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American Morning
U.S. Warns Iraq That Unilateral Action Possible
Aired January 27, 2003 - 09:50 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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: The United States is warning Iraq that it reserves the right to act unilaterally, and that time is running out for Saddam Hussein to disarm, but many of America's closest allies continue to urge that the inspectors be given more time.
Let's check in with Walt Rogers, who is standing by in London. He joins us now with a look at the friendships that are now being tested by the Iraq confrontation -- good morning, Walt.
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Paula. It's not just friendships that are being tested, of course, it is America's patience which is being tested, but the Europeans are much more accommodating than the United States and the Bush administration at this time.
Almost catholically across the board, everyone in Europe, every government and the European peoples want Saddam Hussein to be given more time. There is absolutely no enthusiasm in Europe, even in Britain, where Tony Blair has signed up with the Bush campaign against Saddam Hussein, no enthusiasm whatsoever for a war against Iraq at this time.
Tony Blair, the British prime minister, is flying to the United States for a weekend of meetings at Camp David with President Bush. But even Mr. Blair is looking for more time for the United Nations weapons inspectors. Mr. Blair made this plea over the weekend, and he was joined by the French president, Jacques Chirac, and the German Bundist (ph) chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I have got no doubt at all that he is developing these weapons, and that he poses a threat, but we made a choice to go down the U.N. route, and we are pursuing that U.N. route, and we will stick with the U.N. route.
JACQUES CHIRAC, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): As far as we're concerned, war always means failure.
GERHARD SCHROEDER, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): One can never accept if it is said that war is inevitable. War must never be inevitable, and I have made it clear that on Germany's behalf, we cannot agree to a legitimization of war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RODGERS: Much more closely than the Europeans will be watching President Bush's State of the Union speech on Tuesday, they will be watching Hans Blix, the chief U.N. weapons inspector's remarks to the United Nations today. The Europeans, of course, would like to see a smoking gun before they sign on to any American-led campaign against Saddam Hussein. They would like to see the weapons inspectors finding a weapons cache in Iraq.
Now, under 1441, the United Nations resolution, all that has to be demonstrated, of course, is that the Iraqis are in noncompliance by not fully cooperating. That's the trigger mechanism by which the U.S. and Britain could launch a war, but again, at this point, there is no enthusiasm in the European public or even among European leaders for a war against Saddam unless President Bush can make a strong case to the contrary Tuesday night in his State of the Union -- Paula.
ZAHN: Just want to quickly travel back to Tony Blair. You pointed out that has obviously damaged his own popularity in his own country, but how wildly believed is it that he is taking this stance side by side with America to improve the leverage of his own country in the region?
RODGERS: Well, I'm not sure that's why the Brits are so skeptical of Tony Blair at this point. The British are skeptical of Tony Blair because they dislike President George W. Bush so much. The British public does not understand why their prime minister has signed on so tightly, so closely with the American president. They do not see the common values which the British and the Americans have, and most British, rightly or wrongly, see this as a war about oil. Oil, cheap oil for the United States. That's perhaps disingenuous, it is perhaps incorrect, but that's the way the British and most of the Western European public sees it -- Paula.
ZAHN: Thanks, Walt. See you a little bit later on this morning when our special gets underway at the top of the hour, the "SHOWDOWN: IRAQ," I guess we're calling it. The weapons report from the U.N. Thanks, Walt. Appreciate it. Let's go to Bill.
OK. I have just found out that our live shot from Kuwait City went down, and I see Christiane Amanpour up, who I had not expected to see, but while I have got her up, why don't I talk to her?
Christiane, can you hear me?
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I can, Paula. We're here in Tel Aviv, in Israel, really on the eve of elections here, but also, perhaps, if you're talking about the showdown with Iraq, you know that it is what goes on between Israel and the Palestinians that inflames passions in this part of the world, around the Islamic world, particularly when it comes to anything that the U.S. wants to do in Iraq.
And so, obviously, many Israelis are quite keen to see Saddam Hussein removed. And, in fact, if you would talk to many, many Arab leaders and even people on the street, they're also keen to see Saddam Hussein removed, but they: A, don't like the U.S. administration at the moment throwing its weight around as it's perceived over in the Middle East, and B, many of the leaders say that they would be able to more support the U.S. more openly if there were was this international legitimacy, in other words going via the U.N. route -- Paula.
ZAHN: Christiane, let's come back to the heightened European sentiments. You heard Walt Rodgers touching on the attitudes towards war, that those populations, obviously, do not want to go to war. Help us understand the depth of these feelings right now of American -- anti-American sentiments.
AMANPOUR: Well, I think that there is a great deal of that going on right now, and it's not just in Europe, it's around the world. Unfortunately, it's not just about policy, but it is somewhat about style as well.
As you know, this administration is perceived not just to be unilateralist, but to be sort of gratuitously aggressive, if you like, or gratuitously unilateralist, when most of the rest of the world simply do believe more in a multilateralist approach. Some of the rhetoric that comes out of administration, by some quarters, for instance from the Pentagon, tends to ruffle feathers.
If you are talking about Europe, just Donald Rumsfeld last week calling France and Germany "old Europe" and seeming to want to rush to the embrace of countries like Bulgaria and Romania, as you can imagine, raised the hackles of many people in Europe. And certainly, analysts are saying that Look, transatlantic ruffling of feathers is nothing new, it's happened throughout the last decades, but many people are saying that at this particular time, they haven't seen it quite so bad -- Paula.
ZAHN: I look forward to spending a little more time with you this morning. Our special gets underway just about three minutes from now. Christiane Amanpour, thanks for that live report.
