Condoleezza Rice: "We Want an Immediate Cease-fire Too"

TIME: DO YOU HAVE A COMMITMENT FROM ISRAEL THAT IT WON'T EXPAND THE WAR INTO SYRIA OR IRAN?

RICE: The Israelis have said publicly that they do not want to widen this war. And I take them at their word.

TIME: IS THERE A PLAN TO PURSUE A COMPROMISE ON EXCHANGING PRISONERS?

RICE: The release of the abducted prisoner [by Hamas] unconditionally has been called for by many international bodies, including the G-8. And everybody recognizes there is an issue with Lebanese prisoners. But in the diplomacy, there isn't contemplation of suggesting a prisoner exchange.

TIME: MANY COMMENTATORS BELIEVE THE U.S. AND ISRAEL WERE SURPRISED AT HIZBALLAH'S CAPABILITIES. DOES THAT SUGGEST AN INTELLIGENCE FAILURE?

RICE: The capabilities of Hizballah were more extensive than people realized because they have used the last 10 years since the cease-fire to build those capabilities. And the enhanced relationship that they have had with Iran and Syria for financing and for technology, clearly, has improved their capabilities. It's very hard to know the capabilities of a terrorist organization when it burrows into a population, when it has free rein and free run of southern Lebanon because there's a vacuum there.

TIME: IT SEEMS AS IF THE GOAL OF DIMINISHING HIZBALLAH'S CAPABILITY MAY BE UNATTAINABLE OR IS NOT WORKING. DO YOU THINK THAT ISRAEL'S OFFENSIVE WILL BE ENOUGH?

RICE: I'm certain that Hizballah has lots of rockets that it can fire. [But] ultimately Hizballah has to be, under several obligations of the Lebanese government, disarmed. And I would think you would want to deal with its heavy weapons, its missiles and so forth, its rockets early on. The Lebanese armed forces have to be the only armed authority in the country.

TIME: ARE YOU CONFIDENT THAT LEBANON WILL BE ABLE TO DISARM HIZBALLAH AFTER THE CESSATION OF FIGHTING?

RICE: I am confident that the Lebanese government understands its obligation to do that. I know that the Lebanese government doesn't want a circumstance again where you have militias running around that can bring this kind of destruction on the country. Now it's up to the international community to help them achieve that. And that means creating a stable environment.

TIME: HAS THE U.S. APPROACH--NOT DEMANDING AN IMMEDIATE CEASE-FIRE--UNDERMINED ITS CREDIBILITY IN THE ARAB WORLD?

RICE: I think what would undermine American credibility is if we said something we didn't believe. We want an immediate cease-fire too. We just want one that isn't going to give way in a few days or weeks or months to more violence.

TIME: YOUR CRITICS SAY U.S. POLICY IS FAILING IN THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES, IRAN, LEBANON, IRAQ. WHAT EVIDENCE IS THERE THAT THE MIDDLE EAST IS BECOMING LESS DANGEROUS AS A RESULT OF THIS ADMINISTRATION'S POLICIES?

RICE: Well, I would not say that it's become less dangerous. I would say that it was never stable. And the sense that things were going along just fine when this Administration began a new set of policies in the Middle East is shortsighted and ahistorical ... A failure in Lebanon? Compared to what? The false stability of Syrian troops occupying the country for 30 years?