'Meet the Press' transcript for August 17, 2008

MR. DAVID GREGORY: Our issues this Sunday: A cease-fire agreement between Russia and Georgia.

(Videotape, Saturday)

PRES. GEORGE W. BUSH: Now Russia needs to honor the agreement and withdraw its forces.

(End videotape)

MR. GREGORY: After a week of tough talk from the Bush administration...

(Videotape, Wednesday)

SEC'Y CONDOLEEZZA RICE: This is not 1968 and the invasion of Czechoslovakia, where Russia can threaten its neighbors, occupy a capital, overthrow a government and get away with it. Things have changed.

(End videotape)

MR. GREGORY: Will the cease-fire agreement hold and what's the future of the U.S./Russian relationship? Just back from Georgia, our guest: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Then, Obama vs. McCain. As the campaigns look toward the conventions and narrow their running mate choices, we're joined by two men on the vice presidential shorts lists. For the McCain campaign, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. And for the Obama campaign, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine.

Plus, insights and analysis on Decision 2008 from our political roundtable: Joshua Green, senior editor of The Atlantic; Andrea Mitchell of NBC News; and Chuck Todd, political director of NBC News.

But first, Secretary Rice returned from Georgia Friday evening and spent yesterday briefing the president at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, where she joins us live this morning.

Secretary Rice, welcome.

SEC'Y RICE: Thank you.

MR. GREGORY: News this morning from Russia is that it will withdraw its troops by tomorrow in the middle of the day. Do you believe it?

SEC'Y RICE: Well, the Russian president has made promises to the French president, the E.U. presidency, several times that military operations would stop, that Russia would withdraw its forces. I hope he intends to honor the pledge this time.

MR. GREGORY: But you're skeptical?

SEC'Y RICE: Well, I just know that the Russian president said several days ago Russian military operations would stop. They didn't. The Russian president told President Sarkozy that the minute that cease-fire was signed by President Saakashvili, Russian forces would begin to withdraw. They didn't. Now he has said that tomorrow, midday, Russian forces will withdraw and withdraw to their pre-August 6, 7 lines. This time I hope he means it. You know, the, the word of the Russian president needs to be upheld by his forces. People are going to begin to wonder if Russia can be trusted. I, I think it's really very much time for them to do what they say they're going to do.

MR. GREGORY: Well, given that lack of trust, as this was all coming together why didn't you go directly to Russia to look them eye to eye to broker this agreement, rather than simply going to Georgia?

SEC'Y RICE: Well, I was in touch with my Russian counterpart several times, and before--immediately before the crisis really hardened and got hotter I was in touch with them. But we felt very strongly that the European Union mediation of President Sarkozy needed to be supported; that it should be a mediation between Russia, the European Union with American support and with Georgia. I went to Georgia to strongly support the democratically elected government of Georgia, to demonstrate that the Russian strategic intent of destroying the foundation of democracy in Georgia, the Russian strategic intent of destroying Georgian infrastructure and economic progress, that that would not succeed. I was also able to assure the Georgians through clarifications by the French president that their interests would be protected in this cease-fire.

MR. GREGORY: Let's talk about the future of the separatist regions South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Who will control those regions now?

SEC'Y RICE: David, this has been a zone of conflict for well over a decade now, almost 20 years. And in fact, there has to be an international negotiation to determine the security and political and stability arrangements for these two regions. Those negotiations have gone on sporadically for the last several years. But those negotiations will begin from the premise that the territorial integrity of Georgia must be respected, that Abkhazia and South Ossetia are indeed part of--are, are within the internationally recognized boundaries of Georgia and that we will proceed from the basis of Security Council resolutions that recognize that.

MR. GREGORY: Well...

SEC'Y RICE: But there will have to be a negotiated solution to, to these two regions which have been in dispute for a long time.

MR. GREGORY: Will U.S. troops be part of those peacekeeping troops who will be responsible for ensuring that territorial integrity?

SEC'Y RICE: Well, what is first contemplated is that there will be monitors of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe, the OSCE, that will go in now to make sure that the cease-fire is working. And the Russians also told the French that they are prepared to have those monitors come in immediately. So those monitors need to come in immediately. There will then have to be a negotiated solution a part of which will be to get international peacekeeping forces that will have to be neutral peacekeeping forces. And I think the European Union is likely to be one of the lead elements along with others, but that's for future negotiations.

MR. GREGORY: But will U.S. soldiers be there?

SEC'Y RICE: David, I don't think it's good to speculate about what role the United States may--might play. Generally, this is a role that's been played by the OSCE and by the European Union.

MR. GREGORY: Let's talk about how we got here and what precipitated this crisis. This is how The New York Times reported it this week about a visit to Georgia back in July by you. "During a private dinner [in Tbilisi]" "Ms. Rice's aides say she warned President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia not to get into a military conflict with" Georgia--with "Russia," rather--"that Georgia could not win. `She told him, in no uncertain terms, that he had to put a non-use of force pledge on the table,' according to a senior administration official who accompanied Ms. Rice to the Georgia capital. ...

"In the days since the simmering conflict between Russia and Georgia erupted into war, Bush administration officials have been adamant in asserting that they warned the government in Tbilisi not to let Moscow provoke it into a fight - and that they were surprised when their advice went unheeded."

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