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Bush Administration Rallying Support on Iraq

Aired September 16, 2002 - 10:07   ET

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

LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Another front in the war on terror: The Bush administration is increasing the pressure on Iraq to submit to weapons inspections or face the consequences. Secretary of State Colin Powell meets again today with members of the U.N. Security Council to lobby for the drafting of a resolution.
For all of the dealings, both in public and private, we turn to CNN senior White House correspondent, John King.

Good morning -- John.

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Leon.

Secretary Powell has the lead role, as you mentioned, while President Bush spends the day more focused on domestic politics. The president left the White House earlier this morning, off to Davenport, Iowa. He'll campaign there for Congressman Jim Nussle. He'll raise some money for Congressman Nussle; the president also to deliver some remarks urging the Congress to keep a tight hold on federal spending.

One of the reasons the administration is making that case on spending to the Congress is it says it cannot predict how much the war on terrorism will cost down the road. One of the question marks, of course: Will there be a military confrontation with Iraq and President Saddam Hussein? The administration says that has not been decided.

But the key debate now is in the United Nations Security Council. Secretary of State Colin Powell trying to negotiate the language of a toughly worded resolution that tells Iraq it must comply and comply now with its previous commitments to the United Nations, among them, of course, dismantling completely any chemical, biological or nuclear weapons programs.

Secretary Powell says this debate proves the president's critics are wrong; that the administration wants to work with the world community. But he also says the United Nations, to keep the United States working in that body, must act quickly.

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COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We want to work within the multilateral organization that has been designed for this purpose, the United Nations. And we hope the United Nations will meet its responsibilities at this time. But the president always has the option of doing whatever he believes is necessary to defend U.S. interests. So, it doesn't mean that if the U.N. fails to act, the United States won't act.

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KING: The administration hopes the Security Council will adopt a new resolution within the next week to 10 days, and if weapons inspectors are to return to Baghdad, the administration wants that to happen within a matter of several weeks.

So, by the end of this week, we should have a much better sense of the flavor of the United Nations debate. And perhaps, Leon, within a month, maybe six weeks, if all goes well from the administration's point of view, weapons inspectors knocking on the door in Baghdad. The administration hopes the U.N. says very clearly in that resolution if they are interfered with in any way, they will leave immediately, and that military strikes could follow.

HARRIS: Well, John, while the U.N. continues its debating over the issue right now, what signs is the administration seeing right now on whether or not there has been any more compliance within the Arab world on this matter?

KING: The administration is encouraged very much so by what it is hearing across the Arab world. You had the Saudi foreign minister telling CNN in recent hours that Saudi Arabia perhaps would allow its bases to be used in a military strike, if any military strikes were conducted under the auspices of the United Nations.

There was a great deal of debate within the administration over how to proceed, a great deal of criticism that this president was not respecting the United Nations, if you will. The administration believes that one of the first fruits, if you will, of the president's speech last week to the United Nations is that other members of the world community, especially key Arab nations, are saying, if there is a confrontation with Iraq that is done under the headline, the banner, the auspices of the United Nations, they would be much more willing to go along.

HARRIS: John King at White House -- thank you very much, John.

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