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Security Council Meeting to Further Discuss Report
Aired January 29, 2003 - 11:01 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We are going to move on to the debate over disarming Iraq. This hour, the United Nations Security Council meets to discuss the latest report from top weapons inspectors.
President Bush says that the U.S. will provide the council with more intelligence about Iraqi weapons programs next week, but he says the U.S. does not depend on the decisions of others.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will consult, but let there be no misunderstanding. If Saddam Hussein does not fully disarm for the safety of our people and for the peace of the world, we will lead a coalition to disarm him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Our senior U.N. correspondent, Richard Roth, joins us live from the U.N. with the latest on Iraq -- Richard, good morning.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. The United Nations Security Council will host Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei, the two leading international weapons inspectors on Iraq. Expected questions from the council members likely to be the amount of time the inspectors feel they need, and likely also a lot of questions may be based on what President Bush said last night, regarding compromising of the U.N. weapons inspectors' efforts that the Iraqi government has threatened scientists.
The United Nations weapons inspectors have said they are well familiar with various scientists on the roster there, and they wouldn't be fooled by any intelligence agent. I asked the spokesman for the International Atomic Energy Agency this morning what he thought of various leaks in U.S. newspapers from administration officials about the inspection efforts being compromised.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK GWOZDECKY, IAEA SPOKESMAN: We've heard reports of this nature, and it's not new that Iraq is interested in knowing our plans, and we've had more than a decade of getting used to this and defining procedures to protect that kind of information.
But if it's still taking place today, frankly, it's a mistake because it doesn't show the kind cooperative behavior that we need out of Iraq, and Iraq knows it needs to change, or the time is going to run out. (END VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: Countries still think the inspectors should be given more time. The deputy Syrian ambassador said this this morning despite what President Bush said, that the U.N. has been challenged by President Bush and the council members are not going to be flummoxed (ph) by that. They are going to continue about their work. There's still a busy schedule ahead for the U.N. on the Iraq issue.
Secretary of State Colin Powell will be here on Monday to present intelligence information. President Bush says Powell will also link Iraq to terrorist groups. January 31, President Bush with Tony Blair of Britain. February 5 is Colin Powell, February 14, the weapons inspectors will report back here to the U.N. Security Council. It's an update briefing. They're both in a race here. You have Powell presenting information, and then more than a week later, Blix and ElBaradei -- back to you, Daryn.
KAGAN: Richard, a little bit more information please on that February 5 announcement, or when Secretary Powell does appear. What will the format be? How will that work?
ROTH: It's likely to be an open session, though that has not been officially confirmed, but it's very likely the news media will not be given access ahead of time to any photographs or videotape no matter what the U.S. government wants to present. It could be dramatic, but earlier Colin Powell said, don't expect a Stevenson moment. He was referring to the dramatic appearance by then U.S. ambassador Adlai Stevenson in the height of the Cuban missile crisis, when he presented slides of missiles in Cuba aimed at the U.S.
KAGAN: Richard Roth at the U.N. Richard, thank you.
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 29, 2003 - 11:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We are going to move on to the debate over disarming Iraq. This hour, the United Nations Security Council meets to discuss the latest report from top weapons inspectors.
President Bush says that the U.S. will provide the council with more intelligence about Iraqi weapons programs next week, but he says the U.S. does not depend on the decisions of others.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will consult, but let there be no misunderstanding. If Saddam Hussein does not fully disarm for the safety of our people and for the peace of the world, we will lead a coalition to disarm him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Our senior U.N. correspondent, Richard Roth, joins us live from the U.N. with the latest on Iraq -- Richard, good morning.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. The United Nations Security Council will host Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei, the two leading international weapons inspectors on Iraq. Expected questions from the council members likely to be the amount of time the inspectors feel they need, and likely also a lot of questions may be based on what President Bush said last night, regarding compromising of the U.N. weapons inspectors' efforts that the Iraqi government has threatened scientists.
The United Nations weapons inspectors have said they are well familiar with various scientists on the roster there, and they wouldn't be fooled by any intelligence agent. I asked the spokesman for the International Atomic Energy Agency this morning what he thought of various leaks in U.S. newspapers from administration officials about the inspection efforts being compromised.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK GWOZDECKY, IAEA SPOKESMAN: We've heard reports of this nature, and it's not new that Iraq is interested in knowing our plans, and we've had more than a decade of getting used to this and defining procedures to protect that kind of information.
But if it's still taking place today, frankly, it's a mistake because it doesn't show the kind cooperative behavior that we need out of Iraq, and Iraq knows it needs to change, or the time is going to run out. (END VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: Countries still think the inspectors should be given more time. The deputy Syrian ambassador said this this morning despite what President Bush said, that the U.N. has been challenged by President Bush and the council members are not going to be flummoxed (ph) by that. They are going to continue about their work. There's still a busy schedule ahead for the U.N. on the Iraq issue.
Secretary of State Colin Powell will be here on Monday to present intelligence information. President Bush says Powell will also link Iraq to terrorist groups. January 31, President Bush with Tony Blair of Britain. February 5 is Colin Powell, February 14, the weapons inspectors will report back here to the U.N. Security Council. It's an update briefing. They're both in a race here. You have Powell presenting information, and then more than a week later, Blix and ElBaradei -- back to you, Daryn.
KAGAN: Richard, a little bit more information please on that February 5 announcement, or when Secretary Powell does appear. What will the format be? How will that work?
ROTH: It's likely to be an open session, though that has not been officially confirmed, but it's very likely the news media will not be given access ahead of time to any photographs or videotape no matter what the U.S. government wants to present. It could be dramatic, but earlier Colin Powell said, don't expect a Stevenson moment. He was referring to the dramatic appearance by then U.S. ambassador Adlai Stevenson in the height of the Cuban missile crisis, when he presented slides of missiles in Cuba aimed at the U.S.
KAGAN: Richard Roth at the U.N. Richard, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
