Official Transcripts
Interview of Joint Chiefs of Staff General Peter Pace Chairman by Igor Vykhukholev Vesti-24
Moscow
October 30, 2006
INTERVIEWER: Mr. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, good afternoon! What is the purpose of your visit to Russia and what issues did you discuss with the Head of the Russian General Staff General Baluyevskiy?
GENERAL PACE: General Baluyevskiy was kind enough to invite me to visit Russia as his counterpart. I was delighted to accept his invitation and we talked today about ways our militaries can partner together to the benefit of both Russia and the United States.
INTERVIEWER: What can you say about the level of military cooperation between Russia and the United States?
GENERAL PACE: It's good and getting better. We have increased the number of exercises that we have conducted annually for the last several years. Today General Baluyevskiy and I signed a work plan for 2007 that lays out a very healthy series of exercises that allows us to cooperate better in the New Year.
INTERVIEWER: How would you describe the current situation in Iraq? Is the situation stabilizing or deteriorating?
GENERAL PACE: It is difficult right now for many reasons. We have violence between sectarian groups -- especially between Sunnies and Shiites -- which has been destabilizing. Prime-Minister Malaki is working very hard with his new government that is about five months old now to provide the unifying leadership required. And we are working as a coalition with the Army and the police to assist them in providing enough security so that the Government and economic activity can give [Iraqis] a better future.
INTERVIEWER: Why are the Coalition and the Iraqi army and police unable to effectively control the territory of Iraq?
GENERAL PACE: I think it is very difficult when individuals are set upon killing each other to prevent it. You can have a policeman on every street corner twenty-four hours a day, but if people are determined to kill each other for vengeful reasons they will find a way to do it. Which is why it is so important that the Government provides unifying leadership that convinces Sunnies and Shiites that they should love their children more than they hate each other. Meaning that they should work together to provide better life for their children and give up on hatred.
INTERVIEWER: Are there any plans to reduce the number of U.S. troops in Iraq in the immediate future?
GENERAL PACE: Not immediately, but that depends on how you define the immediate future. I think that over the next two-four-six months you will see the Coalition presence staying at about current levels. We're working in concert with Prime Minister Malaki and his leadership team, to determine when and how fast the Iraqi armed forces and the Iraqi police can take over their own security, so that we can do what we would like to do – which is to let the Iraqi people, the Iraqi Government and the Iraqi security forces take care of themselves and determine their own future.
INTERVIEWER: Do you think that, in principle, the U.S. Army is capable of winning the fight against terrorism in Iraq because a lot of Iraqis view the terrorists as guerrillas – as partisans? Maybe it's the time to reevaluate the strategy?
GENERAL PACE: First, you must understand that any time you are dealing with counterinsurgency you are dealing only partly with military force. There are three very important parts – first security, second - governance, third – the economy. Each of those relies on each other. The military cannot lose, but the military cannot win by itself. It must be good governance and economics that causes the people to want to follow the unifying government and to take advantage of the jobs afforded. So no matter what the military situation is, when you're in counterinsurgency you're really talking about the being a piece, a very important piece, but only a piece of the solution.
INTERVIEWER: Switching to Afghanistan, the resistance of Taliban has not been crushed yet. What is the reason for that and why can't coalition forces gain control over a larger section of the country?
GENERAL PACE: In Afghanistan the environment is much different than what we just talked about in Iraq. First of all the Taliban are trying to have a resurgence, but a lot of what has been called Taliban is not – it is drug-lords and other criminals who have been living in areas where NATO forces are now entering for the first time. There is more contact between Afghans and NATO forces than in the past because we are going into areas where we have not been before. Clearly the Taliban does not have the support of the local people. They are very happy to have rid themselves of the Taliban. They are voting and they are supportive of their Parliament and they are supportive of their President. But like in Iraq there are the same three parts of the solution - security, governance and economics. And in Afghanistan security is in a pretty good shape. Governance is coming along very strong, but the economy is weak. The international community needs to reach out to Afghanistan and help the Afghan Government provide jobs and economic opportunities to its people.
INTERVIEWER: Is the American military still looking for Bin Laden? What is so difficult about this search and why hasn't bin Laden been apprehended or liquidated?
GENERAL PACE: We are still looking for Bin Laden. We do not know with any certainty what country bin Laden is in. If he is in the vicinity of Afghanistan or Pakistan, the mountain areas there are very difficult to work in. So if your viewers or listeners know where he is – we would be very glad to get this information.
INTERVIEWER: Does the American military have plans for a limited strike to strike on Iranian nuclear sites – without a ground operation – should Iran defy the international community and continue developing its nuclear program?
GENERAL PACE: We have no need for those plans right now, because I believe there is still an enormous amount that diplomacy can do. Russia has a very special opportunity to assist the international community. Germany, France, the United Kingdom are all working very hard to convince the Iranian Government that nuclear power generation is certainly something that international community would want to see them have, but nuclear weapons is counter to the desire of international community. But I believe there is much more diplomacy ahead before we have to think about contingencies that would include the use of military power.
INTERVIEWER: Pyongang said that its recent nuclear test was forced by U.S. plans to attack North Korea. Do you have any such plans?
GENERAL PACE: We do not! No. Nyet. Zero.
INTERVIEWER: What is the status of military cooperation between the United States and Georgia?
GENERAL PACE: It is developing in a way that we believe is useful; Georgia asked us to help train two light infantry brigades so that one battalion can continuously provide security to the United Nations team in Iraq. We have been helping them with light infantry rifles, machine guns, and simple light infantry tactics, in a way that would provide them the capacity to participate in the peacekeeping and security of the United Nations mission in Iraq.
I know that this is a very sensitive topic for the Russian people. It is important for the Government of Russian and Government of Georgia and Government of the United States to reduce the tension and to find reasonable ways to have dialogue amongst the nations that does not include military threats of any kind.
INTERVIEWER: If Georgia decides to solve the conflict with its neighbors in Abkhazia and South Ossetia militarily, will the United States take Georgia's side?
GENERAL PACE: I don't see any need for military action to solve that problem. I think that reasonable leaders in each country can find a way to solve the problem without it resulting in bloodshed. That wouldl be tragedy. We need to work hard to prevent it from happening.
INTERVIEWER: General thank you for taking time from your busy schedule for this interview.
GENERAL PACE: It was my pleasure. Thank you for the opportunity to talk to the Russian people through your television station. It is very important that we get to know each other better and that we get to understand each other better. We can overcome misunderstandings and get to the future that I believe it is possible through partnership.