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CNN Live At Daybreak

Washington Not Letting Up Pressure on Iraq

Aired February 06, 2003 - 05:32   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: OK, let's talk about the case against Iraq. Washington is not letting up on its pressure on Iraq. Here is the latest for you. This morning, Security Council member France remains unconvinced a resolution authorizing war on Iraq is necessary. The French want to increase the numbers of inspectors in Iraq instead.
Hans Blix, the U.N.'s chief weapons inspector, and Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the U.N.'s atomic energy agency, are in London for a meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. And President Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, says the evidence presented by Colin Powell at the U.N. is compelling. She says Iraq can do very little to avoid confrontation now.

Capitals around the world today are carefully weighing the U.S. evidence against Iraq. Secretary of State Colin Powell presented to the United Nations satellite photos and intercepted conversations, what the White House considers detailed proof of Iraqi deception.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We know that Iraq has at least seven of these mobile biological agent factories. The truck mounted ones have at least two or three trucks each. That means that the mobile production facilities are very few, perhaps 18 trucks that we know of. There may be more. But perhaps 18 that we know of. Just imagine trying to find 18 trucks among the thousands and thousands of trucks that travel the roads of Iraq every single day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The White House hopes to win enough backing for a second Security Council resolution against Iraq.

Governments and people around the world have had time now to digest Powell's speech. We're going global now for some reaction to it.

Our Walter Rodgers is in London, CNN's Ralitsa Vassileva is in Moscow and our Martin Savidge is in Kuwait.

Walter, we begin with you.

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

British reaction and British support for the United States was swift and sure. In about two hours, Geoffrey Hoon, the defense minister in Britain, is going before the House of Commons to announce that Britain is sending dozens of new attack aircraft -- Tornadoes, Harrier Jaguars -- to support the United States there. That's how the British are voting in this.

Right immediately after Secretary Powell's presentations yesterday, the foreign secretary, Jack Straw, shook his finger at the West and said -- at the members of the Security Council and said Saddam Hussein is defying you. He is gambling that you will not have the nerve to go ahead and disarm him forcibly.

In Britain, however, still we're seeing divided opinion. All across-the-board, British newspapers are still wavering somewhat.

For a look at the situation in Moscow, here's my colleague Ralitsa Vassileva.

RALITSA VASSILEVA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Walter, thank you.

Russia is analyzing the information that Colin Powell presented. It has still maintained and is maintaining its position that it believes in a political solution to the problem with Iraq and it also thinks that the inspectors should continue to do their work.

However, at this point Russia has still not finished analyzing the information. And the Russian Duma, which is the lower house of parliament, will be holding a closed door session tomorrow, on Friday, with the foreign minister, Igor Ivanov. They will be discussing the initial analysis of that information and -- because some of the information that they will be discussing could be classified, it will be behind closed doors.

The foreign minister of Russia indicated a warning to Baghdad, saying that Baghdad needs to realize the seriousness of the situation and cooperate fully and come clean on any weapons of mass destruction. That is the only way that Baghdad could count on a political solution. And also last week, President Vladimir Putin also issued a warning to Baghdad, saying that if it hampers the work of the weapons inspectors, his country's position could toughen and get closer to that of the United States.

So at this point, Russia still in the process of analyzing that information, but no change in position.

And now back to Carol in Atlanta.

COSTELLO: Thanks very much, live from Moscow, Ralitsa, and our thanks to Walter Rodgers, as well.

Coming up in the next hour of DAYBREAK, we'll check the political fallout from all of this when we give our senior political analyst Bill Schneider a wake up call.

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 6, 2003 - 05:32   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: OK, let's talk about the case against Iraq. Washington is not letting up on its pressure on Iraq. Here is the latest for you. This morning, Security Council member France remains unconvinced a resolution authorizing war on Iraq is necessary. The French want to increase the numbers of inspectors in Iraq instead.
Hans Blix, the U.N.'s chief weapons inspector, and Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the U.N.'s atomic energy agency, are in London for a meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. And President Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, says the evidence presented by Colin Powell at the U.N. is compelling. She says Iraq can do very little to avoid confrontation now.

Capitals around the world today are carefully weighing the U.S. evidence against Iraq. Secretary of State Colin Powell presented to the United Nations satellite photos and intercepted conversations, what the White House considers detailed proof of Iraqi deception.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We know that Iraq has at least seven of these mobile biological agent factories. The truck mounted ones have at least two or three trucks each. That means that the mobile production facilities are very few, perhaps 18 trucks that we know of. There may be more. But perhaps 18 that we know of. Just imagine trying to find 18 trucks among the thousands and thousands of trucks that travel the roads of Iraq every single day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The White House hopes to win enough backing for a second Security Council resolution against Iraq.

Governments and people around the world have had time now to digest Powell's speech. We're going global now for some reaction to it.

Our Walter Rodgers is in London, CNN's Ralitsa Vassileva is in Moscow and our Martin Savidge is in Kuwait.

Walter, we begin with you.

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

British reaction and British support for the United States was swift and sure. In about two hours, Geoffrey Hoon, the defense minister in Britain, is going before the House of Commons to announce that Britain is sending dozens of new attack aircraft -- Tornadoes, Harrier Jaguars -- to support the United States there. That's how the British are voting in this.

Right immediately after Secretary Powell's presentations yesterday, the foreign secretary, Jack Straw, shook his finger at the West and said -- at the members of the Security Council and said Saddam Hussein is defying you. He is gambling that you will not have the nerve to go ahead and disarm him forcibly.

In Britain, however, still we're seeing divided opinion. All across-the-board, British newspapers are still wavering somewhat.

For a look at the situation in Moscow, here's my colleague Ralitsa Vassileva.

RALITSA VASSILEVA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Walter, thank you.

Russia is analyzing the information that Colin Powell presented. It has still maintained and is maintaining its position that it believes in a political solution to the problem with Iraq and it also thinks that the inspectors should continue to do their work.

However, at this point Russia has still not finished analyzing the information. And the Russian Duma, which is the lower house of parliament, will be holding a closed door session tomorrow, on Friday, with the foreign minister, Igor Ivanov. They will be discussing the initial analysis of that information and -- because some of the information that they will be discussing could be classified, it will be behind closed doors.

The foreign minister of Russia indicated a warning to Baghdad, saying that Baghdad needs to realize the seriousness of the situation and cooperate fully and come clean on any weapons of mass destruction. That is the only way that Baghdad could count on a political solution. And also last week, President Vladimir Putin also issued a warning to Baghdad, saying that if it hampers the work of the weapons inspectors, his country's position could toughen and get closer to that of the United States.

So at this point, Russia still in the process of analyzing that information, but no change in position.

And now back to Carol in Atlanta.

COSTELLO: Thanks very much, live from Moscow, Ralitsa, and our thanks to Walter Rodgers, as well.

Coming up in the next hour of DAYBREAK, we'll check the political fallout from all of this when we give our senior political analyst Bill Schneider a wake up call.

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