Fox News Your World with Neil Cavuto-Transcript

Fox News Network

SHOW: YOUR WORLD WITH NEIL CAVUTO (16:00)

January 28, 2004 Wednesday

HEADLINE: Interview With Darrell Issa

GUESTS: Darrell Issa

BYLINE: Neil Cavuto

BODY:

NEIL CAVUTO, HOST: Has Iraq been worth the sacrifice? To hear my next guest tell it, without a doubt. Sure, our soldiers are still getting attacked, but other countries are getting the message. Once dangerous countries, like Libya, now doing everything it can to show it is cooperating with the global war on terror.

With us now, California Congressman Darrell Issa, just returning from Libya, where he met with that country's leader, Moammar Gadhafi.

Congressman, always good to have you.

REP. DARRELL ISSA ®, CALIFORNIA: Thanks for having me on, Neil. And, you know, Moammar Gadhafi was helping us to a certain extent against al Qaeda, which is a common enemy. But this 180-degree turn on weapons of mass destruction flows directly to the Bush doctrine that has clearly convinced him he doesn't want to be the next Saddam.

CAVUTO: But how do we know, Congressman, that he is not just pulling the wool over our eyes?

ISSA: Well, when he opens up every facility, including his nuclear, and lets our people go in completely unobstructed, and let's them take the significant pieces of development right out of the country, it certainly is a good sign. He also has agreed to continue open access to inspectors.

So it is pretty certain that this kind of a change is huge and permanent. It is not all the distance we need to go with Gadhafi. I mean, after all, he has been historically a state sponsor of terrorism, particularly the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

CAVUTO: Yes. See, that's what I was going to raise here, Congressman, because, you know, Adolf Hitler made promises and supposedly gave proof to Neville Chamberlain, and the world bought that at the time, only to regret it. I'm just wondering, a guy we couldn't trust for decades, right, all of a sudden says, I'm with you, I'm with you, I'm with you. Part of me just says, go slow.

ISSA: Well, this administration is going slow. We haven't lifted any sanctions. In all likelihood, the most we'll probably lift is the travel ban, which historically is normally only used when there is a danger to Americans. It's not usually used as a sanction. But-and that hasn't been discussed yet, but it is likely to be the first. But very clearly, what we are offering Gadhafi is that his carrot is we won't use a stick if he keeps moving in the direction this administration is demanding that these rogue nations move.

CAVUTO: But we're also offering another carrot, right? I mean, if, for example as he has been with the Lockerby flight downing, offering potential compensation to the victims, he knows that in order to enter the global stage he has to look less like a monster.

So he wants to do business in the global community because he has been ostracized in the global community. So yes, we're offering the possibility of not attacking the guy, but we're also offering the possibility of doing business with the guy, right?

ISSA: Well, I will tell you that we went out of our way to go into their malls and their other shopping areas while we were there, and I looked at a big Mac computer, brand new latest version, HP laser jet printers, color printers, computers. He's not suffering from an inability to get our products.

He is certainly not suffering from an inability to find other countries, European countries willing to develop his oil fields. So I'm not sure that that is the bone of contention.

CAVUTO: Do you trust him? Do you trust him?

ISSA: Not a chance. Look, I'm a Reaganite. To trust but verify, and heavy on the verify. What he is doing we are taking. The offer still remains the same, which is, if you don't want us to use the stick that President Bush has laid out so clearly, we expect changes in your support of terrorism.

Right now, there is no discussion of removing Gadhafi and his country and his government from a state sponsor of terrorism. That comes when he starts showing us that he is no longer funding terrorist groups such as the PFLP.

CAVUTO: All right. Congressman, a pleasure. Thank you very much. Appreciate it.

ISSA: My pleasure.

CAVUTO: Darrell Issa of California, just back from Libya.

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