Source: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0602/13/sitroom.02.html http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0602/13/sitroom.02.html
Date: February 13, 2006

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BLITZER: Richard Roth in New York for us. 

Thank you very much. 

In many ways, Kofi Annan carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. The United Nations secretary-general presides over a world body which seems to lurch from crisis to crisis while caught in its own internal problems. And they are very significant. 

Just a short while ago, I sat down here in THE SITUATION ROOM with Kofi Annan. Here is part one of my exclusive interview with the secretary-general. 

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Secretary-General, thanks very much for joining us. Welcome to our SITUATION ROOM.

KOFI ANNAN, SECRETARY-GENERAL, UNITED NATIONS: Happy to be here.

BLITZER: You've come from the White House, directly from the White House. So many issues on the agenda. Let's start with Iran. 

Is it acceptable for Iran to develop nuclear weapons?

ANNAN: I think the rules are very clear. Iran can develop peaceful nuclear -- peaceful -- other nuclear energy, peaceful uses of nuclear energy, but not nuclear bombs. And this is what the whole debate is about.

BLITZER: Even as we speak, there are reports today that the Iranians have started enriching uranium which experts believe could lead to a bomb. 

What is the United Nations going to do to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear weapons power?

ANNAN: I think first of all, the Atomic Agency in Vienna is dealing with this. 

And between now and end of the month, they are preparing a report, working with Iranians, monitoring the situation, and will give a report to the agency at the end of the month. 

There will be a meeting in March, where, dependent on the nature of the report, if, indeed, Iran is not meeting its obligations on the NPT, its obligation on the IAEA, it will be referred to the Security Council for appropriate action. 

BLITZER: Appropriate action being diplomatic sanctions or economic sanctions? Would that be the next step in the pressure on the Iranian regime? 

ANNAN: That would be for the council to decide. But, obviously, the -- the council doesn't -- these are some of the arsenal that the council has. But it will be up to the council to decide what the next step should be. 

And I think it will depend very much on the report. If the report is a negative one, then, the council has a -- a tough, an urgent decision to take. If it is a report that indicates that, despite the public pronouncements, the situation is either frozen or it's -- or they see prospects of full cooperation with the agency, the council will have to factor that in. 

I hesitate to project what the council will say or project what the report will... 

(CROSSTALK) 

BLITZER: How worried are you, though, that, if these pressures on Iran don't work, there could be military action; there could be action by the United States or Israel, or a combination thereof, other countries?

Just as the United Nations failed to prevent the United States from invading Iraq with its allies and removing Saddam Hussein, how worried are you there could be a military confrontation, a unilateral, U.S., let's say, attack at these nuclear sites in Iran? 

ANNAN: I -- I hope we never get to that point. 

I hope the international community will be able to work together and with Iran to negotiate an acceptable solution out of this. I -- I -- I don't think, given the situation of -- in today's world, that anyone would want to see further military escalation in the region. 

And Iran should cooperate, and cooperate fully. And I have asked them publicly to freeze the nuclear program, to allow for negotiations to resolve this. I do not know why they canceled their meeting with the Russians, and if it is going to be rescheduled, or if it's indefinite. But I would urge them to pursue the option that the Russians have offered, and work with the European troika, and others, to resolve this crisis. 

BLITZER: France, Germany and Britain, the troika -- let's talk about Iran. The secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, you met with her today. She is accusing Iran and Syria of fanning the flames, if you will, over this cartoon uproar involving the Prophet Mohammed. 

Listen to what she said the other day: 

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: Iran and Syria have gone out of their way to -- to inflame sentiments and to use this to their own purposes. And the world ought to call them on it. 

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: She says the world ought to call them, Iran and Syria, on it. 

You're the world. 

ANNAN: Yes. 

BLITZER: You're the United Nations secretary-general. Are you going to call Iran and Syria and tell them, Don't fan these flames? 
ANNAN: First of all, let me say that the violence we have seen is unacceptable. It is a wrong reaction to the offense and the insult that the Muslims -- the Muslim world feels about the cartoon. 

I have said, very clearly, that it was insensitive to publish those cartoons. I am for freedom of expression. I am for freedom of press. But that right has to be exercised with some sensitivity, some respect, for religion of others. And it entails responsibility and judgment. 

And, so, the fact that -- that they -- they feel offended by that should not allow any country or any group of people to attack innocent people and to destroy foreign legations. And, so, I would urge all governments and all people with influence, secular and religious, to ensure that we calm the situation and do not allow it to get out of hand. 

BLITZER: Yesterday, I interviewed the prime minister of Denmark, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who said he agrees with Condoleezza Rice that Iran and Syria are making these situations even worse. 

Do you agree that they are doing that? 

ANNAN: Well, I -- I do not have any evidence to go by that. It's what -- you -- you had demonstrations all over the world. 

