General Wesley Clark on the Big Story

April 22, 2006
Transcript by Melange

Julie Banderas: In a Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll, 47% of Americans - that is you - believe the US will eventually have to take military action against Iran. Joining me now to talk about, Fox News Analyst and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, General Wesley Clark. General, thanks for being here today.


GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Good to be with you, Julie.


Julie Banderas: Alright, so let me ask you this, have we reached the point of no return? Are they playing us or not?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Yes, they're playing us. They're playing us because it's a bargaining situation and they don't know what they're going to ultimately get out of it. They're playing this game…this is their highest stakes game. What they're looking for is they're looking for recognition by the United States, expanded power in the region, more influence over the other Gulf states and pressure against Israel. All of that is what they're seeking from continuing to move forward with the nuclear program. So, you bet, they're playing us.

Has it reached a red line? Well, certainly. It's crossed a couple of red lines already but this is the time when the United States does need to get very serious and, I believe, talk with the Iranians. There are military options. There are economic options, but the most important thing right now is for the United States and Iran to talk and to try to work this out so that Iran can have a full understanding of how determined the United States is to resist their effort and so that Iran can understand that this will not really advance their interests.


Julie Banderas: Alright, let's try to break down this talk. They're calling it a “basic deal.” The “basic deal” is based on a joint uranium enrichment, now I want to stress on the word “joint.” What kind of deal is this anyway? If Iran is still going to be enriching uranium whether it happens in Iran or whether it happens in Russia, what's the difference, they still have their hands on uranium?


GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well, and they still have their scientists participating in the enrichment so they're learning from the process. It doesn't have to be as highly enriched to produce nuclear power as it does to produce an explosion. On the other hand, um, they'll get knowledge from this and then they can take the uranium that's enriched for power purposes and further enrich it, I suppose, at some later time if they need to so they'll still keep a nuclear option available. Maybe not a weapon, but an option.


Julie Banderas: Alright, and I understand you know the majority of the American public according to the recent Fox News/Dynamic poll does agree that they want diplomacy but we've heard of this before, this Iran/Russian deal before. Remember back in January, Condoleeza Rice apparently had made a deal with them that Russia was a solution?


GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Right. That's right.


Julie Banderas: Just last week, remember that yellowcake party? I mean they were celebrating the fact that they had the ability to enrich uranium for energy purposes so how are we to trust any deal with Iran? How in the world is diplomacy really ever going to work?


GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Diplomacy only works if you talk directly and you have inspections. It's what Ronald Reagan said, “trust, but verify.” You have to verify and that means they've got to open up their facilities and we've got to have a full accounting for what's going on. So this is a step-by-step process. We lay our demands out, they lay their demands out and we reach some accommodation that serves the interests of both parties. I've just come back from two trips inside the region. People are very concerned in the region, in the Middle East, about Iran's nuclear activities. They don't want a war. They want the United States to talk with the Iranians and head this thing off and they don't want Iran to have a nuclear weapon. So, everybody's attention is focused on this issue and it's really…it's up to the United States still to lead. That's what the world expects the United States to do and that's what we should do.


Julie Banderas: And last week Iran threatening the US that if we start a war they will finish it. This week, they're announcing this “basic deal.” What's the strategy telling you, hearing their words?


GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: They're using leverage against us. They want to drive up the price of continued confrontation so…and it is reflected in the price of oil of course, and they want to put that pressure on the United States and on the West to accommodate their demands. At the same time, they don't want to cross a red line that makes war inevitable because they have a whole lot more to lose from a war or conflict than the United States does.


Julie Banderas: Alright, then how do we trust Russia? They've got billions of dollars of economic investments in Iran…and now we're supposed to trust them that if they enrich Iran's uranium, that they're to be trusted?


GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well we'll have to encourage this be done under the International Atomic Energy Agency. We've got our representatives there, the Russians will have their representatives there and then even though it's located in Russia, it still should be a fully IAEA-supervised activity.


Julie Banderas: Alright, and let's hope the IAEA does supervise this activity. Alright.


GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Let's hope they do.


Julie Banderas: Alright, General Wesley Clark thank you so much.


GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Thank you Julie.