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CNN Live At Daybreak

Eve of Powell's Potentially Pivotal Speech

Aired February 04, 2003 - 05:38   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: Let's turn our attention now to the stand-off with Iraq. An unlikely messenger of peace has come forward. Moammar Gadhafi tells CNN he wants to save international peace. The Libyan leader told our Katherine Bond he's willing to offer his services as a mediator to help end the stand-off. He says war would be irrational.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. MOAMMAR GADHAFI, LIBYA: President Bush in a sense should not wage a war against Iraq because there is no rationale, no justification for that. And Saddam must accept, you know, the presence of inspectors and provide them with all the necessity and indispensable conditions for their work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: You may remember the U.S. bombed Libya in 1986 after accusing Tripoli of links to a terrorist bombing directed at American servicemen in Berlin.

Washington is moving ahead as scheduled, though, with its case against Iraq. Tomorrow, Secretary of State Colin Powell will present the U.N. Security Council with evidence that Baghdad is hiding its weapons of mass destruction. But Powell says there is no smoking gun.

Our Rym Brahimi has the latest from Baghdad on the eve of Powell's potentially pivotal speech -- good morning, Rym.

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Well, Iraqis are ready, is what President Saddam Hussein is telling his military commanders, but also the Iraqi people. Again, a meeting with them broadcast on state run Iraqi TV, saying Iraqi men and women would respond to any emergency call to defend their nation.

The members of the ruling Baath Party were also shown on Iraqi TV training in various of the, various provinces around Baghdad. A newspaper from the army says in addition to the armed forces, 10 million Iraqis would be prepared to die to defend their country.

Now, at the same time as they're deploying preparedness for war, Carol, Iraqi officials are also trying to avert war. A meeting by President Saddam Hussein's top scientific adviser with members of the European Parliament, about 30 of them, are in Baghdad. General Amir al-Sadi answered questions regarding the inspection process, saying he believed Iraq had been cooperating proactively enough, but he was prepared to discuss what needed to be done with chief U.N. weapons inspectors Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei when they arrive at the weekend.

Also, responding to questions about what the U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell might say, he said we're not worried. We are on firm ground. We have no weapons of mass destruction -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Rym, we just spoke about Moammar Gadhafi offering to be a mediator. Is there any relationship between Moammar Gadhafi and Saddam Hussein? I mean could it possibly work?

BRAHIMI: Well, it's a question of credibility, maybe, more than anything else. Obviously, the Iraqis would be happy for any mediation effort. Iraq's foreign minister has said as much, that he would welcome any initiative from anywhere to avert the prospect of war.

That said, he's also said that the onus is not on Iraq. He said Iraq is doing what it can, Iraq hasn't attacked any country. He says he believes the U.S. and Britain are the ones who want to launch what he calls an unjustified aggression, which is why whatever initiative should actually be taken to Washington before it were taken to Baghdad -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Rym Brahimi reporting live from Baghdad this morning.

We'll give our State Department producer Elise Labott a wake up call in the next hour and ask her about that big gathering at the United Nations tomorrow.

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 February 4, 2003 - 05:38   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's turn our attention now to the stand-off with Iraq. An unlikely messenger of peace has come forward. Moammar Gadhafi tells CNN he wants to save international peace. The Libyan leader told our Katherine Bond he's willing to offer his services as a mediator to help end the stand-off. He says war would be irrational.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. MOAMMAR GADHAFI, LIBYA: President Bush in a sense should not wage a war against Iraq because there is no rationale, no justification for that. And Saddam must accept, you know, the presence of inspectors and provide them with all the necessity and indispensable conditions for their work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: You may remember the U.S. bombed Libya in 1986 after accusing Tripoli of links to a terrorist bombing directed at American servicemen in Berlin.

Washington is moving ahead as scheduled, though, with its case against Iraq. Tomorrow, Secretary of State Colin Powell will present the U.N. Security Council with evidence that Baghdad is hiding its weapons of mass destruction. But Powell says there is no smoking gun.

Our Rym Brahimi has the latest from Baghdad on the eve of Powell's potentially pivotal speech -- good morning, Rym.

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Well, Iraqis are ready, is what President Saddam Hussein is telling his military commanders, but also the Iraqi people. Again, a meeting with them broadcast on state run Iraqi TV, saying Iraqi men and women would respond to any emergency call to defend their nation.

The members of the ruling Baath Party were also shown on Iraqi TV training in various of the, various provinces around Baghdad. A newspaper from the army says in addition to the armed forces, 10 million Iraqis would be prepared to die to defend their country.

Now, at the same time as they're deploying preparedness for war, Carol, Iraqi officials are also trying to avert war. A meeting by President Saddam Hussein's top scientific adviser with members of the European Parliament, about 30 of them, are in Baghdad. General Amir al-Sadi answered questions regarding the inspection process, saying he believed Iraq had been cooperating proactively enough, but he was prepared to discuss what needed to be done with chief U.N. weapons inspectors Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei when they arrive at the weekend.

Also, responding to questions about what the U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell might say, he said we're not worried. We are on firm ground. We have no weapons of mass destruction -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Rym, we just spoke about Moammar Gadhafi offering to be a mediator. Is there any relationship between Moammar Gadhafi and Saddam Hussein? I mean could it possibly work?

BRAHIMI: Well, it's a question of credibility, maybe, more than anything else. Obviously, the Iraqis would be happy for any mediation effort. Iraq's foreign minister has said as much, that he would welcome any initiative from anywhere to avert the prospect of war.

That said, he's also said that the onus is not on Iraq. He said Iraq is doing what it can, Iraq hasn't attacked any country. He says he believes the U.S. and Britain are the ones who want to launch what he calls an unjustified aggression, which is why whatever initiative should actually be taken to Washington before it were taken to Baghdad -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Rym Brahimi reporting live from Baghdad this morning.

We'll give our State Department producer Elise Labott a wake up call in the next hour and ask her about that big gathering at the United Nations tomorrow.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com