Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live At Daybreak
U.S. Close to Finalizing Plans for Invading Iraq
Aired November 11, 2002 - 05:09 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Now to the showdown with Iraq and the effort to get Saddam Hussein to disarm. If arms inspection efforts fail, we're told the U.S. is close to finalizing plans for invading Iraq. But Pentagon sources tell us the specifics have not been formally approved by President Bush.
CNN's Frank Buckley has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush returned to the White House ready for war if Iraq refuses to comply with the 17th Security Council resolution demanding inspections and disarmament.
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: I can assure that if he doesn't comply this time, we are going to ask the U.N. to give authorization for all necessary means. And if the U.N. isn't willing to do that, the United States, with like-minded nations, will go and (AUDIO GAP)...
BUCKLEY: The broad outline of a war plan has already been approved by the president. It calls for intense air strikes and up to 250,000 troops for a land invasion. Critical deployment decisions are still to come.
Under the resolution passed by the U.N. Security Council on Friday, the U.S. would consult with the U.N. before taking any military action, a move applauded by one prominent Democrat who voted against the U.S. Senate resolution authorizing force.
SEN. CARL LEVIN (D), CHAIRMAN, SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: And I think it would be more likely that he'll comply if, when he looks down the barrel of the gun, he sees the world at the other end, not just the United States.
BUCKLEY: But in Washington, few express optimism that Saddam Hussein will open all doors.
SEN. EVAN BAYH (D), INDIANA: If you look at Saddam Hussein's past behavior, it's hard to be optimistic about the prospect for these inspections working.
BUCKLEY: And the Bush administration dismissed the Iraqi president's call for an emergency meeting of the national assembly to discuss the resolution. CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: It's ludicrous. Saddam Hussein is an absolute dictator and tyrant and the idea that somehow he expects the Iraqi parliament to debate this, they haven't ever debated anything else. I'm surprised he's even bothering to go through this ploy.
BUCKLEY (on camera): Left unsaid in the Security Council resolution is anything about regime change. But Bush administration officials say one way or another, it is coming. Either the Iraqi government will comply with the resolution and be a changed regime, or the Iraqi regime will be changed by force.
Frank Buckley, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Iraq's parliament is scheduled to meet in an emergency session in just a few hours to discuss the U.N. resolution demanding that Baghdad disarm. Iraq has until Friday to respond to the resolution.
CNN Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf joins me now live from the Iraqi capital -- good morning, Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.
Well, there is expected to be a lot of discussion around this national assembly session. But the outcome seems pretty certain already. They're expected to propose that Iraq accept the Security Council resolution. The final decision, of course, is up to the Iraqi president and his Revolution Command Council, which is where the decision goes to after the national assembly discusses it.
Now, in the Arab League in Cairo on the sidelines of that meeting, foreign minister, Iraq's foreign minister, Naji Sabri, has been indicating that Iraq is paving the way to saying yes to the resolution, helped in part by Iraq's Arab allies, who have been encouraging it, saying this really is the last chance, that Iraq has to take this chance if it's going to avert war -- Heidi.
COLLINS: If Iraq does go ahead and accept this resolution because of the pressure from their Arab allies, do inspectors then just go on with their schedule or what happens next?
ARRAF: Well, there's a pretty strict time line here. Now, it's all going to happen really quickly considering that weapons inspectors spent seven years here trying to uncover all this stuff up until 1998. They're expected to finish off the job in the next, basically, in a few months.
Now, after Iraq responds to this latest resolution, and they have until Friday to do that, the chief weapons inspectors is intending to come back, if Iraq, as expected, says yes, and he would be here actually for the first time around November 18.
After that, inspectors could be back here, an advanced party, in late November and full inspectors back here around Christmastime. So it all is going to move pretty fast. They've got a lot of work to do, obviously. It's a big country and inspectors have been away for four years and it's designed to move along quite quickly -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Jane, we're always curious about the people of Iraq. How has the talk of war really affected them?
ARRAF: Well, this talk of war has been building, sort of waxing and waning, if you will, for quite a few months now. And it's a really uncertain time, as you might expect. It's really quite horrible to be living every day, as they do here, with the thought that the day's news might bring an attack even closer.
It's a busy time, as well, here. You can probably here the traffic behind me. We're on a major street. Life does continue as normal. But Iraqis are worried. Anyone would be. And they're particularly worried with this talk of the U.S. buildup of forces and the uncertainty of what happens after the inspectors come in -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Indeed.
