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CNN Live At Daybreak

Baghdad Apparently Blew an Opportunity to Come Clean

Aired December 13, 2002 - 07:32   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: Baghdad apparently blew an opportunity to come clean, that's according to the White House right now, their initial reading of that declaration of its weapons program.
To the White House now, the front lawn, our Senior White House Correspondent John King tracking developments for us -- what's happening today, John?

Good morning.

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill.

White House officials emphasizing this is an initial review and it is a review that was requested by Hans Blix, the head of the U.N. inspections agency. White House officials say it will be another week, perhaps even two, before the administration can give a detailed, comprehensive analysis of the Iraqi report, but in meetings with Hans Blix and his deputies today, U.S. officials will say and tell the United Nations that its initial review, the administration says Iraq has fallen far, far, far short of what the U.S. believes it was required to do.

The White House will say it does not see any evidence in here that Iraq can prove it destroyed chemical and biological weapons that it had in the past and had promised to destroy. The White House also will say it believes Iraq's documentation of its nuclear weapons program leaves out many details of developments in that program since 1991. Iraq, of course, says it has not had a nuclear weapons program since then.

The administration is not at this point saying it will move toward a military confrontation. Quite the contrary. The administration says it wants several more weeks to assess what should come next in the strategy. The one bottom line, though, we are told, is that the U.S. will continue to press the United Nations, get more inspectors in on the ground, have them do what the U.S. calls more multi-dimensional inspections on the ground to keep putting Iraq to the test.

More inspections, more aggressive inspections while the U.S. completes and comes up with a more comprehensive analysis of this report and decides what to do next -- Bill.

HEMMER: John, quickly, same topic to other parts of the world, Iran with the satellite images from yesterday. North Korea saying it's going back to fire up its program. Iran stresses that it is not for weapons development. North Korea might be an entirely different matter. We had a guest on here 15 minutes ago saying the U.S. should simply buy North Korea's nuclear program.

How strong is that considered at the White House?

KING: Not at all. The White House says the Clinton administration made a mistake, that every time North Korea would do something provocative or something the United States viewed as belligerent or counterproductive, the Clinton administration would up the ante and agree to pay for it or agree to send Madeleine Albright, then secretary of state, as the administration did.

This administration said North Korea, says North Korea will get negotiations if it shows positive steps to the world, if it allows international inspectors in to look at those nuclear sites, if it stops and says never mind, it will not restart that nuclear facility. Most of all, the United States says, if it shuts down a facility that the Bush administration says North Korea is using to enrich uranium to develop more nuclear weapons.

Only then does this administration say it will have direct negotiations. It is leaving the door open for consultations involving its key allies, Japan and South Korea. That could be the avenue to try to calm things down in the short-term.

HEMMER: Much more on this throughout the day, no question about that.

Thank you, John.

John King at the White House 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 December 13, 2002 - 07:32   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Baghdad apparently blew an opportunity to come clean, that's according to the White House right now, their initial reading of that declaration of its weapons program.
To the White House now, the front lawn, our Senior White House Correspondent John King tracking developments for us -- what's happening today, John?

Good morning.

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill.

White House officials emphasizing this is an initial review and it is a review that was requested by Hans Blix, the head of the U.N. inspections agency. White House officials say it will be another week, perhaps even two, before the administration can give a detailed, comprehensive analysis of the Iraqi report, but in meetings with Hans Blix and his deputies today, U.S. officials will say and tell the United Nations that its initial review, the administration says Iraq has fallen far, far, far short of what the U.S. believes it was required to do.

The White House will say it does not see any evidence in here that Iraq can prove it destroyed chemical and biological weapons that it had in the past and had promised to destroy. The White House also will say it believes Iraq's documentation of its nuclear weapons program leaves out many details of developments in that program since 1991. Iraq, of course, says it has not had a nuclear weapons program since then.

The administration is not at this point saying it will move toward a military confrontation. Quite the contrary. The administration says it wants several more weeks to assess what should come next in the strategy. The one bottom line, though, we are told, is that the U.S. will continue to press the United Nations, get more inspectors in on the ground, have them do what the U.S. calls more multi-dimensional inspections on the ground to keep putting Iraq to the test.

More inspections, more aggressive inspections while the U.S. completes and comes up with a more comprehensive analysis of this report and decides what to do next -- Bill.

HEMMER: John, quickly, same topic to other parts of the world, Iran with the satellite images from yesterday. North Korea saying it's going back to fire up its program. Iran stresses that it is not for weapons development. North Korea might be an entirely different matter. We had a guest on here 15 minutes ago saying the U.S. should simply buy North Korea's nuclear program.

How strong is that considered at the White House?

KING: Not at all. The White House says the Clinton administration made a mistake, that every time North Korea would do something provocative or something the United States viewed as belligerent or counterproductive, the Clinton administration would up the ante and agree to pay for it or agree to send Madeleine Albright, then secretary of state, as the administration did.

This administration said North Korea, says North Korea will get negotiations if it shows positive steps to the world, if it allows international inspectors in to look at those nuclear sites, if it stops and says never mind, it will not restart that nuclear facility. Most of all, the United States says, if it shuts down a facility that the Bush administration says North Korea is using to enrich uranium to develop more nuclear weapons.

Only then does this administration say it will have direct negotiations. It is leaving the door open for consultations involving its key allies, Japan and South Korea. That could be the avenue to try to calm things down in the short-term.

HEMMER: Much more on this throughout the day, no question about that.

Thank you, John.

John King at the White House 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