Condoleezza Rice Talks To CBS News

(CBS)  On Sept. 28, 2007, the CBS News editorial board interviewed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Below is the first part of the transcript:

---

QUESTION: Okay, let's start. The Secretary has promised us a shrink hour, which is 50 minutes of the hour. Okay, so

QUESTION: Only in New York could you say that. (Laughter.)

QUESTION: A shrink hour.

SECRETARY RICE: I haven't heard of a shrink hour, but I'll know to use that from now on.

QUESTION: She's kind of on a tight schedule, so let's get going. Does somebody have a question to lead off, or shall I?

Iran is still increasingly in the news, both with the President being here and we understand there's an article coming out in The New Yorker next week, Sy Hirsch talking about plans the Administration is making to go into Iran in a military way. Can you talk to us anything about the situation in Iran and the United States?

QUESTION: Starting with an easy one. (Laughter.)

SECRETARY RICE: That's right. Exactly.

This is a very troubling relationship, troubling country. It's probably the single-most difficult country from the point of view of U.S. interest in the world at this point. And that's because Iran's activities in support of terrorism in Lebanon, in support of Hezbollah in the Palestinian territories, in support of the worst elements of Hamas, in support of the death squads and violent militias in southern Iraq, the policies that -- we believe they're using the cover of civil nuclear power to seek the technologies that would lead to a -- could lead to a nuclear weapon, and not to mention the policies that they adopt against their own people. And so this a very troubled -- we don't have a relationship. This is a very difficult country for our interests.

I think we have established, particularly on the nuclear issue, a coalition of states that are concerned about the Iranian nuclear technology. Today I just had a meeting this morning with the, as we call it, P-5 + 1, or another designation is EU-3 + 3, so however you would like to say it. It's the Permanent Five plus Germany. And we came to agreement to again reaffirm the two-track strategy that we are pursuing on the nuclear file, which is to continue to try to stimulate negotiations. There's a very favorable, very generous package of incentives on the table for Iran, should they choose to take it.

But the UN Security Council track, if they do not take that package -- and obviously the condition for beginning those negotiations is that they have to suspend their enrichment and reprocessing activities. And today we agreed that we will pursue over the next -- well, in the November timeframe there are two important events. There is a report by Mohamed ElBaradei about their cooperation on some very key outstanding issues, and then there is also -- we have proposed Javier Solana have a discussion again with the Iranians. But if those do not have a positive outcome, we are in the process of finalizing a text for a vote, should there be no positive outcome, for a third resolution.

So that's how we're pursuing it. But you know the President doesn't take any option off the table, but we still believe that the diplomatic track has legs and can still resolve this if we remain very tough on that track.

I should also mention that the United States, of course, is pursuing other measures, national measures, including financial measures against the Iranians. We have sanctioned some of their banks, which makes it difficult for them to access the international financial system. Just on the basis of reputational and investment risk alone, there are any number of international financial institutions that have decided not to deal with the Iranians -- Deutsche Bank, the Credit Suisse, several others. And there are other countries like Germany that's cut back export credits, France that is doing the same, potentially EU efforts in that regard, that I think should demonstrate to the Iranians that the policy line that they're taking has costs.

QUESTION: Aren't there some discussions with the Russians, too -- I think President Bush mentioned this -- about verification, kind of some kind of agreement with them?

SECRETARY RICE: Yeah. What we've said with the Russians is we've supported the Russian plan which would allow the Iranians to have a civil nuclear capability but they would have to send the spent fuel back to Russia so that they wouldn't -- it wouldn't have the proliferation risk of what's called the fuel cycle; that is, the ability to enrich and reprocess on Iranian territory. They've so far rejected that, even though we think that would be an excellent idea. It's the way the Russian civil nuclear program is currently structured, the Bushehr facility is structured.

QUESTION: Why do you think they rejected it?

SECRETARY RICE: Because I think they want to be able to enrich and reprocess so that at some point they would have the ability to build a nuclear weapon.

QUESTION: I was in Tehran last week with Scott Pelley interviewing Ahmadi-Nejad. How much of a time deadline do you face? Do you have to resolve this diplomatically or with sanctions before President Bush's term is up? And if you don't, then does that mean that the President would use force? Is he determined to resolve this on his watch?

SECRETARY RICE: Well, we are determined to do everything that we can to prevent Iran from getting these technologies because -- let me be very clear. The issue is having the engineering know-how to be able to string together the running of centrifuges long enough to enrich to the -- material to the level at which it's nuclear weapons grade. That's really what we're talking about. We're not talking about a kind of mature program of the kind that the North Koreans have.

That said, no one knows precisely how long it will take them to acquire that engineering expertise, which is why there is some urgency to acting in a way that gets them to change the course that they're on. If they suspend, then they're not making that knowledge breakthrough.

QUESTION: Right.

SECRETARY RICE: So that's why we've been so focused on the suspension issue.

I think we believe that there is still time for the diplomatic track to work. I can't tell you that in four months or five months or six months that there won't have been some other breakthrough in Iran which we have to take account of, but we're not there at this point.

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page »

[getloud1]

***** Stop The War & Corporate Corruption *****

Why Don''t You Know Ron Paul??????

The corporate media will not give Ron Paul any Exposure. Because, NBC is owned by GE. GE is one of the world''s largest war-makers. They make things that go boom. They make $Billions on war. A Ron Paul administration would be bad for business. CNN is owned by AOL. Majority share holder is Saudi Royal Talal who is also partners with GHWBush in The Carlyle Group. Another major warmaker. And on and on. You get the picture. This is why they are doing a Media Blackout on him. Because they don''t WANT YOU TO KNOW THE TRUTH!!!!!

