Homeland Security

Defense Official Says Terror War is Not "Between Civilizations"

(Assistant Secretary Rodman leads security forum delegation to
Morocco) (2760)
Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
Peter Rodman, leading an American delegation to Morocco, said the war
against terrorism pits all civilized nations against "a very virulent
form of extremism which threatens all of us."
"The United States does not view this war on terrorism as a war
between civilizations. It is not the West against the Muslim world. It
is certainly not the United States against the Muslim world," said
Rodman, speaking at a press conference the in Rabat January 28.
Rodman was in Morocco for the first meeting of the Defense
Consultative Commission (DCC), a bilateral opportunity for the two
countries to discuss security cooperation. He described the Commission
as "a forum for Morocco to give us the benefit of its wisdom and its
advice, and for the United States to convey our thinking on a number
of issues."
He was repeatedly questioned on the U.S. policy towards Iraq, and
although he stated he had not come to the region to discuss the Bush
Administration's policies towards Iraq, "I can say that our friends
did convey their thoughts to us, and I was able to explain American
thinking."
"This is not an American problem. It is not a bilateral problem
between the United States and Iraq. It is a threat to the entire
region, and a defiance of the international community," Rodman told
reporters.
Prior to his arrival in Morocco, the assistant secretary traveled to
Tunisia and Algeria. He described the U.S. relationship with Algeria
as "new and interesting" and said he was pleased by his visit.
"It seems that the end of the Cold War and the global war on
terrorism, have given us some things to talk about, so our
relationship with Algeria is just developing," he said.
Turning to Morocco's conflict over the Western Sahara territory,
Rodman said the United States is supportive of former Secretary of
State James Baker's diplomatic mission as a United Nations mediator.
"The United States is trying to be fair and to support UN mediation of
that conflict, and so we are trying hard not to make things
complicated," said Rodman.
He also said the United States supports Moroccan King Mohammad's
efforts towards greater democracy and economic reforms. Rodman noted,
"American support for Morocco and sympathy for Morocco go very deep in
the United States among the American people."
Following is a transcript of Assistant Secretary Rodman's press
conference in Rabat:
(begin transcript)
Transcript of the Press Conference by 
Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs,
Department of Defense
Residence of the U.S. Ambassador in Rabat, Morocco, 
On January 28, 2003, at 4:15 PM
A/S Rodman: Thank you very much. I am very pleased to be leading the
American delegation to this first meeting of the Defense Consultative
Commission (DCC). This is a bilateral forum in which civilian and
military leaders on both sides in the security area meet in order to
strengthen our cooperation in this field. This Defense Consultative
Commission is a continuation and an expansion of a forum which has
existed for many, many years. Morocco is a traditional friend of the
United States, and has been a strategic friend of the United States
for many years. So we are pleased to continue this partnership because
we value Morocco as a friend, and its security is important to us.
Question: I have three questions. First question, what countries have
you visited and what was the position of your counterparts in those
countries on Iraq and did they voice their opposition to a military
attack on Iraq or just endorse your plan?
A/S Rodman: I spent a week in the region, first visiting Tunisia, then
Algeria, and now Morocco. Iraq was not the main subject of my
discussions in any of these places. I think I should leave it to these
governments to speak for themselves on that important subject.
Question: Second question, given the sensitivity of the issue, could
you share with us what you told the GOM on Mubarak, a close Moroccan
associate of Usama bin Laden, and how this relates to your war against
terrorism?
A/S Rodman: This was not a part of our discussions today, and I am not
conversant with all of the details of this matter in any case. I
should say something about the war on terrorism, however. The United
States does not view this war on terrorism as a war between
civilizations. It is not the West against the Muslim world. It is
certainly not the United States against the Muslim world. It is all of
the civilized nations of the world against a very virulent form of
extremism which threatens all of us. We are very proud of our
relationship with Morocco and we especially appreciate that Morocco
has been able to cooperate in a number of ways in this war against
terrorism. The United States has many, many friends in the Muslim
world and the Arab world. We are very proud of those relationships and
we want to keep them.
Question: I would like you to please clarify what you meant when you
said that Morocco was a strategic friend of the U.S.
