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CNN Live At Daybreak

Today's International Stories

Aired December 09, 2002 - 05:30   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: There's a lot going on in the world, of course, and our international desk is busy, as always.
Here as usual to tell us the challenges today, our senior international editor David Clinch -- good morning, David.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Good morning, Carol.

We are on the Iraq weapons report story today. And another day in which really CNN is a network that can bring you all aspects of this story, because you really have to be everywhere today on this story. We were in New York last night when the weapons report arrived at the United Nations and broke the story there, as you're reporting now, that the report will actually now be handed over in its unedited form immediately to all the permanent members of the Security Council, including, of course, the U.S.

That's not really that big of a surprise. They were shocked to hear they wouldn't get the unedited one. It didn't really make sense because they're all nuclear powers anyway. They don't need this information. They're not going to send it to anyone else. But they will get it. And what it means for us is they're going to be looking at it immediately at the U.S. as well at the U.N. So you've got...

COSTELLO: And a lot of it's in Arabic so it's going to take a while.

CLINCH: Well, yes. Some of it is in Arabic. We're on the understanding that there's this huge report. What's new in the report, or at least what is updating the report from what the U.N. previously knew, is in Arabic. So not all the thousands and thousands of pages are. Some of it is. So we'll be looking at that.

We were in Tokyo today. The head of the IAEA, the nuclear weapons inspectors, was there. We were in Vienna, where the IAEA is. We'll be in Baghdad, obviously. We're also in Qatar, where, as you're reporting, the United States is starting its war games there, very specific type of war games, testing its capability to run a war, basically, from Qatar right next door to Iraq so.

COSTELLO: Yes, to run it from Florida by computer in Qatar...

CLINCH: Right. Absolutely. There's a logistical element to that. They want to be closer so they can do it more easily. But there's also obviously a psychological element to that. They are, the commanders are right there, right next to Iraq. And there's a threatening aspect to it, too, I suppose you would have to say, because the U.S. forces are right there, even as this inspections process is happening.

COSTELLO: You're also following something...

CLINCH: Well, the domestic story, really, that Cardinal Law, who's at the center of the scandal of the, the sex abuse scandal in Boston, has apparently made a surprise or at least an unannounced visit to Rome, presumably to the Vatican. We don't know for sure. We're watching that very closely, again, primarily...

COSTELLO: Well, you know, the rumors all going around that he's going to get a position in the Vatican to save him all the trauma he's suffering in the United States.

CLINCH: Well, all sorts of rumors.

COSTELLO: Yes.

CLINCH: I mean there are rumors he's going to quit, all sorts of rumors. So we don't know. But we are watching. And, again, we're in Rome and we'll be watching very closely through the day today.

COSTELLO: Got you.

Thank you, David.

CLINCH: OK.

COSTELLO: We'll catch you again in the next hour.

CLINCH: All right.

COSTELLO: We appreciate it.

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 December 9, 2002 - 05:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: There's a lot going on in the world, of course, and our international desk is busy, as always.
Here as usual to tell us the challenges today, our senior international editor David Clinch -- good morning, David.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Good morning, Carol.

We are on the Iraq weapons report story today. And another day in which really CNN is a network that can bring you all aspects of this story, because you really have to be everywhere today on this story. We were in New York last night when the weapons report arrived at the United Nations and broke the story there, as you're reporting now, that the report will actually now be handed over in its unedited form immediately to all the permanent members of the Security Council, including, of course, the U.S.

That's not really that big of a surprise. They were shocked to hear they wouldn't get the unedited one. It didn't really make sense because they're all nuclear powers anyway. They don't need this information. They're not going to send it to anyone else. But they will get it. And what it means for us is they're going to be looking at it immediately at the U.S. as well at the U.N. So you've got...

COSTELLO: And a lot of it's in Arabic so it's going to take a while.

CLINCH: Well, yes. Some of it is in Arabic. We're on the understanding that there's this huge report. What's new in the report, or at least what is updating the report from what the U.N. previously knew, is in Arabic. So not all the thousands and thousands of pages are. Some of it is. So we'll be looking at that.

We were in Tokyo today. The head of the IAEA, the nuclear weapons inspectors, was there. We were in Vienna, where the IAEA is. We'll be in Baghdad, obviously. We're also in Qatar, where, as you're reporting, the United States is starting its war games there, very specific type of war games, testing its capability to run a war, basically, from Qatar right next door to Iraq so.

COSTELLO: Yes, to run it from Florida by computer in Qatar...

CLINCH: Right. Absolutely. There's a logistical element to that. They want to be closer so they can do it more easily. But there's also obviously a psychological element to that. They are, the commanders are right there, right next to Iraq. And there's a threatening aspect to it, too, I suppose you would have to say, because the U.S. forces are right there, even as this inspections process is happening.

COSTELLO: You're also following something...

CLINCH: Well, the domestic story, really, that Cardinal Law, who's at the center of the scandal of the, the sex abuse scandal in Boston, has apparently made a surprise or at least an unannounced visit to Rome, presumably to the Vatican. We don't know for sure. We're watching that very closely, again, primarily...

COSTELLO: Well, you know, the rumors all going around that he's going to get a position in the Vatican to save him all the trauma he's suffering in the United States.

CLINCH: Well, all sorts of rumors.

COSTELLO: Yes.

CLINCH: I mean there are rumors he's going to quit, all sorts of rumors. So we don't know. But we are watching. And, again, we're in Rome and we'll be watching very closely through the day today.

COSTELLO: Got you.

Thank you, David.

CLINCH: OK.

COSTELLO: We'll catch you again in the next hour.

CLINCH: All right.

COSTELLO: We appreciate it.

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