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 27, 2003 - 09:50 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: The United States is warning Iraq that it reserves the right to act unilaterally, and that time is running out for Saddam Hussein to disarm, but many of America's closest allies continue to urge that the inspectors be given more time.
Let's check in with Walt Rogers, who is standing by in London. He joins us now with a look at the friendships that are now being tested by the Iraq confrontation -- good morning, Walt.
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Paula. It's not just friendships that are being tested, of course, it is America's patience which is being tested, but the Europeans are much more accommodating than the United States and the Bush administration at this time.
Almost catholically across the board, everyone in Europe, every government and the European peoples want Saddam Hussein to be given more time. There is absolutely no enthusiasm in Europe, even in Britain, where Tony Blair has signed up with the Bush campaign against Saddam Hussein, no enthusiasm whatsoever for a war against Iraq at this time.
Tony Blair, the British prime minister, is flying to the United States for a weekend of meetings at Camp David with President Bush. But even Mr. Blair is looking for more time for the United Nations weapons inspectors. Mr. Blair made this plea over the weekend, and he was joined by the French president, Jacques Chirac, and the German Bundist (ph) chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I have got no doubt at all that he is developing these weapons, and that he poses a threat, but we made a choice to go down the U.N. route, and we are pursuing that U.N. route, and we will stick with the U.N. route.
JACQUES CHIRAC, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): As far as we're concerned, war always means failure.
GERHARD SCHROEDER, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): One can never accept if it is said that war is inevitable. War must never be inevitable, and I have made it clear that on Germany's behalf, we cannot agree to a legitimization of war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RODGERS: Much more closely than the Europeans will be watching President Bush's State of the Union speech on Tuesday, they will be watching Hans Blix, the chief U.N. weapons inspector's remarks to the United Nations today. The Europeans, of course, would like to see a smoking gun before they sign on to any American-led campaign against Saddam Hussein. They would like to see the weapons inspectors finding a weapons cache in Iraq.
Now, under 1441, the United Nations resolution, all that has to be demonstrated, of course, is that the Iraqis are in noncompliance by not fully cooperating. That's the trigger mechanism by which the U.S. and Britain could launch a war, but again, at this point, there is no enthusiasm in the European public or even among European leaders for a war against Saddam unless President Bush can make a strong case to the contrary Tuesday night in his State of the Union -- Paula.
ZAHN: Just want to quickly travel back to Tony Blair. You pointed out that has obviously damaged his own popularity in his own country, but how wildly believed is it that he is taking this stance side by side with America to improve the leverage of his own country in the region?
RODGERS: Well, I'm not sure that's why the Brits are so skeptical of Tony Blair at this point. The British are skeptical of Tony Blair because they dislike President George W. Bush so much. The British public does not understand why their prime minister has signed on so tightly, so closely with the American president. They do not see the common values which the British and the Americans have, and most British, rightly or wrongly, see this as a war about oil. Oil, cheap oil for the United States. That's perhaps disingenuous, it is perhaps incorrect, but that's the way the British and most of the Western European public sees it -- Paula.
ZAHN: Thanks, Walt. See you a little bit later on this morning when our special gets underway at the top of the hour, the "SHOWDOWN: IRAQ," I guess we're calling it. The weapons report from the U.N. Thanks, Walt. Appreciate it. Let's go to Bill.
OK. I have just found out that our live shot from Kuwait City went down, and I see Christiane Amanpour up, who I had not expected to see, but while I have got her up, why don't I talk to her?
Christiane, can you hear me?
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I can, Paula. We're here in Tel Aviv, in Israel, really on the eve of elections here, but also, perhaps, if you're talking about the showdown with Iraq, you know that it is what goes on between Israel and the Palestinians that inflames passions in this part of the world, around the Islamic world, particularly when it comes to anything that the U.S. wants to do in Iraq.
And so, obviously, many Israelis are quite keen to see Saddam Hussein removed. And, in fact, if you would talk to many, many Arab leaders and even people on the street, they're also keen to see Saddam Hussein removed, but they: A, don't like the U.S. administration at the moment throwing its weight around as it's perceived over in the Middle East, and B, many of the leaders say that they would be able to more support the U.S. more openly if there were was this international legitimacy, in other words going via the U.N. route -- Paula.
ZAHN: Christiane, let's come back to the heightened European sentiments. You heard Walt Rodgers touching on the attitudes towards war, that those populations, obviously, do not want to go to war. Help us understand the depth of these feelings right now of American -- anti-American sentiments.
AMANPOUR: Well, I think that there is a great deal of that going on right now, and it's not just in Europe, it's around the world. Unfortunately, it's not just about policy, but it is somewhat about style as well.
As you know, this administration is perceived not just to be unilateralist, but to be sort of gratuitously aggressive, if you like, or gratuitously unilateralist, when most of the rest of the world simply do believe more in a multilateralist approach. Some of the rhetoric that comes out of administration, by some quarters, for instance from the Pentagon, tends to ruffle feathers.
If you are talking about Europe, just Donald Rumsfeld last week calling France and Germany "old Europe" and seeming to want to rush to the embrace of countries like Bulgaria and Romania, as you can imagine, raised the hackles of many people in Europe. And certainly, analysts are saying that Look, transatlantic ruffling of feathers is nothing new, it's happened throughout the last decades, but many people are saying that at this particular time, they haven't seen it quite so bad -- Paula.
ZAHN: I look forward to spending a little more time with you this morning. Our special gets underway just about three minutes from now. Christiane Amanpour, thanks for that live report.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
