "a model of
success for the Muslim world."
"The war against terrorism has two sides to it: fighting terrorists,
and "giving hope to the people of the Muslim world, especially the
Arab world, so that the terrorists don't find such attractive
possibilities to recruit."
He concluded the interview with a message to the Romanian people,
thanking them for Romania's assistance in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the
war on terror.
"We also look forward to Romania's success as a country. I think
Romania has already made important progress. It has some real
challenges in front of it, but I think overcoming those challenges
will be good, not just for Romania and Romanians, but for all of
central Europe and indeed for this whole continent. Since the United
States sees its vital interests engaged in Europe, I think Romania's
success is important for our future."
Following is a transcript:
(begin transcript)
United States Department of Defense
News Transcript
http://dod.mil/transcripts/2003/tr20030519-depsecdef0206.html
Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz Interview with Dan Preda,
Radio Romania
Monday, May 19, 2003
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, your visit to Romania comes shortly after the
United States ratified the enlargement NATO protocols for Romania and
another six candidate states, and for this we are very grateful to
America. But especially during the last months, there have been voices
in the public opinion concerning what kind of NATO we are preparing to
enter or what role the Alliance is going to have in the new
international context. What would be your concept of this, Mr.
Secretary?
WOLFOWITZ: It sounds to me like the voices you're mentioning are sort
of linked to NATO. NATO had gone through enormous debates throughout
its more then 50-year history, and what is remarkable about NATO as an
organization is that it's been able to be relevant in very different
circumstances. Obviously during the period of the Cold War -- maybe
not so obviously -- it sustained a very effective policy over a long,
difficult period. I remember when the Cold War ended, some people said
we don't need NATO anymore, and others, like myself, said no, it's a
very important institution. I think NATO has proven to be an important
instrument of transforming Central and Eastern Europe, enlarging the
Alliance but assisting democratic transitions in the process.
Now since September 11th, NATO is proving to be of value in pursuing
the war on terrorism. So, when people notice that there is some debate
among NATO members, there has always been debate among NATO members.
We're democracies and we believe in debate, but what is more
impressive over the long period of time is that debate usually results
in new and effective policies and I am sure it will now.
Q: How do you see the role of new member states, Romania especially,
inside the Alliance?
WOLFOWITZ: Well, personally I think the new members bring a kind of
new spirit to the Alliance which is valuable. It is countries that
have experienced tyranny recently. I think it's not an accident that
so many of the candidate members, and the new members, like Poland,
took a leading role in the policy to liberate Iraq, because I think
they understood what it was like to live under that kind of tyranny.
That's the great thing of NATO as an alliance -- it's an alliance of
democratic countries that believe in freedom and democracy, and that's
why it has been uniquely strong.
Q: And regarding Romania?
WOLFOWITZ: You mean Romania's role in the Alliance?
Q: Yes
WOLFOWITZ: I think it brings that same kind of strength -- I had an
interesting discussion with some current and former members of the
government about Romania's transition and where Romania stands. We
have a phrase in English to describe the difference between and
optimist and a pessimist. An optimist says the glass is half full and
the pessimist says it's half empty. If you think about where Romania
started from at the end of the Ceaucescu era, it has come a
terrifically long way. If you think about some of the problems that
remain, then obviously you can say that the transition still has some
work to do. What I think is impressive is, considering how embedded
the old totalitarian system was here, Romanians are an inspiring
example to people in Iraq and elsewhere in the world in what you can
achieve with freedom.
Q: You're very well known for your support of NATO enlargement but
also as a great analyst of the mechanisms and reforms that candidate
states have to implement in this matter. Where do you see Romania from
this point of view, using a term you are familiar with, as an
international relations professor, what would be from the point of
view of a sort analysis, Romania's weaknesses and strengths?
WOLFOWITZ: Clearly one of their strengths actually is the military
area, which is of course, my main concentration coming from the
Defense Department. And the reforms that Defense Minister Pascu has
been leading are really outstanding and the energy that's going into
them is impressive. We were, to be honest, a little concerned that
maybe now that Romania has achieved NATO membership that the energy to
continue the reforms would disappear, but absolutely not. The Minister
understands that these are reforms that Romania needs to do for
itself, and I think we see that also in effectiveness of the Romanian
forces who are fighting with us in Afghanistan and doing a very
professional job. The kind of support we got from Romania during the
Iraq war was quite important, and now the contributions they're making
to help reconstruct Iraq [are, too].
If you ask me to step outside of my Defense Department role, I think
that the greatest challenge for Romania is to remove the obstacles to
a truly successful economy, because I think that's the underpinning of
ultimately a democratic success. And I think you're only part way
there. I think its -- as your President said, there are problems with
bureaucracy, there are problems of corruption. I know from my
experience with some of the economies in East Asia that corruption is
a disease that can destroy an economy. You've got to work at it. You
don't cure it overnight, but you've got to cure it. So, if I were a
Romanian, or speaking as someone who very much looks forward to
Romania's success, I would say some focus on economic reform would be
the place I would place the greatest emphasis.
Q: The Fox News Channel broadcast several days ago an information
according to which the Pentagon and its NATO partners are awaiting the
distribution of the American military bases outside the United States.
