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CNN Live At Daybreak

International News Desk

Aired December 19, 2002 - 05:33   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.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Our international desk is following developments in Iraq as well as elsewhere around the world.
Here to fill us in on what's going on is our senior international editor David Clinch -- David.

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

Iraq is definitely the focus again today. Very interesting listening to Rym here. And I'll just go through the day as we see it. Our job is to know what we know is happening today and then to look into these questions that are arising out of what we know is happening today.

We know, for instance, and the sequence is important here, the Iraqis are going to hold a press conference probably around 10:00 a.m. or so, in which we'll hear, as Rym was saying there, their assessment, which is that the U.S. has no right to say whether the weapons declaration is right or wrong. But, of course, then next we expect Hans Blix to speak at the U.N. and we are told that he, the U.N., not the U.S., although we will hear from Colin Powell later in the day, that Hans Blix, we're told, will say that the report falls short.

Now, we'll have to listen very carefully to the Iraqis, to Blix and to Powell today. But beyond that, we also have some important questions. Even if we do go through that sequence today, what happens next? Where does that leave us? We're told to expect that the U.S. will not call this a material breach, that they'll say inspections have to continue. So we have to look at what kind of inspections, will they be more aggressive?

And Rym's saying the Iraqis keep saying if the Americans have evidence, why don't they hand it over? Well, that's a key question, the intelligence. The Americans do say they have it. They're reluctant to hand it over because it might compromise sources. But we might perhaps see them begin to do that. We're told today, I see A.P. reporting from New York that the British have said they've already started to hand over intelligence to the U.N.

WHITFIELD: Possibly compromise sources and maybe even compromise the inspections, is that a concern, as well?

CLINCH: Perhaps. It's a very complicated situation. We don't know what this intelligence is, but it could be from informants, it could be stuff that they're hearing from satellites, seeing from satellites. We don't know. But they're reluctant to hand it over. They may feel like they need to do that or will do that over the next period of time.

We also need to look at what Britain, what Russia, what Paris, what all of these capitals are saying right now. From the American point of view, they need to make sure that they take the world with them on this and we need to be watching in Paris, London, and Moscow.

We'll be doing that today.

WHITFIELD: And now Britain being somewhat cautious about the language it's using.

CLINCH: Well, repeating the same language but maybe emphasizing a little bit more they would prefer a second resolution before military action.

WHITFIELD: All right, David, thanks very much.

A pretty full day on tap.

CLINCH: Absolutely.

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 19, 2002 - 05:33   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Our international desk is following developments in Iraq as well as elsewhere around the world.
Here to fill us in on what's going on is our senior international editor David Clinch -- David.

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

Iraq is definitely the focus again today. Very interesting listening to Rym here. And I'll just go through the day as we see it. Our job is to know what we know is happening today and then to look into these questions that are arising out of what we know is happening today.

We know, for instance, and the sequence is important here, the Iraqis are going to hold a press conference probably around 10:00 a.m. or so, in which we'll hear, as Rym was saying there, their assessment, which is that the U.S. has no right to say whether the weapons declaration is right or wrong. But, of course, then next we expect Hans Blix to speak at the U.N. and we are told that he, the U.N., not the U.S., although we will hear from Colin Powell later in the day, that Hans Blix, we're told, will say that the report falls short.

Now, we'll have to listen very carefully to the Iraqis, to Blix and to Powell today. But beyond that, we also have some important questions. Even if we do go through that sequence today, what happens next? Where does that leave us? We're told to expect that the U.S. will not call this a material breach, that they'll say inspections have to continue. So we have to look at what kind of inspections, will they be more aggressive?

And Rym's saying the Iraqis keep saying if the Americans have evidence, why don't they hand it over? Well, that's a key question, the intelligence. The Americans do say they have it. They're reluctant to hand it over because it might compromise sources. But we might perhaps see them begin to do that. We're told today, I see A.P. reporting from New York that the British have said they've already started to hand over intelligence to the U.N.

WHITFIELD: Possibly compromise sources and maybe even compromise the inspections, is that a concern, as well?

CLINCH: Perhaps. It's a very complicated situation. We don't know what this intelligence is, but it could be from informants, it could be stuff that they're hearing from satellites, seeing from satellites. We don't know. But they're reluctant to hand it over. They may feel like they need to do that or will do that over the next period of time.

We also need to look at what Britain, what Russia, what Paris, what all of these capitals are saying right now. From the American point of view, they need to make sure that they take the world with them on this and we need to be watching in Paris, London, and Moscow.

We'll be doing that today.

WHITFIELD: And now Britain being somewhat cautious about the language it's using.

CLINCH: Well, repeating the same language but maybe emphasizing a little bit more they would prefer a second resolution before military action.

WHITFIELD: All right, David, thanks very much.

A pretty full day on tap.

CLINCH: Absolutely.

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