Transcript for July 23

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MR. RUSSERT: How about on the diplomatic front, Tom? Are you detecting, hearing, reporting on any rumblings?

MR. ASPELL: Certainly a great deal of optimism this morning. We’ve got representatives from Great Britain, France, Germany, the United Nations all in Jerusalem now. Of course, they’re awaiting the arrival of Condoleezza Rice tomorrow. But it’s understood, among our sources at least, that Israel’s happy with a broad agreement put forward by those people, which would include a cease-fire, Hezbollah to stop firing rockets, and return those two captured prisoners. But also, Israel feeling quite happy about the prospect of an international force on the ground with the Lebanese Army in southern Lebanon, and even perhaps asking for NATO troops to be part of that international force, Tim.

MR. RUSSERT: Tom Aspell, as always, we thank you for your report, and please be safe.

And here in our studio in Washington, the White House chief of staff for all of 16 ½ weeks, Josh Bolten.

Welcome.

MR. JOSHUA B. BOLTEN: Thank you, Tim.

MR. RUSSERT: Would the United States be open to an international force on the Israeli/Lebanon border?

MR. BOLTEN: Secretary Rice has said that we’re open to that; that’s one of the things she’ll be talking about when she goes to the region tonight. But we need to remember that the purpose of an international force has to be to maintain a sustainable cease-fire. And a cease-fire is sustainable only if we get at the root problem, which is Hezbollah, a terrorist organization that has kidnapped Israeli soldiers and sent rockets into civilian areas in the sovereign territory of Israel.

MR. RUSSERT: Would the United States participate with soldiers in that international force?

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MR. BOLTEN: Secretary Rice said day before yesterday that she didn’t consider that at all likely, but she will be talking with our friends and allies about whether a—whether and when a force is appropriate, and how it might be constructed.

MR. RUSSERT: Talking with friends and allies, but in any negotiation, cease-fire, diplomatic solution, you have to talk, sometimes, with your enemies. The Syrians announced today that they are open to having direct talks with the United States. Will the United States talk directly with Syria?

MR. BOLTEN: I’m going to leave that to, to Secretary Rice to handle the diplomacy. But the truth is that over, over the course of this entire administration, especially during the entirety of the first term, the administration had a number of very close direct contacts with the Syrian government which didn’t do any good. They continued to allow terrorism to flourish, they supported it, they supported Hezbollah, and it’s only when we began to put some pressure on Syria in the form of isolation that the Syrians ultimately withdrew from—themselves from Lebanon in the wake of the Hariri assassination.

MR. RUSSERT: But if the—if Syrian wants to participate, wants to help resolve the situation, why not talk to them?

MR. BOLTEN: Well, I’m going to leave that to, to Secretary Rice. But there’s going to have to be a pretty strong showing from the Syrians of genuine interest in withdrawing their long-standing support for Hezbollah, which is responsible for a good portion of this crisis.

MR. RUSSERT: Let me show you what the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, Dan Gillerman, said: “The Hezbollah needs to be totally eliminated.” Is that the view of the president?

CONTINUED

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