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CNN Live At Daybreak
Wake-Up Call: U.S. Plans for Iraq
Aired December 20, 2002 - 06:36 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: We want to get back to the hunt for Iraq's weapons.
Chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix says Baghdad has failed to provide evidence in its declaration to prove it no longer has weapons of mass destruction. The U.S. calls the omission a "material breach," but says it's not an immediate trigger for war. Iraqi officials tell CNN they'd be happy to provide the Security Council with any more information it is looking for.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: Iraq's response is a catalog of recycled information and flagrant omissions. It should be obvious that the pattern of systematic holes and gaps in Iraq's declaration is not the result of accidents or editing oversights or technical mistakes. These are material omissions that in our view constitute another material breach.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So, will those fighting words end in war? Let's get the White House gossip from our Frank Buckley in this morning's "Wake- Up Call."
Good morning -- Frank.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: So, the big question for you is: How many material breaches add up to war?
BUCKLEY: That's a very good question. No one is saying right now that war is inevitable, but it sure sounds that way. Secretary of State Colin Powell yesterday saying, among other things, that he's discouraged about the prospects of a peaceful solution there, and the language was pretty strong yesterday that this is another material breach. Theoretically, you know, this could have been the trigger that would have brought the U.S. to the Security Council to say, we want to go to war now.
COSTELLO: Right. But, Frank, despite those tough words, it seems like the White House is giving Saddam Hussein a little wiggle room here.
BUCKLEY: Well, I don't think that they would use that phrase, but maybe the effect of it is in fact that. The U.S. plans to intensify the inspections. They want the diplomatic process to work. You know, the Security Council resolution put in place this consultation process, and the White House officials are telling us that that's what the president is committed to...
COSTELLO: Gotcha.
BUCKLEY: ... to allow this process to continue, to build this body of evidence. That's exactly the phrase the secretary used yesterday that a body of evidence is slowly building.
And then, at the end of January, the Security Council will once again hear a formal report from Hans Blix. And at the same time, the U.S. is continuing to build up the military in the Gulf region, doubling perhaps the number of troops there to try to send a message to Saddam Hussein that, yes, you have some more time, but, yes, the U.S. is serious about using military action, if that's necessary.
COSTELLO: Exactly. And they're leaving -- I guess, they're leaving the door open, you know, in the case that Saddam Hussein will say, oh, yes, I forgot to put this in the report, and here's what we do or don't have.
BUCKLEY: Right. And one of the things that's important right now from the White House perspective is that they really want Hans Blix to start interviewing some of these Iraqi scientists and to make it possible for some of these scientists to leave Iraq with their families if that's what they require to feel safe to talk about the weapons programs.
Now, there's been some dispute between Hans Blix and the White House on this. Hans Blix has said that he's not going to abduct people. He said he's not running what he called a defection agency.
But Secretary Powell yesterday used the world "modalities," and you may hear that a lot in the days ahead that they're working on modalities to make this happen. What that means is that they're trying to figure out how to get these scientists out of Iraq into some place else, so they can interview them where they feel safe, so they can say, here's what's happening with the weapons program.
COSTELLO: It should be interesting. Frank Buckley, thanks for your insight. 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 20, 2002 - 06:36 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We want to get back to the hunt for Iraq's weapons.
Chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix says Baghdad has failed to provide evidence in its declaration to prove it no longer has weapons of mass destruction. The U.S. calls the omission a "material breach," but says it's not an immediate trigger for war. Iraqi officials tell CNN they'd be happy to provide the Security Council with any more information it is looking for.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: Iraq's response is a catalog of recycled information and flagrant omissions. It should be obvious that the pattern of systematic holes and gaps in Iraq's declaration is not the result of accidents or editing oversights or technical mistakes. These are material omissions that in our view constitute another material breach.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So, will those fighting words end in war? Let's get the White House gossip from our Frank Buckley in this morning's "Wake- Up Call."
Good morning -- Frank.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: So, the big question for you is: How many material breaches add up to war?
BUCKLEY: That's a very good question. No one is saying right now that war is inevitable, but it sure sounds that way. Secretary of State Colin Powell yesterday saying, among other things, that he's discouraged about the prospects of a peaceful solution there, and the language was pretty strong yesterday that this is another material breach. Theoretically, you know, this could have been the trigger that would have brought the U.S. to the Security Council to say, we want to go to war now.
COSTELLO: Right. But, Frank, despite those tough words, it seems like the White House is giving Saddam Hussein a little wiggle room here.
BUCKLEY: Well, I don't think that they would use that phrase, but maybe the effect of it is in fact that. The U.S. plans to intensify the inspections. They want the diplomatic process to work. You know, the Security Council resolution put in place this consultation process, and the White House officials are telling us that that's what the president is committed to...
COSTELLO: Gotcha.
BUCKLEY: ... to allow this process to continue, to build this body of evidence. That's exactly the phrase the secretary used yesterday that a body of evidence is slowly building.
And then, at the end of January, the Security Council will once again hear a formal report from Hans Blix. And at the same time, the U.S. is continuing to build up the military in the Gulf region, doubling perhaps the number of troops there to try to send a message to Saddam Hussein that, yes, you have some more time, but, yes, the U.S. is serious about using military action, if that's necessary.
COSTELLO: Exactly. And they're leaving -- I guess, they're leaving the door open, you know, in the case that Saddam Hussein will say, oh, yes, I forgot to put this in the report, and here's what we do or don't have.
BUCKLEY: Right. And one of the things that's important right now from the White House perspective is that they really want Hans Blix to start interviewing some of these Iraqi scientists and to make it possible for some of these scientists to leave Iraq with their families if that's what they require to feel safe to talk about the weapons programs.
Now, there's been some dispute between Hans Blix and the White House on this. Hans Blix has said that he's not going to abduct people. He said he's not running what he called a defection agency.
But Secretary Powell yesterday used the world "modalities," and you may hear that a lot in the days ahead that they're working on modalities to make this happen. What that means is that they're trying to figure out how to get these scientists out of Iraq into some place else, so they can interview them where they feel safe, so they can say, here's what's happening with the weapons program.
COSTELLO: It should be interesting. Frank Buckley, thanks for your insight. 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.
