02 September 1998
TRANSCRIPT: ALBRIGHT ON CNN'S "LATE EDITION" PROGRAM SEPT. 1
(Secretary of State discusses the US-Russian Summit) (2390) Moscow -- "A lot of business" was taking place at the US-Russia summit this week, despite the economic and political instability plaguing Russia, says Secretary of State Albright. During a September 1 interview on Cable News Network's "Late Edition," the Secretary of State said the leaders were focusing on foreign policy issues and non-proliferation. But, Albright said, "We have not been talking about money." The transcript of the interview was released by the State Department September 2. President Clinton, she said, had made it clear that Russia will have to make "some very hard decisions in order to stay on the reform road, and that the United States is prepared to be of assistance. I don't think they've been talking about dollar amounts." The Secretary emphasized that the President visited Moscow "because we stand with Russia. "Our relationship with Russia in the post-Cold War period is a very important one to the United States," she said. "They were an adversary for 50 years and in the last seven years they have been trying to get on the reform road; and it's appropriate and good for the United States that we help manage this relationship with them and get them to stay with the reform program." "The United States is there at Russia's side, but they're the ones that have to make the hard decisions," Albright said. Following is the State Department transcript: (begin transcript) US DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesman Released on September 2, 1998 INTERVIEW OF SECRETARY OF STATE MADELEINE ALBRIGHT ON CNN's "LATE EDITION" WITH WOLF BLITZER September 1, 1998 Washington, D.C. MR. BLITZER: Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is in Moscow with President Clinton. Earlier today I spoke with her about Russia's domestic turmoil and more. Madame Secretary, thanks so much for joining us on "Late Edition." SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: It's good to be with you, Wolf. MR. BLITZER: You participated in this first day of meetings with the President and Boris Yeltsin. First of all, give us your assessment: how did the day go? SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: I think the day's gone pretty well. It's not an easy time here. They're obviously going through a lot of questioning about the direction of their government. President Clinton is delivering a very strong message about the need to stay with a reform program, understanding that it's not easy and that they have to make the tough decisions. The United States is there at Russia's side, but they're the ones that have to make the hard decisions. That has really characterized the day, Wolf. MR. BLITZER: You know, you're meeting at a time of incredible instability -- economic instability in Asia, in Russia, around the world. Here in the United States the stock market's been volatile, as you well know. What can you and the President do at this time to reassure investors around the world? SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: Well, basically two things; first of all, to make American investors understand that our economic fundamentals are very stable and strong, and that our economy is strong. What the President has said in a speech that he gave to their international institute here is that in a global economy, there are a set of economic rules which countries have to abide by; that we're all a part of the global economy; that we are affected by it, but that we need to obey these various rules and we will get through hard periods. In our own country we've had history of hard periods; internationally there have been hard periods. But there are many advantages to a global economy, and when there are problems, obviously, the effect is more widespread. But you cannot decide in 1998 and as we move into the 21st Century not to be a part of the global economy and expect to make it in the long run. MR. BLITZER: You had a chance today to spend some time with Boris Yeltsin. Over the weekend, Brent Scowcroft, the former National Security Advisor, said in The New York Times, "Yeltsin quite clearly has periods of dementia. I don't know how frequently or how long they last, but it's not clear how much Yeltsin is in charge of Yeltsin." Did Yeltsin appear to be in charge of Yeltsin today? SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: Totally. He had a meeting with the President alone; we all met originally together in a very nice ceremony where they gave the President a flag from the period of Andrew Jackson; and then we all had a working lunch for -- I can't remember the exact time -- and hour and a half. President Yeltsin was very much engaged. President Clinton was involved in a long conversation with him. We all talked about a variety of the economic issues. So he's very much engaged. Tonight, we're going to have a State Dinner. So I think it's kind of a normal state visit. MR. BLITZER: And he appeared fully healthy to you, as well? SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: Well, I'm not a doctor, but he certainly -- or not that kind of a doctor -- but he seemed fine; he really did. MR. BLITZER: Okay. You probably have seen the cover of Time magazine this week: "Comrades In Trouble," showing Presidents Yeltsin and Clinton both on crutches, leaning on each other. Is there a sense at this time that the timing of this summit -- the political and economic instability, the chaos in Russia, President Clinton's own personal problems -- that this is about as bad a time as possible for these two leaders to be meeting? SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: I wouldn't say that. I think that the summit -- there's a lot of business to be done. The leaders are doing a lot of the business that I described. Foreign Minister Primakov and I are meeting to set up some of the foreign policy issues that they are gong to be discussing again tomorrow. We find our relationship with Russia important for the United States as we deal on foreign policy issues, on issues of non-proliferation. There are agreements going to be signed here, and I think that a lot of business is taking place at this summit. MR. BLITZER: Excuse me for interrupting, when you say a lot of business is taking place, is there anything concrete right now -- additional US money, for example -- that President Clinton is prepared to offer the Russians to help them get through this crisis? SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: Well, we have not been talking about money. What has been happening is that the President has made clear that they have to make some very hard decisions in order to stay on the reform road, and that the United States is prepared to be of assistance. I don't think they've been talking about dollar amounts. What the President said -- and I think we really need to remember this -- it's perfectly easy to get on an airplane and come and visit a friend when everything is fine and the sun is shining. It happens to be raining today in Moscow, and