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American Morning

This Week, U.N.'s Tackles Thorny Issue of Iraq

Aired October 14, 2002 - 09:15   ET

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

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


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: This week the U.N.'s going to tackle the thorny issue of Iraq. The U.S. Congress has given the green light already, but many pivotal U.N. members still unswayed about using force against Baghdad, all this setting the stage for rather delicate international maneuvering.
Robin Wright, chief diplomatic correspondent for "The L.A. Times" and author of "Sacred Rage: The Wrath of Militant Islam" is live this morning from Washington.

Good to see you again, Robin. Good morning to you.

ROBIN WRIGHT, "THE LOS ANGELES TIMES": Good morning.

HEMMER: You wrote in "The L.A. Times" on Saturday I believe it was, you say virtually no one at the Pentagon, the U.S.State Department or National Security Council believes that Saddam Hussein will completely back down. What does that mean? No chance of exile? No chance of Iraqi concessions on the demands that may come from the U.S. ultimately?

WRIGHT: Well, based on his 23 years of rule, Saddam Hussein has rarely backed down, unless there's been some kind of force looming over him. And I think the calculation is in Washington that he is not going to change his stripes now.

HEMMER: Let's talk about the U.N. A couple things I want to get to on this. Will the U.N. at some point act to prevent the U.S. from military action?

WRIGHT: Well, I think the United Nations actually will pass a resolution, possibly two resolutions. That's one of the big issues in New York. There is deep concern among several of the Security Council members, France and Russia particularly, about the use of force, and that's the sticking point. The United States is trying to come up with some kind of compromise that will talk about consequences rather than the use of force, so that Saddam Hussein will feel there is some kind of teeth behind this resolution if he fails to comply. But I think that there is no one on the Security Council who doesn't want to see the weapons inspectors back in and Saddam Hussein disarmed.

HEMMER: So if that's the case, then, the U.S. is laying out some demands with regard to inspectors before they can go back on the ground in Baghdad, will the U.N. in your estimation do anything, pass any resolution that does not have the support of the United States?

WRIGHT: Well, it can't. The United States has veto power, just as France, Britain, China and Russia do. At the end of the day, the United States will go along.

HEMMER: Understood. But let me be more clear. Will there be a parallel diplomacy that's set up between the U.S. and the U.N. to give the U.N. Security Council, at least on the surface, anyway, the image, or perhaps the perception that the U.S. and the U.N. are working in concert on this? The reason I bring this up, because many inspectors who used to be in Iraq say Hans Blix will not act without the support of the United States.

WRIGHT: Well, the United Nations is going to pass a resolution. There's no question about that. No one is standing up against it. And I think at the end of the day there will be some kind of compromise that allows diplomacy to move forward, that allows the weapons inspectors a chance, but that at the end of the day will probably hold Saddam Hussein accountable. There will be some mechanism in there, whatever the language, that will indicate that the United States is -- will act. I think the administration's made that clear and I think the United Nations Security Council members know that. I think the next week you're going to begin to see some real heavy lifting by the United States, that up until now, the focus has been on getting a very strong and united congressional resolution, and that the next 10 days you will see the United States going to bat on -- literally -- on this resolution at the United Nations.

HEMMER: In the meantime, on the military front, if you picked up "The Washington Post" on Saturday morning, marine planners, army planners have been ordered to Kuwait, Camp Doha, to be stationed there, a.s.a.p. Knowing that action is now under way, how close are we to war at this point?

WRIGHT: Well, if I were a betting woman, I'd say nothing before January. My sense is that you have to begin a process of getting the weapons inspectors back in. And already that process looks like it won't begin until later this month at the earliest. And then they have to go through a lot of procedures, setting up an operation, beginning what they call a baseline to -- of inspections to look at, you know, Saddam Hussein, what's happened in the last four years since weapons inspectors left. Then it will take kind of -- it will take some time before you have that first confrontation. And then Saddam Hussein is a master of cheat and retreat, stalling. So it could be weeks, even months down the road.

HEMMER: Ten seconds, Robin. Listen, there's diplomatic maneuvering by Baghdad, trying to get some sort of draft for Arab support. Are they picking up any of that right now?

WRIGHT: The Arabs are very nervous about conflict but at the end of the day, there's no one in the Arab world who isn't afraid of Saddam Hussein and wouldn't like to see another regime in power there.