A/S Rodman: The United States has long-standing relations in the
security field in which we, for example, try to support Morocco's
defense capability. We have, for a long time, provided assistance in
the form of equipment, training, and other forms of cooperation in
order to help strengthen Morocco. And both sides are very conscious of
common strategic interests in the region. These are some of the
subjects that we discussed at our meetings.
Question: How can you then explain the small amount of military aid
given to Morocco in comparison to what the U.S. gives other countries?
A/S Rodman: President Bush is about to unveil his budget next week,
and I am sure the numbers will show how much support we can provide
Morocco in the coming year. I expect it will be an increase over
previous years in some categories.
Question: What are the goals of the DCC? And how it relates to Iraq
(inaudible)?
A/S Rodman: The main purpose is bilateral. It is, as I said earlier,
the continuation of a forum that has existed for a long time, to
support our bilateral cooperation and to discuss issues of security in
the region. That kind of a dialogue is another sign of the maturity of
our relationship with each other. Let me say one other thing. It is
not a forum for reaching agreements on these other topics. It is a
forum to have a good exchange of views. It is a forum for Morocco to
give us the benefit of its wisdom and its advice, and for the United
States to convey our thinking on a number of issues.
Question: Powell is quoted in "Le Monde" today as having said that the
President does not want war, he wants peace. So, if the inspectors'
mission is extended and no WMD are found, will you call off the
military strike against Iraq?
A/S Rodman: I have been away from Washington for several days, so I
think my leaders in Washington and New York should be the ones to
express American policy on the most recent questions, such as what
happens next with the inspectors.
Question: To us, it sounds like the U.S. is determined to wage war
regardless of what the inspectors find. Your comment?
A/S Rodman: Let me make a general point about what the source of this
problem is. The basic problem is that in 1991, after the Gulf War,
Saddam Hussein made a fundamental decision. He made a fundamental
decision to try to keep his weapons of mass destruction -- to keep
these weapons in spite of UN Security Council Resolution 687 and no
matter what cost Iraq would bear for this decision. And, for twelve
years, he has not deviated from this original decision, even after
Resolution 1441. We know he still has many of these weapons; we know
he is still pursuing these kinds of weapons. He is hiding them from
the inspectors. The inspectors are doing a heroic job, but it is very
difficult for a handful of human beings to inspect every square meter
of a large country. The tragedy of Iraq is that Saddam made this
decision even though it has brought great suffering to the Iraqi
people. The decision that President Bush and the leaders of other
countries on the UN Security Council have to face now is whether we
know enough to conclude that he is still cheating. It may be that we
know enough already to know exactly what the situation is. But this is
of course a political decision that the political leaders will have to
make, not a technical decision.
Question: During your current visit and discussions in the Maghreb,
could you tell us a little bit about the cooperation in the fight
against terrorism?
A/S Rodman: All of the countries are working with us in the war
against terrorism, and to speak in general terms, that is really the
focus of our security discussions in this period.
Question: Did the leaders convey to you their public's opposition to a
military strike against Iraq?
A/S Rodman: I repeat that the purpose of my mission was not to discuss
Iraq, though it was an opportunity to exchange points of view on the
subject. I can say that our friends did convey their thoughts to us,
and I was able to explain American thinking. But I really do not want
to go into any more detail.
Question: Is the evidence that you are holding against Saddam coming
from the testimony of Iraqi defectors?
A/S Rodman: There are many sources of information, including the
United Nations inspectors' reports from before, as well as the one you
mentioned. But all together it is enough to convince the American
government and obviously the British, and others, that Saddam Hussein
right now possesses weapons of mass destruction that he is concealing.
Question: The U.S. claims that it supports human rights, yet the USG
didn't do anything to stop Saddam when he was using chemical weapons
against his people in the 80's. How can you explain that?
A/S Rodman: I believe that the United States government did express
its point of view at that period of time, but the threat now is very
direct and very visible, and he is now defying 17 UN Security Council
resolutions. President Bush went to the United Nations on September 12
and said: This is not an American problem. It is not a bilateral
problem between the United States and Iraq. It is a threat to the
entire region, and a defiance of the international community. And
President Bush strongly urged the United Nations to step up to this
challenge as a matter of international unity.
Question: As Morocco carries out kidnappings, arrests, and other
illegal measures against suspects, how can human rights be reconciled
to the campaign against terrorism?