Is Romania also included in this Pentagon review?
WOLFOWITZ: The answer is yes. It's a worldwide look. It includes
looking at our forces in Korea and Japan. It looks at how we're
deployed here in Europe. How we're deployed in the Persian Gulf. So
far the only actual conclusion was the one that was reached when
Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld visited Saudi Arabia a week or two ago,
and he and the Saudi Defense Minister agreed that with the threat from
Iraq gone we could draw down most of our forces in Saudi Arabia. That
is kind of a unique circumstance, but I think we've learned some
lessons from both the war in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq about how
to more effectively deploy our forces in Europe so that they can be
effective outside of Europe. Definitely a contribution Romania made to
both those operations makes us think about Romania in a different way
than we did before, but that's as much as I can say at this point
because we haven't drawn any conclusions yet.
Q: You could not be more specific concerning the United States'
intentions regarding the use of Romanian locations?
WOLFOWITZ: I can't because we haven't made any decisions yet, and when
we do we'll first have to consult with your government before we start
making announcements.
Q: Iraq still seems to be the top story. You once said that Iraq after
Saddam has a lot in common with Romania after Ceausescu's fall. Does
this mean that Romania's experience could also be used in
reconstruction in Iraq? How do you see exactly the involvement of
Romania in the reconstructive process?
WOLFOWITZ: Well, I think it does have things in common and also maybe
I am more aware than before that there are huge differences. One of
the big differences is that Romania had to do it on its own and Iraq,
for better and for worse, has a great deal of help, including from the
U.S. military. I think though that Romania's experience can be very
helpful and I think Romanians who participated in the transition here
would probably make very useful advisors with the new authority in
Iraq and for that matter, as part of the coalition assisting the
coalition provisional authorities. Your Ambassador, new Ambassador
Onofrie, is in fact going to be Romania's liaison to the Office of
Reconstruction in Iraq and I suspect he will not only be giving advice
to Romanian companies about how to participate but giving us some
advice about how to do the job better.
Q: Have you discussed this subject today with Romanian authorities?
Wolfowitz: Yes, we did.
Q: In a comfortable manner?
WOLFOWITZ: We did, but I have to emphasize and I understand fully that
this whole issue of participating in reconstruction activities in Iraq
is something we have to handle on a competitive basis. What I hope we
can make sure is that there is a level playing field and that Romanian
companies have the information they need to have in order to compete
on that level playing field.
Q: The military operations in Iraq seem to have ended but the war
against terrorism is far from over. The last attacks in Saudi Arabia,
Morocco, and Israel demonstrate the reality of what Ms. Rice was
saying, that for overcoming terrorism whole nations must be involved
in a global effort. So what do you think there is to be done; there
was Iraq, who'll be the next?
WOLFOWITZ: I think if you ask me what comes next, I think the most
important thing that comes next is to make sure that the post-Saddam
era in Iraq is successful and that Iraq goes from being a major
sanctuary for terrorists to being a place where not only do terrorists
have no home but in fact, it can become a model of success for the
Muslim world. I think it's important to make progress on the
Arab-Israeli issue and I know President Bush has put it at the top of
our agenda. In fact, the war against terrorism has two sides to it.
One side is fighting and killing terrorists. The other side is giving
hope to the people of the Muslim world, especially the Arab world, so
that the terrorists don't find such attractive possibilities to
recruit. We've got to do both at the same time.
It's not just a matter either of using our military forces. We've got
to use our intelligence people, our law enforcement people, our
foreign aid people. It's a very broad effort. It's going to take time.
Q: One last question. Regarding your visit during these days, you have
scheduled visits to NATO member states, candidate countries, but those
are potential risk regions of terrorist activity. Do you have an
explanation for choosing this little bit unusual route?
WOLFOWITZ: I went to the Balkans, which is what I think you are
referring to, frankly because Friday was Armed Forces Day and I wanted
to visit some American troops. And I felt it was important to send a
message to the American troops in Bosnia and Kosovo that the mission
they are performing remains a very important mission. And even though
the world's attention is focused on the incredible performance of our
military in Iraq, we are still depending on our military also to carry
out crucial missions in the Balkans.
And while I was here, I had a completely different reason for wanting
to come to Romania, partly to thank your government for the efforts
that have been made in defense reform and for the support we've gotten
in the war on terrorism, but also because I do think that all of the
central European countries have some lessons that could be valuable in
thinking about how to assist Iraq in a transition from one of the
worst totalitarian systems of the 20th century, into a free and
democratic and prosperous country.
Q: Would you like to address at the end of this interview, Mr.
Secretary, a special message for the Romanian people?
WOLFOWITZ: I'd be happy to. The real message is that we value our
cooperation with Romania. We very much appreciate Romania's assistance
in the war in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq and in the general war
on terror. But we also look forward to Romania's success as a country.
I think Romania has already made important progress. It has some real
challenges in front of it, but I think overcoming those challenges
will be good, not just for Romania and Romanians, but for all of
central Europe and indeed for this whole continent. Since the United
States sees its vital interests engaged in Europe, I think Romania's
success is important for our future. Thank you.
Q: Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary.
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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