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Colin Powell Prepares to Present Evidence Against Iraq to U.N.
Aired February 05, 2003 - 06:33 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: A few hours from now, the eyes and ears of the world will be on Colin Powell. He will present America's case against Iraq to the United Nations. The U.S. secretary of state will start at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time.
The Bush team emphasizes there will be no smoking gun, but Powell is expected to make a very powerful case. He'll use video, slides and audiotapes as evidence that Iraq is deceiving U.N. weapons inspectors. This is the most anticipated worldwide TV event since Adlai Stevenson spoke at the United Nations during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.
And Secretary of State Colin Powell, as I said, is four hours away from delivering his big report on Iraq.
Richard Roth joins us live from the United Nations with more on how this is going to work.
Now, I know an Iraqi official will be in the room. After Powell speaks, will the Iraqi officials get to refute the charges?
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Iraqi ambassador will speak, but only at the end of the session, after all of the other countries on the Security Council have spoken, following Colin Powell.
You mentioned the Stevenson event in 1962 during the Cuban missile crisis. He had a famous line, he was prepared to wait until hell freezes over until the Soviet ambassador came clean on missiles in Cuba aimed at the U.S. Don't expect that type of repartee here in the council, but you never know.
Colin Powell will be meeting with various foreign ministers throughout the day here. Yesterday, he met with China's foreign minister.
The secretary of state is the most respected member of the Bush administration around the world, and Washington is hoping he can make the case to prove to the rest of the council that Iraq is indeed possessing weapons of mass destruction, is doing everything possible to hide the weapons.
Now, Powell was asked as he exited the United States Mission to the U.N. yesterday whether Saddam Hussein can be believed and what he has to do since he's defying the international community and saying he doesn't have weapons of mass destruction. Powell here yells out, all he has to do is prove it.
Hans Blix, the chief weapons inspector, very concerned about the state of this crisis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANS BLIX, CHIEF U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: Isn't five minutes to midnight in your political assessment?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is it in your political assessment?
BLIX: Well, certainly. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) that the diplomatic window is closing. Well, I'm listening to that, and I hear others who would like to give more time and I said that I would welcome more time. Fine. But I mean, don't just joke. We all know that the situation is very serious.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: Still uncertain whether the U.S. will try to slip a second resolution into the council in that diplomatic window that the U.S. ambassador here has referred to -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Richard Roth live from the United Nations 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
U.N.>
Aired February 5, 2003 - 06:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A few hours from now, the eyes and ears of the world will be on Colin Powell. He will present America's case against Iraq to the United Nations. The U.S. secretary of state will start at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time.
The Bush team emphasizes there will be no smoking gun, but Powell is expected to make a very powerful case. He'll use video, slides and audiotapes as evidence that Iraq is deceiving U.N. weapons inspectors. This is the most anticipated worldwide TV event since Adlai Stevenson spoke at the United Nations during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.
And Secretary of State Colin Powell, as I said, is four hours away from delivering his big report on Iraq.
Richard Roth joins us live from the United Nations with more on how this is going to work.
Now, I know an Iraqi official will be in the room. After Powell speaks, will the Iraqi officials get to refute the charges?
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Iraqi ambassador will speak, but only at the end of the session, after all of the other countries on the Security Council have spoken, following Colin Powell.
You mentioned the Stevenson event in 1962 during the Cuban missile crisis. He had a famous line, he was prepared to wait until hell freezes over until the Soviet ambassador came clean on missiles in Cuba aimed at the U.S. Don't expect that type of repartee here in the council, but you never know.
Colin Powell will be meeting with various foreign ministers throughout the day here. Yesterday, he met with China's foreign minister.
The secretary of state is the most respected member of the Bush administration around the world, and Washington is hoping he can make the case to prove to the rest of the council that Iraq is indeed possessing weapons of mass destruction, is doing everything possible to hide the weapons.
Now, Powell was asked as he exited the United States Mission to the U.N. yesterday whether Saddam Hussein can be believed and what he has to do since he's defying the international community and saying he doesn't have weapons of mass destruction. Powell here yells out, all he has to do is prove it.
Hans Blix, the chief weapons inspector, very concerned about the state of this crisis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANS BLIX, CHIEF U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: Isn't five minutes to midnight in your political assessment?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is it in your political assessment?
BLIX: Well, certainly. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) that the diplomatic window is closing. Well, I'm listening to that, and I hear others who would like to give more time and I said that I would welcome more time. Fine. But I mean, don't just joke. We all know that the situation is very serious.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: Still uncertain whether the U.S. will try to slip a second resolution into the council in that diplomatic window that the U.S. ambassador here has referred to -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Richard Roth live from the United Nations 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
U.N.>