the President came here because we stand with Russia. Our relationship with Russia in the post-Cold War period is a very important one to the United States. They were an adversary for 50 years and in the last seven years they have been trying to get on the reform road; and it's appropriate and good for the United States that we help manage this relationship with them and get them to stay with the reform program. MR. BLITZER: And this notion, though, that President Clinton is there in Moscow at a time when he has his own personal problems -- his confession of having an affair with Monica Lewinsky -- how is that affecting his credibility not only in Russia but around the world in your travel? SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: In my travels -- and I've just come also from Bosnia and Croatia -- it is not affecting anything at all. We are focused here on the issues of the day in Russia. I can assure you that in Bosnia and Croatia, they were very interested in hearing what President Clinton and the United States had to say about the Dayton accords and how to implement them. We are doing the business of the American people. That's why we're here; and that's what President Clinton is doing; and that's what his team is doing. MR. BLITZER: President Clinton, as you know, has been widely criticized, involving the Monica Lewinsky matter. But in recent days, you, too, have been the recipient of some criticism. There was a story in Sunday's Washington Post, with the headline "Albright Loses Luster." There was a story in today's New York Times: "Albright: A Bold Voice Abroad Finds Her Role Limited At Home." Why do you sense that you are getting this kind of criticism at this time? SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: Well, I've lived in Washington about 30 years and I'm smart enough to know that when you fly high, there are times that people criticize you. If I weren't being criticized, I don't think I would be doing my job. I figure that I'm doing what I have to do, and that's life. I love what I do; I'm going to continue to love what I do. I expect the critics along with the praise. MR. BLITZER: All right, let's switch gears and get into some other areas in the few minutes that we have left. There's increasing skepticism now, including from some European allies, that the US strike -- that cruise missile strike -- at the pharmaceutical plant in Khartoum, Sudan, was justified. Is it possible, in your opinion, that US intelligence was wrong in assessing that that pharmaceutical plant was developing chemical weapons? SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: To the best of my understanding, the US intelligence was not wrong. They have put forward, I think, a lot of information about the fact that that pharmaceutical plant was, in fact, producing some kind of very rare chemical that could only be used towards developing a VX nerve agent. Clearly, it is possible to hide that kind of a production under legitimate production of medicines. So I believe, and we all have every good reason to know and believe, that the intelligence information is correct. MR. BLITZER: So no second-guessing in the Administration's part right now? SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: There is no second-guessing, no. I think that it was important to make clear that we will not be intimidated by terrorists and that we need to make sure that they do not have the compounds or whatever they need in order to terrorize us with chemical weapons. I think that it was an appropriate strike, as obviously was the one on Afghanistan. MR. BLITZER: You know, the other criticism that you've been getting involves the inspections in Iraq -- the UN weapons inspector, Scott Ritter, who just resigned in protest, complaining about, in part, the Administration's position. This is what he told Newsweek magazine this week. Let me read to you from Scott Ritter's quote. He said, "I heard somebody say Madeleine Albright blocked more inspections in 1997 than Saddam Hussein did." It's a funny quip, but unfortunately it's true. Not only is it Iraq that is frustrating us, but it is the people that are supposed to be supporting us that are obstructing us." Why does he conclude that you personally are obstructing the inspections against Saddam Hussein's facilities? SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: I have no idea. I think that Scott Ritter has his piece of the story. He was a good inspector; I'm not going to criticize him. However, he doesn't have a clue about what our overall policy has been. We are the foremost supporter of UNSCOM; we have directed -- have inspired, really, more inspections than anybody else. If it weren't for the United States -- and I must say, me, personally -- I doubt very much that the sanctions regime would be in place as strongly as it is. Though I admire Scott Ritter for his inspection abilities, he is not the one putting together US policy which has managed to keep the strongest sanctions regime in the history of the world on Saddam Hussein. We will continue to do so. There have been great inspections that have taken place in the last several years where we have made it possible for them to go to the Ministry of Defense, for them to go into a number of areas that had never been inspected before. So it's a quip; it's a fine quip for Scott Ritter to make. I am not going to speak ill of Scott Ritter -- he's a great American -- but he does not know the policy that we are carrying out. MR. BLITZER: Okay. On the situation in North Korea, as you know, the North Koreans fired a missile that apparently went over a part of Japan. There is increasing concern that all the carrots the US and other countries are offering the North Koreans don't seem to be working -- especially this underground facility that we're hearing could be a nuclear-related facility in North Korea. How concerned are you right now about what the North Koreans are doing? SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: Well, we obviously were very displeased with the fact that this missile test went off. We knew that they were contemplating it. We are, however, also involved in some talks in New York with them, and those are going well. We hope very much that we can resume some of the missile talks that we've had with them. We have to keep in mind what it is that we have accomplished. This agreed framework that we have negotiated with the North Koreans has, in fact, frozen the nuclear materials that would be available for nuclear weapons. We are concerned about a number of things that are going on in North Korea. But to the best of our ability, they are still in compliance with this agreed framework. But we are discussing these issues with them, and we will continue to keep US national interests foremost in mind. MR. BLITZER: Okay. Madame Secretary, it was kind of you to take some time from your busy schedule in Moscow and join us on this special "Late Edition." SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: Thanks, Wolf. (end transcript)
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