Israel's Netanyahu 'absolutely' supports attack on Iraq

Netanyahu

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(CNN) -- U.S. President George W. Bush is on an international public relations campaign for a coalition to support a U.S. strike against Iraq. He is appealing to nations reluctant to approve of the action by calling Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein a menace to world peace who is defying U.N. resolutions to eliminate all weapons of mass destruction and allow inspections inside his nation.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talked with CNN anchor Paula Zahn about his support of possible U.S. action against Iraq.

NETANYAHU: Good morning.

ZAHN: Good to see you. [Bush says there is] proof that Iraq violated some 16 U.N. resolutions. Do you have any confidence that the United Nations, in a secondary move, if Iraq doesn't take this seriously, will say: "We're going to act now to enforce them."

NETANYAHU: Well, you know, I served for a few years as ambassador, Israel's ambassador to the U.N. before...

ZAHN: I know, but you're not an ambassador anymore. You don't have to, you know...

NETANYAHU: No, on the contrary, I want to pull rank.

ZAHN: .... color this stuff.

NETANYAHU: I want to pull previous rank from intimate knowledge with the U.N. It doesn't have a stellar record of addressing these threats because there are a lot of conflicting interests in that body.

For example, in 1981 when Saddam was close to creating a nuclear bomb, he had a big central installation in a place called Osirik. He was creating a critical mass of plutonium. He was a very short time before amassing [enough] for an atom bomb. Israel took action. [Israel] didn't consult the U.N., it took action. It just wiped it out.

The U.N. summarily condemned Israel and many countries, all countries did, including our dearest friends, the United States. Well, in the hindsight of some two decades, people understand that the U.N. was wrong and, in fact, had the U.N. had its way, that actually would not have taken place and Saddam Hussein would have had atomic bombs. History would have taken a catastrophic turn.

You simply cannot rely on the U.N. to take action. It may, it may not. But if it's a precondition that you get U.N. approval, you're not going to get anywhere.

ZAHN: So are you saying the Bush administration is wasting its time? Because it appears as though the strategy they're trying to set up, someone said it today, it's almost like the sheriff coming to town after the bad guys say we're not going to listen to anybody, and that you have to set up that strategy so it appears as though that you've gotten, tried to attempt to get some sort of...

NETANYAHU: Well, it'll be a...

ZAHN: .... alliance together.

NETANYAHU: It would be a refreshing delight if the U.N. were to toss politics aside and that you wouldn't risk, for example, being vetoed by one of the permanent members of the Security Council. Suppose one of them says we don't agree and the U.N. shuts down this effort?

There are ways to try to secure U.N. approval and I don't doubt for a minute that it would be nice to have it. I'm just saying it's not a precondition. I think that what the president is saying, what he said yesterday, catching the mood of the nation, of resolve and defiance, the willingness to finish this thing, which all sane minded people around the world, certainly in my country, Israel, I think in the United States and in other parts of the world, they understand, regardless of the position of their governments, regardless of the position of the U.N., we cannot allow a world in which Saddam acquires nuclear weapons.

You don't need the U.N. approval. It's nice to have it. It's not necessary.

ZAHN: Let's make a major assumption here, that in some way some sort of deadline will be set for inspectors to go back into Iraq. Do you have any faith that they will provide unfettered access to their sites?

NETANYAHU: I have complete faith that inspections will not uncover the myriad sites in which Saddam today can develop, can manufacture the critical mass of plutonium that he needs. He's changed his technology from a centralized plant of the kind that we took out in 1981 precisely because of that.

He now has this distributed in little sites, tiny sites, tiny centrifuges the size of washing machines, and they're hidden. Are you going to find them? Iraq is a very big country. He's got 50 palaces with secret trap doors. I mean it's not going to work. It doesn't work that way. It didn't work up to now, it's not going to work.

ZAHN: So there is no doubt in your mind that some kind of military action will be had -- have to be taken?

NETANYAHU: Absolutely. I said that well before September 11 and it's just been reinforced.

ZAHN: And who will be on board? There are those out there who talk about this lack of alliance being a bit of a canard. In the end, once the U.S. military goes in, not only will Britain support it, but other countries will also...

NETANYAHU: I think that's right. I think...

ZAHN: ... join in supporting the mission.

NETANYAHU: I think that's right, Paula. I think what is required right now is statesmanship, it's leadership. And I think President Bush is providing it in abundance. If you lead, others will follow. Or they may sit down on the sidelines, but not bother you.

I think in their hearts, in their hearts, even the vacillating governments expect action and appreciate action. They may criticize, they may say things to the country, but I think any sane person and any sane leader in the world today knows that we cannot the 21st century to begin with a tyrant like Saddam Hussein, a war criminal who's gassed his own people, we cannot allow him to have atomic bombs.

ZAHN: A final question for you this morning. There was a report in one of your newspapers in Israel that said if there is military action and the Iraqis fire a Scud missile into Israel, there is a possibility that Israel would respond with nuclear weapons. What is the likelihood of that happening?

NETANYAHU: Well, I don't, I'm sure that wasn't an official statement. But...

ZAHN: It was in Ha'aretz [Israeli daily] newspaper.

NETANYAHU: Well, because it has its ways. But I think that there's no question that Israel would respond if attacked. I think we, I made that clear as prime minister and the policy has not changed. But the nature of the response, the precise type of response is something that I think will be discussed behind closed doors. I think Israel has a longstanding policy of not being the first one to introduce nuclear weapons into the Middle East. And the whole exercise of bringing down Saddam's regime is to prevent the introduction of these weapons by an unscrupulous, savage regime that would use them.

Israel, I think, would be very careful to, and would act prudently and responsibly. But it will respond to an attack, undoubtedly.

ZAHN: Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, thank you for dropping by.

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