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CNN Live At Daybreak

Bush May End Cabinet Debate on What to Do With Iraq as Early as Next Week

Aired September 04, 2002 - 05:02   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: CNN has learned President Bush may end his cabinet debate on what to do with Iraq as early as next week.
But as CNN's Jamie McIntyre reports, officials say the administration is already speaking with one voice.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Bush administration has been charging that Iraq is on the fast track to developing chemical, biological and nuclear weapoins and is a threat to use them. Now, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is hinting the U.S. may soon release secret intelligence to back up that claim.

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We know some other things, but those are the kinds of things that would come out if and when the president decides that he thinks it's appropriate.

MCINTYRE: In a BBC interview, Secretary of State Colin Powell said the United States will eventually need to make the intelligence public to make a convincing case against Saddam Hussein.

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: I think that the world has to be presented with the information, with the intelligence that's available. A debate is needed within the international community so that everybody can make a judgment about this.

MCINTYRE: Powell also called for sending U.N. weapons inspectors back as a first step. Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz told U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan Iraq would be willing to discuss resuming inspections if the talks also covered lifting economic sanctions and ending the no fly zone restrictions.

The Pentagon says that's a ploy.

RUMSFELD: And kind of play the international community and the U.N. process like a guitar, plucking the right string at the right moment to delay something.

MCINTYRE: With Powell saying inspections are a first step and Rumsfeld arguing they'll never work, is there a rift between the State Department and the Pentagon? Baloney, says Rumsfeld.

RUMSFELD: And anyone who goes out of here thinking that there's some difference between anything I'm saying and what Colin said I think is, would be a mis, a total misunderstanding of the situation. MCINTYRE (on camera): Rumsfeld is heading to Capitol Hill for a closed briefing with key congressional leaders. The Pentagon insists the long scheduled meeting is simply an update on the war on terrorism. But the defense secretary will be prepared to answer a lot of questions about Iraq.

Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And a report today says the Bush administration is looking into options to beef up any weapons inspections in Iraq. The "Los Angeles Times" is reporting one option being discussed would have U.N. arms inspectors backed by troops. If the monitors were blocked from a suspected weapons site, troops would shoot their way in. U.S. officials believe U.N. Security Council members would go along with such tactics as a way to avoid imminent war.

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