H.E. Dr. Marwan Muasher
Minister of Foreign Affairs

Fox News Interview
with Tony Snow

December 14, 2002

    
Tony Snow:  I spent a fair amount of time this week in the Middle East.  Actually, after the broadcast last weekend, I headed off to the region -- spent about a day and a half in Baghdad where I interviewed Tariq Aziz, the number-two man to Saddam Hussein.  There you see some street scenes along one of the busier market streets in Baghdad.  But on the way also I spent some time in Amman, Jordan, and stopped by, had a conversation with Marwan Muasher, who is the foreign minister of Jordan.  I asked him, “What if it would take a miracle to avert war between the United States and Iraq?”  And here’s what he had to say:

     (Taped interview:)

Minister Marwan Muasher:  I think the Arab states have made their position clear, which is that the only way to avert a strike is for Iraq to cooperate fully and unconditionally with the latest U.N. Resolution 1441, as well as with earlier resolutions.  Iraq has indicated it will do so, and we hope that this is indeed the case because, as far as we’re concerned, this is the only thing that will avert -- not just Iraq, but the whole region – a catastrophe.

Mr. Snow:  The Bush administration says it has absolute evidence that Iraq is developing weapons of mass destruction.  Has it shared any such evidence with you?

Minister Marwan Muasher:  No, it has not, but fortunately now we have a mechanism to show whether that is the case or not, and that mechanism is the weapons inspectors, U.N. resolutions.  And we are confident that through that mechanism we will arrive at an answer, and rather soon.

Mr. Snow:   How would an American strike destabilize the region?

Minister Marwan Muasher:  We have a war already going on to our west between the Palestinians and the Israelis, ones that we are also trying to deal with.  The stability of the region is at risk.  Tourism is not coming to the region; investments are not coming to the region.  Everybody is worried about the disintegration of Iraq into a number of states.  We in Jordan also will suffer from a possible cut-down of our oil supplies.  There are a number of developments that will happen.  The public opinion in the Arab world is not going to be happy about, you know, another war by another foreign power to an Arab country.

Mr. Snow:  There is also concern in the United States about Saudi Arabia, and particularly the use of Wahhabism as a method of conveying radical and militant anti-Western Islam.  Is that not also a concern?

Minister Marwan Muasher:  What is of concern, I think, is the bashing that the Saudis are being subjected to in the United States.  Saudi Arabia has been a very strong ally of the United States for years.  It has taken the side of the United States almost on any position, and I think that this bashing is counterproductive.

Mr. Snow:  You know al Qaeda; you’ve had to deal with al Qaeda.  Do you think the United States and the coalition have been successful in weakening al Qaeda?

Minister Marwan Muasher:  I think so.  Al Qaeda is a terrorist organization that does not represent Islam, and only represents itself.  There is no room for any compromise with al Qaeda.  We have not done so in Jordan, and we do not believe anyone should compromise with al Qaeda.

Mr. Snow:   Do you think it’s significantly weaker than it was?

Minister Marwan Muasher:  I certainly think so, yes.

Mr. Snow:  It also sounds to me as if it’s important, in your opinion, for the United States not to engage in military action -- if it’s that -- and leave, but to stay much more deeply engaged in the region.  Do you think it needs to?

Minister Marwan Muasher:  I think the United States needs to pay serious attention to all the problems of the region.  And in this region, Iraq is not the only problem.  We have a long-standing problem, which is the Arab-Israeli conflict, a problem that needs to be resolved, and soon.  And despite the shortcomings of both parties, it is about time, as I said, for the international community to exert a very serious effort.

     We do have a chance this time.  All we need today is strong leadership from the international community, led by the United States, to make that happen.

Mr. Snow:  Tariq Aziz said he thinks it “will take a miracle to avert war.”  Do you think that’s the case?

Minister Marwan Muasher:  We think the chances of war are indeed very high, and we are not under any illusion that the chances for diplomatic solutions, you know, are high.  But so long as the chances are more than – to avert a strike are more than zero, we are – we feel our primary responsibility should be to exert every effort to try to find a diplomatic way out.

Mr. Snow:  And you share a border with Iraq.

Minister Marwan Muasher:  We are absolutely in a very difficult spot between Iraq and the West Bank in Israel, but we have gone through such times before and I’m confident we will manage this time as well.