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American Morning
Showdown Iraq: War Plans
Aired October 28, 2002 - 09:07 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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to move on to a different issue now and that is the issue of the debate going on at the United Nations about Iraq. President Bush keeping up the pressure on the Security Council at the same time he is making contingency plans. CNN has learned that the White House is looking at calling up thousands of reservists in the event of a U.S.-led attack on Iraq.
Let's check in with Barbara Starr who is standing by at the Pentagon who's covered a bunch of breaking news for us this morning.
Good morning, Barbara, what are they saying about this?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning again, Paula.
Well you know it's virtually certain that the U.S. will have to call up reserves if it proceeds with a military attack against Iraq, because in today's world, the Pentagon just does not go to war unless the reserves go as well. They perform many vital functions in security, intelligence, civil affairs.
The question now is when and how many reserves to call up, and that's what the current debate is all about. Clearly it is going to be hundreds of thousands. There was something over 200,000 called up for Desert Storm a decade ago. And, of course, the reserves were even called up to guard U.S. airports, as you remember, after the 9/11 attacks.
This time there is a feeling that if the U.S. goes to war against Iraq a lot of these reservists will be on duty back in the United States, again, protecting key sites, protecting military bases. A lot of concern about terrorist attacks in the U.S. if the U.S. does go to war against Iraq.
The numbers are very large, and the question about when to call them up, because it will take some time. So sources tell us we actually could begin to see some of this very initial call-up work beginning to happen in the next several weeks. Part of this whole effort by the Pentagon preposition, get things ready, get things in place so if the U.N. makes a decision, or President Bush, the Pentagon will be ready to respond very rapidly, the reserves being just one essential part of that -- Paula.
ZAHN: That's really interesting as we all watch these U.N. debates drag on.
Now I also understand you've gotten some new information about the kind of gas that was used in Russia's hostage rescue attempt. What was it?
STARR: Indeed. Officials are telling us this morning that it is their very clear belief that that gas either had a heroin or morphine- type base in it. And the reason they come to this conclusion is they say that doctors in Moscow initially treated some of the victims with a standard antidote called atropine. That did not work. They then switched to another antidote called naloxone, and that is an antidote that is specifically used to treat drug overdose, specifically heroin or other opiates, and that apparently, according to reports received by U.S. officials, did work with many of the victims.
So they believe now that the gas used by the Russians had a chemical structure in it very much based on a heroin chemical structure or a morphine-based chemical structure. Whether it contained those two agents specifically, they do not know, but the very same chemical structure as heroin or morphine. They believe that because this anti-heroin antidote is what finally worked with some of the victims.
ZAHN: But the Russian government still defends its actions this morning?
STARR: As far as we know, they certainly do. They say it was the only way to end the crisis. They needed something that would immediately incapacitate those Chechens inside the theater. They tried to get as many hostages out as they could, of course some of it went very badly. But the Russian government, by all accounts, feels it was their only solution.
ZAHN: Thanks so much, Barbara Starr. Lots of information for you to share with us this morning. Appreciate it.
STARR: Thank you.
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 28, 2002 - 09:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to move on to a different issue now and that is the issue of the debate going on at the United Nations about Iraq. President Bush keeping up the pressure on the Security Council at the same time he is making contingency plans. CNN has learned that the White House is looking at calling up thousands of reservists in the event of a U.S.-led attack on Iraq.
Let's check in with Barbara Starr who is standing by at the Pentagon who's covered a bunch of breaking news for us this morning.
Good morning, Barbara, what are they saying about this?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning again, Paula.
Well you know it's virtually certain that the U.S. will have to call up reserves if it proceeds with a military attack against Iraq, because in today's world, the Pentagon just does not go to war unless the reserves go as well. They perform many vital functions in security, intelligence, civil affairs.
The question now is when and how many reserves to call up, and that's what the current debate is all about. Clearly it is going to be hundreds of thousands. There was something over 200,000 called up for Desert Storm a decade ago. And, of course, the reserves were even called up to guard U.S. airports, as you remember, after the 9/11 attacks.
This time there is a feeling that if the U.S. goes to war against Iraq a lot of these reservists will be on duty back in the United States, again, protecting key sites, protecting military bases. A lot of concern about terrorist attacks in the U.S. if the U.S. does go to war against Iraq.
The numbers are very large, and the question about when to call them up, because it will take some time. So sources tell us we actually could begin to see some of this very initial call-up work beginning to happen in the next several weeks. Part of this whole effort by the Pentagon preposition, get things ready, get things in place so if the U.N. makes a decision, or President Bush, the Pentagon will be ready to respond very rapidly, the reserves being just one essential part of that -- Paula.
ZAHN: That's really interesting as we all watch these U.N. debates drag on.
Now I also understand you've gotten some new information about the kind of gas that was used in Russia's hostage rescue attempt. What was it?
STARR: Indeed. Officials are telling us this morning that it is their very clear belief that that gas either had a heroin or morphine- type base in it. And the reason they come to this conclusion is they say that doctors in Moscow initially treated some of the victims with a standard antidote called atropine. That did not work. They then switched to another antidote called naloxone, and that is an antidote that is specifically used to treat drug overdose, specifically heroin or other opiates, and that apparently, according to reports received by U.S. officials, did work with many of the victims.
So they believe now that the gas used by the Russians had a chemical structure in it very much based on a heroin chemical structure or a morphine-based chemical structure. Whether it contained those two agents specifically, they do not know, but the very same chemical structure as heroin or morphine. They believe that because this anti-heroin antidote is what finally worked with some of the victims.
ZAHN: But the Russian government still defends its actions this morning?
STARR: As far as we know, they certainly do. They say it was the only way to end the crisis. They needed something that would immediately incapacitate those Chechens inside the theater. They tried to get as many hostages out as they could, of course some of it went very badly. But the Russian government, by all accounts, feels it was their only solution.
ZAHN: Thanks so much, Barbara Starr. Lots of information for you to share with us this morning. Appreciate it.
STARR: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
