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Wake-Up Call: Split on Iraq?

Aired January 21, 2003 - 06:08   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 talk some more about Iraq. You heard Rym Brahimi's report, and despite that pledge to cooperate more fully with weapons inspectors, the U.S. is certainly keeping up the pressure on Iraq.
At the U.N., Secretary of State Colin Powell said time is running out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We cannot fail to take the action that may be necessary because we are afraid of what others might do. We cannot be shocked into impotence because we are afraid of the difficult choices that are ahead of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The problem is Security Council members aren't buying Powell's message. Germany warns that war on Iraq could trigger more terrorism worldwide, and France wants more time for inspectors to do their work.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOMINIQUE DE VILLEPIN, FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER: Because if war is the only way to resolve this problem, we are going down a dead end.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So, let's delve deeper into this apparent U.S.-U.N. split on Iraq. On the phone from New York with her "Wake-Up Call" is our State Department producer, Elise Labott.

Good morning -- Elise.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: Good morning, Carol.

Well, that agreement between U.N. weapons inspectors and the Iraqi government certainly put a wrench in the U.S. argument that Iraq's lack of cooperation alone would stop Iraq from disarming. U.S. officials say these are just reluctant admissions, which are not active cooperation. But you hear members of the Security Council saying this is an important step, this is really the beginning of the process.

And officials voiced concern going into these meetings that the process could get away from them, that the onus was going to be on the U.S. to find a smoking gun rather than Iraq to disarm, and that sure seems to be what's happening here, Carol. And so, Secretary Powell putting the onus back on Iraq and the international community, too, to really not shirk its responsibilities here.

COSTELLO: I know, Elise, because France has actually vowed to wage a major diplomatic fight within the U.N. Security Council to stop the United States from taking military action. That's got to be a big blow to the Bush administration's plan.

LABOTT: Well, yes, certainly that's a clear warning to the U.S. not to introduce another U.N. resolution authorizing force right now.

Officials -- U.S. officials say that while these various countries have come out with different points of view, wait for the facts to come out. One of the things I think we're going to start to see is the U.S. laying out its case about what they see as Iraqi non- cooperation. This is going to begin by the upcoming speech today by Deputy Secretary Richard Armitage, and Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz later this week, looking at what they call patterns of Iraqi deception and what constitutes disarmament.

And so, officials say once Iraqi lack of cooperation is established, then everyone is going to look at these facts on the face and make a decision on where to go.

COSTELLO: We'll continue to watch the situation of course. Elise Labott, thanks for joining us live from New York 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 January 21, 2003 - 06:08   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 talk some more about Iraq. You heard Rym Brahimi's report, and despite that pledge to cooperate more fully with weapons inspectors, the U.S. is certainly keeping up the pressure on Iraq.
At the U.N., Secretary of State Colin Powell said time is running out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We cannot fail to take the action that may be necessary because we are afraid of what others might do. We cannot be shocked into impotence because we are afraid of the difficult choices that are ahead of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The problem is Security Council members aren't buying Powell's message. Germany warns that war on Iraq could trigger more terrorism worldwide, and France wants more time for inspectors to do their work.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOMINIQUE DE VILLEPIN, FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER: Because if war is the only way to resolve this problem, we are going down a dead end.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So, let's delve deeper into this apparent U.S.-U.N. split on Iraq. On the phone from New York with her "Wake-Up Call" is our State Department producer, Elise Labott.

Good morning -- Elise.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: Good morning, Carol.

Well, that agreement between U.N. weapons inspectors and the Iraqi government certainly put a wrench in the U.S. argument that Iraq's lack of cooperation alone would stop Iraq from disarming. U.S. officials say these are just reluctant admissions, which are not active cooperation. But you hear members of the Security Council saying this is an important step, this is really the beginning of the process.

And officials voiced concern going into these meetings that the process could get away from them, that the onus was going to be on the U.S. to find a smoking gun rather than Iraq to disarm, and that sure seems to be what's happening here, Carol. And so, Secretary Powell putting the onus back on Iraq and the international community, too, to really not shirk its responsibilities here.

COSTELLO: I know, Elise, because France has actually vowed to wage a major diplomatic fight within the U.N. Security Council to stop the United States from taking military action. That's got to be a big blow to the Bush administration's plan.

LABOTT: Well, yes, certainly that's a clear warning to the U.S. not to introduce another U.N. resolution authorizing force right now.

Officials -- U.S. officials say that while these various countries have come out with different points of view, wait for the facts to come out. One of the things I think we're going to start to see is the U.S. laying out its case about what they see as Iraqi non- cooperation. This is going to begin by the upcoming speech today by Deputy Secretary Richard Armitage, and Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz later this week, looking at what they call patterns of Iraqi deception and what constitutes disarmament.

And so, officials say once Iraqi lack of cooperation is established, then everyone is going to look at these facts on the face and make a decision on where to go.

COSTELLO: We'll continue to watch the situation of course. Elise Labott, thanks for joining us live from New York 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.