HEMMER: Thanks, Robin, Robin Wright, "L.A. Times," appreciate your time this morning.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired October 14, 2002 - 09:15   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: This week the U.N.'s going to tackle the thorny issue of Iraq. The U.S. Congress has given the green light already, but many pivotal U.N. members still unswayed about using force against Baghdad, all this setting the stage for rather delicate international maneuvering.
Robin Wright, chief diplomatic correspondent for "The L.A. Times" and author of "Sacred Rage: The Wrath of Militant Islam" is live this morning from Washington.

Good to see you again, Robin. Good morning to you.

ROBIN WRIGHT, "THE LOS ANGELES TIMES": Good morning.

HEMMER: You wrote in "The L.A. Times" on Saturday I believe it was, you say virtually no one at the Pentagon, the U.S.State Department or National Security Council believes that Saddam Hussein will completely back down. What does that mean? No chance of exile? No chance of Iraqi concessions on the demands that may come from the U.S. ultimately?

WRIGHT: Well, based on his 23 years of rule, Saddam Hussein has rarely backed down, unless there's been some kind of force looming over him. And I think the calculation is in Washington that he is not going to change his stripes now.

HEMMER: Let's talk about the U.N. A couple things I want to get to on this. Will the U.N. at some point act to prevent the U.S. from military action?

WRIGHT: Well, I think the United Nations actually will pass a resolution, possibly two resolutions. That's one of the big issues in New York. There is deep concern among several of the Security Council members, France and Russia particularly, about the use of force, and that's the sticking point. The United States is trying to come up with some kind of compromise that will talk about consequences rather than the use of force, so that Saddam Hussein will feel there is some kind of teeth behind this resolution if he fails to comply. But I think that there is no one on the Security Council who doesn't want to see the weapons inspectors back in and Saddam Hussein disarmed.

HEMMER: So if that's the case, then, the U.S. is laying out some demands with regard to inspectors before they can go back on the ground in Baghdad, will the U.N. in your estimation do anything, pass any resolution that does not have the support of the United States?

WRIGHT: Well, it can't. The United States has veto power, just as France, Britain, China and Russia do. At the end of the day, the United States will go along.

HEMMER: Understood. But let me be more clear. Will there be a parallel diplomacy that's set up between the U.S. and the U.N. to give the U.N. Security Council, at least on the surface, anyway, the image, or perhaps the perception that the U.S. and the U.N. are working in concert on this? The reason I bring this up, because many inspectors who used to be in Iraq say Hans Blix will not act without the support of the United States.

WRIGHT: Well, the United Nations is going to pass a resolution. There's no question about that. No one is standing up against it. And I think at the end of the day there will be some kind of compromise that allows diplomacy to move forward, that allows the weapons inspectors a chance, but that at the end of the day will probably hold Saddam Hussein accountable. There will be some mechanism in there, whatever the language, that will indicate that the United States is -- will act. I think the administration's made that clear and I think the United Nations Security Council members know that. I think the next week you're going to begin to see some real heavy lifting by the United States, that up until now, the focus has been on getting a very strong and united congressional resolution, and that the next 10 days you will see the United States going to bat on -- literally -- on this resolution at the United Nations.

HEMMER: In the meantime, on the military front, if you picked up "The Washington Post" on Saturday morning, marine planners, army planners have been ordered to Kuwait, Camp Doha, to be stationed there, a.s.a.p. Knowing that action is now under way, how close are we to war at this point?

WRIGHT: Well, if I were a betting woman, I'd say nothing before January. My sense is that you have to begin a process of getting the weapons inspectors back in. And already that process looks like it won't begin until later this month at the earliest. And then they have to go through a lot of procedures, setting up an operation, beginning what they call a baseline to -- of inspections to look at, you know, Saddam Hussein, what's happened in the last four years since weapons inspectors left. Then it will take kind of -- it will take some time before you have that first confrontation. And then Saddam Hussein is a master of cheat and retreat, stalling. So it could be weeks, even months down the road.

HEMMER: Ten seconds, Robin. Listen, there's diplomatic maneuvering by Baghdad, trying to get some sort of draft for Arab support. Are they picking up any of that right now?

WRIGHT: The Arabs are very nervous about conflict but at the end of the day, there's no one in the Arab world who isn't afraid of Saddam Hussein and wouldn't like to see another regime in power there.

HEMMER: Thanks, Robin, Robin Wright, "L.A. Times," appreciate your time this morning.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com