Who is Ron Paul?
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/about

Join A ReVoLuTiOn Group In Your City:
http://ronpaul.meetup.com/cities/

Who 0wns The Media?
http://www.mediaowners.com

Ron Paul Has WON 10 Straw-Polls!:
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/straw-poll-results/

RESTORE YOUR LIBERTY & FREEDOM
SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT RON PAUL 2008!

He Will:

** Stop Iraq War Immediately
** Eliminate IRS
** Eliminate Federal Reserve
** Eliminate Government Wasteful Spending
** Restore America''s Work Force & Values
** Restore America''s Freedom!

GET UP AND GET ACTIVE TODAY!!!
Paul Is America''s Last Hope!

He Raised 1.2 Million In 6 Days!
And Does NOT Accept Corporate Donations!

[coffee_guy1]

She''s a auntie jeejee, iceman.

[taotxzen]

Condoleezza who? Wasn''t she once Secretary of State?

Too bad the Bush Gang puts zero stock in diplomacy.

%u2018Brang %u2018em Own!%u2019

[gkc99]

It''s sad to see a lady of such obvious talent--she was a child prodigy on the piano, it is reported--fall prey and buy in to such an evil group of co-conspirators. But you''re known by the company you keep, and Condie is the enabler of the Bushit regime that provided cover when Colin Powell quit the state department in disgust over the lies and incompetence of Decider-in-Chimp Bushit. She''s easier on the eyes than Rummy was, but that doesn''t excuse her role in the Evil Empire of Darth and his lackey Curious George. Well not to worry, when the Repugs get booted next year, I''m sure Rupert Mordork will find a nice safe warm place with a million dollar salary in some Rightie thinktank.

[brianbwb-2009]

Why do people assume that because Condi Rice is BLACK, she must have grown up in an inner city tenement, without a father, and with a mother who scrubbed floors ? Posted by Iceman_1960

Maybe it is because of her thuggish, don''t snitch on the boss, kill ''em if they don''t toe our line attitude. I ain''t see no body kill no body''. It is straight out of Compton. Wes'' siiide! She would have been a great Crip member, except she works for a "White" sociopath.

Or maybe it is her slavish devotion to her "massa", and her willing blindness to Bush''s crimes against humanity, and the continued support thereof that invokes an image of someone who is still a "house slave", albeit one who has had a rudimentary education.

Just so no one is confused, I am a "Black" man.

[ramos937]

To all that do not like Ron Paul. There are things I do not like about him but this is very important. He says what he means and lives accordingly. No two faces. At least he is honest and you can trust him.

[ramos937]

Trump was right. SecState Rice has one big advantage - she looks good. But, nothing else. It is difficult to discuss the message and not the messenger but here goes. Global warning probably outranks Iraq as an immediate issue but we simply lack the credibility to be of much use. The UN meeting was the place for all to meet and try to arrive at an international understanding and not the ad hoc Bush meeting which was a distraction/impediment. At the end all Bush/Rice could do was to encourge the setting of goals. Goals without consequences are of no use whatsover. We still must join other nations in setting goals with teeth in them. To do this, we will have to wait for the next President.

[iceman_1960]

"Actually to have risen to her current job from the most humble of origins is quite a career accomplishment in itself."
- Posted by donbl1 at 09:24 PM : Sep 29, 2007

Why do people assume that because Condi Rice is BLACK, she must have grown up in an inner city tenement, without a father, and with a mother who scrubbed floors ?

"Rice was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and grew up in the neighborhood of Titusville. She is the only child of Presbyterian minister Reverend John Wesley Rice, Jr., and his wife, Angelena Ray. Reverend Rice was a guidance counselor at Ullman High School and minister of Westminster Presbyterian Church, which had been founded by his father. Angelena was a science, music and oratory teacher at Ullman."

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condoleezza_Rice#Early_life_and_education

[whispyseas]

'' ... i couldn''t give you less than free food and free medicine forever if i even wanted to ... nah, actually: to feed the world, i gotta tax everyone in the world and deny options to the begging ... soo laughing ... anyways: i''ve been wondering lately, if the average county is 577 square miles and 90,000 folk occupying 300 16 acre trail crossings and 300 folk in 300 weeks turn out 90,000 (little eco friendly non resource depleting) museums of medical you are here map song dance skit kit, and 90,000 folk turn out many billion museums of medical you are here map song dance skit kit in the same period, and for many many small small tips, and the average home is 340 squre feet with 2500 square feet of garden and costs anywhere from $2400 to $60,000; then, on a cosmic scale: what''s the average county skize? and how many trail trail crossings? of how many cubic light years? and how many naked folk dance get well feed world songs rallyd round the sick beds drifting the spore bloom weed dragon trail fickle first aid lunch farm cottage studio trail groups at each trail crossing? and how many (little eco friendly non resource depleting) museums of medical you are here map song dance skit kit does each collection of how many folk turn out in what amount of time? and how volume density surfacearea is the average homed sheltet and the average lawn? and what''s the average cost? ... ''

[socrates392]

Posted by SharnCedar at 10:42 PM : Sep 29, 2007

SharnCedar and I rarely agree on anything, but we agree on this: knock off the Ron Paul spam!!! You''re only hurting his chances of winning by pissing everyone off-- and I mean everyone! So stop it already!