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CNN Live At Daybreak

Bush Wins Support From World Leaders

Aired September 13, 2002 - 07:02   ET

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

PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, President Bush is getting some high marks for saying he will go through the United Nations to get to Saddam Hussein, but the diplomatic clock is ticking.
White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux with reaction to the president's Security Council speech.

Good morning -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning.

The Iraqi deputy -- sorry, I'm getting echo here. The Iraqi deputy prime minister, Tariq Aziz, this morning warning Americans, saying that if, in fact, that the U.S. attacks, that Americans will be taught a lesson. Predictably, Iraqi officials are really furious, saying that President Bush did not present any type of evidence that they actually have weapons of mass destruction.

But as you know, it is fair to say that an overwhelmingly support from the international community for President Bush going before the United Nations, even surprising some of the Bush aides that we talked to as well, even critical allies of the United States, those permanent members of the U.N. Security Council -- France and Russia.

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GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And now, the world is called to urgent duties. We're called upon to reaffirm great founding purposes of the United Nations, universal standards of human dignity, and a global system of peace and security. We're called to confront great challenges to these ideas from poverty and disease to terror and the aggression of tyrants.

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MALVEAUX: Now, Paula, here is how the administration sees it playing out. It's going to be played out, they say, in weeks, not months. First of all, they're going to push for a new United Nations resolution calling for Saddam Hussein to comply with all previous U.N. agreements.

Secondly, they want to see those weapons inspectors back into Iraq as soon as possible, immediately. If there is any sign that Saddam Hussein does not comply, they would pull out those inspectors, and this would really supply the justification for a military strike. As you know, that is not something that the Bush administration and the rest of the international community really sees eye-to-eye on. While we're seeing a lot of these allies saying, yes, it's good that the president went forward to the United Nations, they are saying, no, we do not support military strikes -- Paula.

ZAHN: Suzanne Malveaux, thanks for the update.

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