A/S Rodman: We have close relations with His Majesty, the King of
Morocco, and we have many decades of friendship with Morocco. My
mission here was to talk about cooperation in the security field which
both countries see as of mutual interest. We can see that His Majesty
is moving Morocco in the direction of greater democracy, just as he is
making courageous decisions in the economic field. So we wish His
Majesty and the Moroccan government, well on the path they are
embarked upon. But at the same time there is a threat of terrorism
which all of us face in different ways.
Question: I have a very short question. How far have you come in
catching Usama Bin Laden?
A/S Rodman: I think he is hiding somewhere. (Laughter). Maybe that is
good news. Al Queda used to have a base in Afghanistan. They had
headquarters, they had training camps, they had a state within a state
in Afghanistan. They no longer have that kind of safehaven anywhere.
We know that Al Quaeda is still very dangerous; they have a more
decentralized structure and they have spread out in many countries of
the world. They are seeking to attack the United States again, or
American interests in many parts of the world. So we know they are
very dangerous. But one of the very important developments since
September 11 is the great cooperation of the international community
and the cooperation of many countries to try and defeat Al Quaeda.
Question: What is the USG going to do to support Morocco's claim in
the Western Sahara? Did the Moroccans raise it with you?
A/S Rodman: This is a very difficult problem but it is not the mission
of the U.S. Department of Defense to be involved. Secretary James
Baker is actively involved in this issue as mediator. So while it was
educational for me to learn about the issue, it was not the purpose of
my visit. The United States government, I know, supports Secretary
Baker's efforts.
Question: Could you tell us about U.S.-Moroccan cooperation in
tracking down former Al Quaeda members given that there are 17
Moroccans in Guantanamo Bay?
A/S Rodman: I am not going to go into detail.
Question: Would you please comment on Secretary Powell's comment that
there are links between Saddam and Al Quaeda?
A/S Rodman: The United States government has been saying this for many
months. It is the unanimous opinion of the American government,
including of its intelligence community, that there are links between
Al Quaeda and the Iraqi government going back 10 years. There are many
contacts between them. We know that many of those contacts have been
on the subject of chemical and biological weapons. We know that Al
Quaeda has sought training and expertise from Iraq and from other
sources in this area. We are not going to reveal all of the sources of
our information, but we are convinced of this. Saddam and Al Quaeda
may have ideological differences, but they seem to agree completely in
their opinion of the United States.
Question: Why is the U.S. suddenly moving to strengthen its relations
with Algeria?
A/S Rodman: Our relations with Morocco and Tunisia are long-standing.
They are traditional friends of the United States, and we have
bilateral military discussions with them that we have had for many
years. Our relationship with Algeria is new. It seems that the end of
the Cold War, and the global war on terrorism, have given us some
things to talk about, so our relationship with Algeria is just
developing.
Question: (inaudible)
A/S Rodman: I had very good talks in Algeria. I was received by the
President and we had good talks. This is an interesting new
relationship, but of course the American interest in the Maghreb
includes Morocco and Tunisia as traditional friends and I don't think
the United States intends to do anything that would harm the overall
stability of the region. In fact, our interest is in better relations
among the Maghreb countries, that would certainly be one of the
objectives we would have. But again, this relationship with Algeria is
new and I was pleased by my visit there.
Question: We have reports that the United States handed over a
Moroccan suspect to the GOM. Isn't that a violation of human rights
and international laws?
A/S Rodman: I am not going to discuss that subject.
Question: The United States conducted a military exercise in the south
in the Sahara, can we interpret that as a recognition by the USG of
Moroccan claims to the land?
A/S Rodman: The answer is no. The United States is trying to be fair
and to support UN mediation of that conflict, and so we are trying
hard not to make things complicated.
Question: It has often been said that Morocco is a close ally, but
that's not reflected in your budgetary figures.
A/S Rodman: I don't want to discuss what the President may announce
when he announces his budget next week. But I do believe that we will
do our best to increase our support of Morocco. One of the results of
September 11 is that our Congress is more understanding of the needs
of national security and international security. American support for
Morocco and sympathy for Morocco go very deep in the United States
among the American people.
Thank you.
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)