BLITZER: But let me interrupt for a second, with all due respect. When you have no evidence -- you know Damascus. 

ANNAN: I... 

(CROSSTALK) 

BLITZER: This is a country where the -- the police rule the day. 

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: If -- if the government didn't want these people to burn down the Danish Embassy, they wouldn't have gotten close to that embassy. 

ANNAN: The -- the government has a responsibility to prevent these things from happening. They should have stopped it, not just in -- in Syria or Iran, but all around the world. They should have stopped it. 

And not only should they have stopped it. Not having stopped it, I hope they will pick up the bill for the destruction that has been caused to all the foreign countries, which would also be legitimate. They should be prepared to pay for the damage done to Danish, Norwegian and the other embassies concerned. 

Yes, one may say that the government should -- I have raised this with the ambassador of Syria in New York. I said, Why couldn't you stop it?

Of course, his answer was, It was so spontaneous, we couldn't stop it.

So, the question has been posed. But, in any event, all governments have the responsibility to stop this, to de-escalate. And in situations where they are not able to protect embassies and people they have the responsibility to protect, there has to be a cost. 

BLITZER: The -- a co-founder of Hamas, Mahmoud al-Zahar, said last week -- he said this: We should have killed all those who offend the prophet, and instead, here we are protesting peacefully.

This is the man who's now emerging as one of the key leaders of the Palestinian community, now that Hamas has won this election. This is a serious issue, whether the United Nations and other international organizations, countries, should deal with the Palestinian Authority that is dominated by Hamas. 

ANNAN: I think, when the Quartet met, we -- we...

BLITZER: The Quartet is the United States...

ANNAN: United States...

BLITZER: ... Russia, the European Union and...

ANNAN: The United Nations.

BLITZER: ... the United Nations. 

ANNAN: We made it very clear that Hamas, now that it has won the elections and is going to assume the responsibility for the government, has to transform itself into a political party. 

It has to accept all the engagements entered into by the Palestinian Authority, including the Oslo agreements and the road map. It has to accept the two-state solution, which implies recognition of Israel. And it has to renounce politics. 

(CROSSTALK) 

BLITZER: Terrorism. 

ANNAN: Terrorism. It has to renounce terrorism. 

And, if it did that, the international community -- and I'm sure Israel -- would deal with them. And it is something that is on the table. There is a transitional government in office, headed by President Abbas, with his -- his team. And they have time to -- to be able to change their policy and accept the requirements that have -- it's not only the Quartet demanding that they do this. 

Leaders in the Arab region, President Mubarak and others, are asking them to go to the same direction.

BLITZER: Well, it raises an interesting question. And I know you discussed this with the president today. I assume you discussed it. Was the vice president at that meeting as well? 
ANNAN: He was there. 

BLITZER: All right. 

He -- this is what he said on February 3. 

ANNAN: Who said? 

BLITZER: The vice president, Dick Cheney. 

He said: Their -- referring to Hamas -- Their objective, part of their platform is the destruction of Israel. They are a terrorist organization. They need to give up their objective of the destruction of Israel. They need to forswear violence, and I think close down their military wing, before anybody is going to treat them seriously as a legitimate inter -- interlocutor.

Is the United Nations going to treat the Palestinian Authority as a legitimate interlocutor, with Hamas failing, at least so far, to accept a two-state solution and renounce terrorism? 

ANNAN: I think the -- if you put it that starkly, I don't think it's -- it's -- we have made it very clear in the Quartet and given them -- and U.N., United Nations, is part of the Quartet. 

Yesterday, there was quite a bit of excitement that the Russian federation had invited Hamas to Moscow. What was the purpose of that invitation? In my own discussion with Foreign Minister Lavrov, he made it clear that, we are bringing them to Moscow to reaffirm the three principles that the Quartet has asked them to fulfill, you know, renouncing violence, accepting the two-state solution, and accepting all the earlier engagements entered into.

You need them to press the point home with Hamas. 

BLITZER: And, if they don't do that, what will happen to the Palestinian Mission at the United Nations? 

ANNAN: Well, that will be a -- a decision for the member states to decide. 

It's the member states that offered Palestinian -- the Palestinians an observer status at the United Nations. But I think it's also a question of -- I think the -- the elections are barely one-month-old, where you're talking of transition period of about three months. 

First of all, I think Hamas itself was surprised that it won the elections. I never thought they would get more than 40 percent. They have won the elections. They are now trying to get their act together to organize themselves to play a role in the government. 

Would responsibility change them? It is one thing to be in a position and -- and criticize and make extreme demands. When you are actually responsible for the day-to-day management and welfare of the people, and you have to deal with the rest of the world, sometimes, people (INAUDIBLE) they -- they may move much faster toward these demands than we think they will. You never know responsibility...

BLITZER: All right. 

ANNAN: ... until you have tasted it. 

(END VIDEOTAPE) 

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