All right, Jane Arraf from Baghdad this morning.
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 November 11, 2002 - 05:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Now to the showdown with Iraq and the effort to get Saddam Hussein to disarm. If arms inspection efforts fail, we're told the U.S. is close to finalizing plans for invading Iraq. But Pentagon sources tell us the specifics have not been formally approved by President Bush.
CNN's Frank Buckley has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush returned to the White House ready for war if Iraq refuses to comply with the 17th Security Council resolution demanding inspections and disarmament.
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: I can assure that if he doesn't comply this time, we are going to ask the U.N. to give authorization for all necessary means. And if the U.N. isn't willing to do that, the United States, with like-minded nations, will go and (AUDIO GAP)...
BUCKLEY: The broad outline of a war plan has already been approved by the president. It calls for intense air strikes and up to 250,000 troops for a land invasion. Critical deployment decisions are still to come.
Under the resolution passed by the U.N. Security Council on Friday, the U.S. would consult with the U.N. before taking any military action, a move applauded by one prominent Democrat who voted against the U.S. Senate resolution authorizing force.
SEN. CARL LEVIN (D), CHAIRMAN, SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: And I think it would be more likely that he'll comply if, when he looks down the barrel of the gun, he sees the world at the other end, not just the United States.
BUCKLEY: But in Washington, few express optimism that Saddam Hussein will open all doors.
SEN. EVAN BAYH (D), INDIANA: If you look at Saddam Hussein's past behavior, it's hard to be optimistic about the prospect for these inspections working.
BUCKLEY: And the Bush administration dismissed the Iraqi president's call for an emergency meeting of the national assembly to discuss the resolution. CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: It's ludicrous. Saddam Hussein is an absolute dictator and tyrant and the idea that somehow he expects the Iraqi parliament to debate this, they haven't ever debated anything else. I'm surprised he's even bothering to go through this ploy.
BUCKLEY (on camera): Left unsaid in the Security Council resolution is anything about regime change. But Bush administration officials say one way or another, it is coming. Either the Iraqi government will comply with the resolution and be a changed regime, or the Iraqi regime will be changed by force.
Frank Buckley, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Iraq's parliament is scheduled to meet in an emergency session in just a few hours to discuss the U.N. resolution demanding that Baghdad disarm. Iraq has until Friday to respond to the resolution.
CNN Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf joins me now live from the Iraqi capital -- good morning, Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.
Well, there is expected to be a lot of discussion around this national assembly session. But the outcome seems pretty certain already. They're expected to propose that Iraq accept the Security Council resolution. The final decision, of course, is up to the Iraqi president and his Revolution Command Council, which is where the decision goes to after the national assembly discusses it.
Now, in the Arab League in Cairo on the sidelines of that meeting, foreign minister, Iraq's foreign minister, Naji Sabri, has been indicating that Iraq is paving the way to saying yes to the resolution, helped in part by Iraq's Arab allies, who have been encouraging it, saying this really is the last chance, that Iraq has to take this chance if it's going to avert war -- Heidi.
COLLINS: If Iraq does go ahead and accept this resolution because of the pressure from their Arab allies, do inspectors then just go on with their schedule or what happens next?
ARRAF: Well, there's a pretty strict time line here. Now, it's all going to happen really quickly considering that weapons inspectors spent seven years here trying to uncover all this stuff up until 1998. They're expected to finish off the job in the next, basically, in a few months.
Now, after Iraq responds to this latest resolution, and they have until Friday to do that, the chief weapons inspectors is intending to come back, if Iraq, as expected, says yes, and he would be here actually for the first time around November 18.
After that, inspectors could be back here, an advanced party, in late November and full inspectors back here around Christmastime. So it all is going to move pretty fast. They've got a lot of work to do, obviously. It's a big country and inspectors have been away for four years and it's designed to move along quite quickly -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Jane, we're always curious about the people of Iraq. How has the talk of war really affected them?
ARRAF: Well, this talk of war has been building, sort of waxing and waning, if you will, for quite a few months now. And it's a really uncertain time, as you might expect. It's really quite horrible to be living every day, as they do here, with the thought that the day's news might bring an attack even closer.
It's a busy time, as well, here. You can probably here the traffic behind me. We're on a major street. Life does continue as normal. But Iraqis are worried. Anyone would be. And they're particularly worried with this talk of the U.S. buildup of forces and the uncertainty of what happens after the inspectors come in -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Indeed.
All right, Jane Arraf from Baghdad this morning.
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
