Exclusive interview with Iraq's chief US administrator

(5 Dec 2003) 1. Paul Bremer, US administrator in Iraq, walking in with his aides 2. Wide of interview 3. SOUNDBITE (English) Paul Bremer, US administrator in Iraq: "Whether NATO as an organisation, as the Secretary implied yesterday, can play a stronger role is really something we can see as we go forward. We would welcome all kinds of multinational help here, we've got 33 other countries already on the ground with us on the military side, and I've got citizens from 17 countries working at CPA (Coalition Provisional Authority) but anything we can do to make it a multinational operation ought to be considered and I'm sure these discussions that were kicked off in Brussels the other day will continue in the weeks ahead." 4. Bremer's hands 5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Paul Bremer, US administrator in Iraq: "I think people realise that holding full scale elections at this point is really not a good option and not lead to a feeling of legitimacy in the process. But I think we'll find a way that satisfies both people in the governing council and leading Shia religious leaders and a way to go forward to implement the November 15th agreement, which is all what we want to do." 6. Wide of Bremer talking to journalist 7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Paul Bremer, US administrator in Iraq: "Between now and the end of June we will actually see an increase in attacks because the people who are against us now realise that there is huge momentum in both the economic and political reconstruction of this country. We predicted back in September, when it became clear that the reconstruction momentum was picking up that we were going to restore hospitals, and schools and electricity that we would have more attacks from these dead-enders because they could see that the momentum was building. Now we are getting ready to spend millions of dollars here on building out the electricity, building out the hospitals and fixing the railroads and the dead-enders can see momentum, plus the Iraqi people are going to get their sovereignty back - and this spells trouble for them. So I think we will actually go through a phase now when we'll see an increase in attacks. " 8. Bremer's hands 9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Paul Bremer, US administrator in Iraq: "We get a lot of intelligence about Saddam's location, it's like most intelligence, it's difficult to tell what's valid and what's not and in the case of Saddam's stuff it's even harder. We followed the leads that made sense and we will get him sooner or later but I'm not going to make any predictions as to when that will be. It would be important to get him get, there's no question because the fact that he is still at large gives some life to the ideas of the killers that followed him, that may come back to power and make no mistake that's what they are after. They don't have a vision of Iraq that is anything sympathetic to Iraqi people, their vision is to re-install the brutal tyranny of Saddam Hussein and the people of Iraq will not support that." 8. Bremer's tie 9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Paul Bremer, US administrator in Iraq: "I'm confident that we will find and indeed we are beginning to find some evidence of biological and chemical weapons, as David Kay has already said. Beyond that I don't make any predictions, I think it's important to let Dr. Kay finish his work, he's really only been here since June in fact." 10. Bremer's jacket 11. SOUNDBITE: (English) Paul Bremer, US administrator in Iraq: 12. Wide of interview 13. SOUNDBITE: (English) Paul Bremer, US administrator in Iraq: 14. Wide of interview 15. SOUNDBITE: (English) Paul Bremer, US administrator in Iraq: Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...