Top Iraqi Official: The War's Going Well
B A G H D A D, Iraq, March 30 -- Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, in an exclusive interview with ABCNEWS, said there will be more attacks like the suicide bombing Saturday that killed four U.S. soldiers, and said the war is going very well from the Iraqi point of view.
In an interview today in the bomb-blighted Iraqi capital, Aziz told ABCNEWS' Richard Engel that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is alive, and that he remains the legitimate ruler of Iraq.
The following is a transcript of the interview, part of which is being shown on ABCNEWS' World News Tonight. This is an unedited, uncorrected transcript subject to future revisions.
ABCNEWS' RICHARD ENGEL: So I just wanted to first of all ask you, thank you very much for meeting me and having this discussion. And I wanted to — I heard a very chilling comment that was by the vice president yesterday and then again by the defense minister, defense spokesman today, he said that Iraq is really welcoming the use of suicide attacks and it seems like a very chilling development for a lot of Americans — is this a new policy? Is this going to be …
TARIQ AZIZ, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER OF IRAQ: This is not a new policy, the people which is being threatened by an invasion has the right to fight by all means to defend itself. This is one of the means to defend Iraq against the invaders. So it is welcome, yes it is welcome.
The Arabs and Muslims are wholeheartedly supporting Iraq and they know that this is an unjust war. A war of aggression, colonialist, imperialist war against Iraq and against them as well therefore they are ready to join forces with the Iraqi people to fight the invaders and that is very natural. It is not a surprise to me it might be a surprise to the Americans, the British, but this is not a surprise to the Arabs and the Muslims.
ENGEL: You know they're going to say you're recruiting terrorists?
AZIZ: No, you know — the question of terrorists, when you fight an invader by whatever means available to you, you are not a terrorist, you are a hero.
ENGEL: But you're bringing these people from outside — you're finding —
AZIZ: From outside, from inside, these people are heroes, they are freedom fighters against invaders, against colonialists, against imperialists — they are freedom fighters and heroes and we are proud of them.
ENGEL: Where are you … where are you finding them? Are these people disgruntled, angry people?
But the first one, you said, but there will be more?
AZIZ: They are where they are, they are where they are you see we have — they volunteer themselves to come to Iraq and we welcome them. But the Iraqis are doing it also, the first one who did it was an Iraqi. He was not a foreigner. There will be others. Iraqis, Arabs, maybe Muslims, yes. We welcome them.
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