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CNN Live At Daybreak
Security Council Will Meet in Closed Session Tomorrow
Aired January 28, 2003 - 05:06 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: Now to Iraq. The Security Council will meet in closed session tomorrow. But there is still no sign the members will change their positions after hearing from the chief weapons experts. Mohamed ElBaradei, whose team handles nuclear inspections, reported there is no evidence Iraq has restarted its program. But Hans Blix, whose team inspects chemical, biological and missile programs, delivered a graver assessment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANS BLIX, CHIEF U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: Iraq appears not to have come to a genuine acceptance, not even today, of the disarmament which was demanded of it and which it needs to carry out to win the confidence of the world and to live in peace.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And the United States is floating plans to compromise with the Security Council members over Iraq. In one proposal, inspections would be allowed to continue for a definite period in exchange for a firm deadline.
And Secretary of State Colin Powell will soon introduce more evidence about Iraq's failure to disarm. But Mr. Powell repeats that Iraq is running out of time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: The issue is not how much more time the inspectors need to search in the dark. It is how much more time Iraq should be given to turn on the lights and to come clean. And the answer is not much more time. Iraq's time for choosing peaceful disarmament is fast coming to an end.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Of course, Iraq knows time is running out and a U.N. report didn't do much to show the U.S. Iraq is free of weapons of mass destruction.
CNN's Rym Brahimi joins us live from the Iraqi capital of Baghdad with reaction -- Rym, Iraq is pledging some sort of better cooperation.
What might that be?
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, Iraq is pledging more cooperation, striking a conciliatory tone after that report came out at the U.N. Security Council, saying it is prepared to move forward to discuss all the issues that Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei would want to discuss.
That said, they're also saying that any U.S. threats are unjustified, saying they would prefer to avert a war but if attacked, Iraqi officials are saying that they will resist.
He's Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TARIQ AZIZ, IRAQI DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Kuwait now is a battlefield. Kuwait is a battlefield. And the American troops are in Kuwait and preparing themselves to attack Iraq. If there will be an attack from Kuwait, I cannot say that we will not retaliate. We will, of course, retaliate against the American troops whenever they start their aggression on Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRAHIMI: Also, displaying preparedness, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. He's been shown on Iraqi TV meeting his top military commanders, talking about morale, talking about resolve. The war of words continues, also, here in Baghdad with the newspaper run by the ruling Baath Party showing the United Nations here and President Bush tightening the noose around the United Nations as the world watches in dismay -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Rym Brahimi reporting live from Baghdad this morning.
Former President George Bush defended his son's stand on Iraq, saying the current president is giving peace a chance. The former president spoke after receiving an award for his contributions to world affairs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE BUSH, SR., FORMER PRESIDENT: Clearly, the president and his team face some very tough decisions and I will tell you, I don't have any special insights on what might happen from here. I can tell you this, that if Saddam Hussein leaves the president no choice but to decide for force, it will not be a decision that this president will make lightly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And we'll ask our Washington producer Elise Lavitt (ph) about Iraq in a wake up call in the next hour of DAYBREAK. We also have an exclusive this morning. In the 9:00 Eastern hour, Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the U.N.'s atomic energy agency, answers questions about Iraq on AMERICAN MORNING WITH PAULA ZAHN.
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 28, 2003 - 05:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now to Iraq. The Security Council will meet in closed session tomorrow. But there is still no sign the members will change their positions after hearing from the chief weapons experts. Mohamed ElBaradei, whose team handles nuclear inspections, reported there is no evidence Iraq has restarted its program. But Hans Blix, whose team inspects chemical, biological and missile programs, delivered a graver assessment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANS BLIX, CHIEF U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: Iraq appears not to have come to a genuine acceptance, not even today, of the disarmament which was demanded of it and which it needs to carry out to win the confidence of the world and to live in peace.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And the United States is floating plans to compromise with the Security Council members over Iraq. In one proposal, inspections would be allowed to continue for a definite period in exchange for a firm deadline.
And Secretary of State Colin Powell will soon introduce more evidence about Iraq's failure to disarm. But Mr. Powell repeats that Iraq is running out of time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: The issue is not how much more time the inspectors need to search in the dark. It is how much more time Iraq should be given to turn on the lights and to come clean. And the answer is not much more time. Iraq's time for choosing peaceful disarmament is fast coming to an end.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Of course, Iraq knows time is running out and a U.N. report didn't do much to show the U.S. Iraq is free of weapons of mass destruction.
CNN's Rym Brahimi joins us live from the Iraqi capital of Baghdad with reaction -- Rym, Iraq is pledging some sort of better cooperation.
What might that be?
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, Iraq is pledging more cooperation, striking a conciliatory tone after that report came out at the U.N. Security Council, saying it is prepared to move forward to discuss all the issues that Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei would want to discuss.
That said, they're also saying that any U.S. threats are unjustified, saying they would prefer to avert a war but if attacked, Iraqi officials are saying that they will resist.
He's Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TARIQ AZIZ, IRAQI DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Kuwait now is a battlefield. Kuwait is a battlefield. And the American troops are in Kuwait and preparing themselves to attack Iraq. If there will be an attack from Kuwait, I cannot say that we will not retaliate. We will, of course, retaliate against the American troops whenever they start their aggression on Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRAHIMI: Also, displaying preparedness, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. He's been shown on Iraqi TV meeting his top military commanders, talking about morale, talking about resolve. The war of words continues, also, here in Baghdad with the newspaper run by the ruling Baath Party showing the United Nations here and President Bush tightening the noose around the United Nations as the world watches in dismay -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Rym Brahimi reporting live from Baghdad this morning.
Former President George Bush defended his son's stand on Iraq, saying the current president is giving peace a chance. The former president spoke after receiving an award for his contributions to world affairs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE BUSH, SR., FORMER PRESIDENT: Clearly, the president and his team face some very tough decisions and I will tell you, I don't have any special insights on what might happen from here. I can tell you this, that if Saddam Hussein leaves the president no choice but to decide for force, it will not be a decision that this president will make lightly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And we'll ask our Washington producer Elise Lavitt (ph) about Iraq in a wake up call in the next hour of DAYBREAK. We also have an exclusive this morning. In the 9:00 Eastern hour, Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the U.N.'s atomic energy agency, answers questions about Iraq on AMERICAN MORNING WITH PAULA ZAHN.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
