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CNN Live At Daybreak

International News Desk

Aired November 19, 2002 - 05:37   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.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: From developments in Iraq to that massive oil spill, we're going to be following a lot of international stories throughout the day here on CNN. So it's time to see exactly what we're focusing on today.
Our senior international editor David Clinch joins us, as usual.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Good morning.

COSTELLO: Good morning.

CLINCH: Carol, yes, the Spain oil spill has become a breaking news story for us today. We've been on the story and reporting on it for a number of days, but apparently, according to the company that was helping the Spanish to pull this tanker away, or trying to pull it away from the coast, they were trying to do that and it split in two.

COSTELLO: Ooh.

CLINCH: Massive amount of oil in this tanker. It is already an ecological disaster and could become one of the worst in history. We need to be on that story. Luckily for us we have a Madrid bureau. Madrid bureau chief Al Goodman is on his way there now. We probably won't hear from him for a couple of hours as he flies over there. We'll have him live from the scene, we hope, on the coast, in a few hours from now.

COSTELLO: Now, this is right on the northwest coast and it's near Portugal, too.

CLINCH: It's in between Spain and Portugal. That's part of the story, too. They're kind of disputing who has responsibility here. These things cost millions, obviously, billions, possibly, in the end, to clear up. And...

COSTELLO: And isn't France somehow in the mix, too?

CLINCH: Well, everybody. You know these shipping companies and, you know, where they're registered and who owns the ship and who owns the cargo and, you know, who's responsible for the waters, everybody wants to fob it onto somebody else, and we'll have to follow that up, aspect of the story, as well. The initial part of the story, though, is the ecological disaster.

Al is going to get to the coastline in a few hours.

On the Iraq story, we're obviously continuing to follow the advance team of inspectors as they try to work out how they're going to start the inspections. They're talking to the Iraqis. Another part of our job, though, on the international desk, and this is very important, is that when we get statements, as we had yesterday, from the White House, from a particular White House press spokesperson talking about the Iraqis being in material breach when they attacked these American planes in the no fly zones, it's very important that we not question that, as whether it's true or not, but make sure that our people in Baghdad and elsewhere understand what is being said in Washington. And it's also important that we put out there the other points of view. Most, if not all, of the other allies here disagree with that interpretation and we need to make sure that that's on air.

The other thing to note that's coming up later today, President Bush flying off to NATO. There's a summit later in the week. He's actually going a day or two early. But the NATO summit in Prague later in the week...

COSTELLO: Right.

CLINCH: ... fascinating. The fact that this NATO summit, which will actually put a stamp on the NATO's expansion right up to the borders of Russia, will take place in, of all places, Prague, the Czech Republic obviously, you know, to be a member of NATO. And, you know, Prague in 1968 there were Russian tanks rolling through the streets. So the irony and the importance of this meeting taking place in Prague is fascinating, although, of course, Iraq will be in the background the whole time.

COSTELLO: Oh, yes, because it's not going to be an entirely pleasant meeting for the president.

CLINCH: Well, he feels like he's in a strong position, I think you'd have to say, but there are going to be some people who interpret things, just like this no fly zone. There are going to be people there who will interpret those things in a very different way and he's going to have to face those critics while he's there.

COSTELLO: A busy day for you.

As usual, thank you, David Clinch.

We appreciate it.

CLINCH: All right.

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 19, 2002 - 05:37   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: From developments in Iraq to that massive oil spill, we're going to be following a lot of international stories throughout the day here on CNN. So it's time to see exactly what we're focusing on today.
Our senior international editor David Clinch joins us, as usual.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Good morning.

COSTELLO: Good morning.

CLINCH: Carol, yes, the Spain oil spill has become a breaking news story for us today. We've been on the story and reporting on it for a number of days, but apparently, according to the company that was helping the Spanish to pull this tanker away, or trying to pull it away from the coast, they were trying to do that and it split in two.

COSTELLO: Ooh.

CLINCH: Massive amount of oil in this tanker. It is already an ecological disaster and could become one of the worst in history. We need to be on that story. Luckily for us we have a Madrid bureau. Madrid bureau chief Al Goodman is on his way there now. We probably won't hear from him for a couple of hours as he flies over there. We'll have him live from the scene, we hope, on the coast, in a few hours from now.

COSTELLO: Now, this is right on the northwest coast and it's near Portugal, too.

CLINCH: It's in between Spain and Portugal. That's part of the story, too. They're kind of disputing who has responsibility here. These things cost millions, obviously, billions, possibly, in the end, to clear up. And...

COSTELLO: And isn't France somehow in the mix, too?

CLINCH: Well, everybody. You know these shipping companies and, you know, where they're registered and who owns the ship and who owns the cargo and, you know, who's responsible for the waters, everybody wants to fob it onto somebody else, and we'll have to follow that up, aspect of the story, as well. The initial part of the story, though, is the ecological disaster.

Al is going to get to the coastline in a few hours.

On the Iraq story, we're obviously continuing to follow the advance team of inspectors as they try to work out how they're going to start the inspections. They're talking to the Iraqis. Another part of our job, though, on the international desk, and this is very important, is that when we get statements, as we had yesterday, from the White House, from a particular White House press spokesperson talking about the Iraqis being in material breach when they attacked these American planes in the no fly zones, it's very important that we not question that, as whether it's true or not, but make sure that our people in Baghdad and elsewhere understand what is being said in Washington. And it's also important that we put out there the other points of view. Most, if not all, of the other allies here disagree with that interpretation and we need to make sure that that's on air.

The other thing to note that's coming up later today, President Bush flying off to NATO. There's a summit later in the week. He's actually going a day or two early. But the NATO summit in Prague later in the week...

COSTELLO: Right.

CLINCH: ... fascinating. The fact that this NATO summit, which will actually put a stamp on the NATO's expansion right up to the borders of Russia, will take place in, of all places, Prague, the Czech Republic obviously, you know, to be a member of NATO. And, you know, Prague in 1968 there were Russian tanks rolling through the streets. So the irony and the importance of this meeting taking place in Prague is fascinating, although, of course, Iraq will be in the background the whole time.

COSTELLO: Oh, yes, because it's not going to be an entirely pleasant meeting for the president.

CLINCH: Well, he feels like he's in a strong position, I think you'd have to say, but there are going to be some people who interpret things, just like this no fly zone. There are going to be people there who will interpret those things in a very different way and he's going to have to face those critics while he's there.

COSTELLO: A busy day for you.

As usual, thank you, David Clinch.

We appreciate it.

CLINCH: All right.

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