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CNN Live At Daybreak
Pressure on Baghdad
Aired February 27, 2003 - 07:04 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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: More now on our top story. President Bush says Saddam Hussein will be disarmed one way or another. And he said, overthrowing the Iraqi leader would pave the way for peace in the Middle East.
Saddam also speaking out during an interview that aired last night on "60 Minutes." Saddam was asked by Dan Rather if he expects war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN RATHER, CBS ANCHOR: Mr. President, do you expect to be attacked by an American-led invasion?
SADDAM HUSSEIN, PRESIDENT OF IRAQ (through translator): We hope that the attack will not take place, but we are bracing ourselves to meet such an attack, to face it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: We have two reports for you now. Nic Robertson joins us from Baghdad, John King at the White House.
We're going to get started with Nic this morning.
Good morning -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
Perhaps an indication of just how much Iraq is bracing itself for it. President Saddam Hussein appears on television here with great regularity. Last night, he appeared with governors of the provinces of Iraq. They told him that their provinces were ready and prepared for the possibility of war.
The Iraqi leader, however, delivering perhaps his starkest and bluntest message so far to the Iraqi people of how they should prepare for war, telling them that they should dig trenches in their gardens.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HUSSEIN (through translator): How can people protect themselves from bombing? Even in your back garden, you should dig a shelter. There is no harm in that. If, god forbid, a bomb falls on your house, you will be in your shelter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: Perhaps, however, a little bit of positive news from U.N. inspectors here. They've been working on destroying some old mustard gas artillery shells. Their work had been held up because they couldnt figure out how to get the mustard gas out of the shells. They've figured out a way to do that. That is now proceeding.
However, on that big issue of, is Iraq going to begin destroying its Al Samoud 2 missiles Saturday? No word yet from Iraqi officials. The U.N. here says that Baghdad has until Friday to let them know it intends to do it -- Paula.
ZAHN: Nic Robertson, thanks for the update.
Let's go back to John King, who is standing by at the White House.
I guess, John, some people were surprised that President Bush chose last night to make a linkage between success in Iraq ultimately and stability for the Israelis and Palestinians. How do you think it will play?
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, one of the great criticisms of this administration across the Arab world has been that Mr. Bush is giving short shrift to the Israeli-Palestinian issue, while marching toward what many see as an inevitable war in Iraq. Mr. Bush did make that link last night, as you noted. He says if there was a new government in Iraq, a new democracy in Iraq, not only will there be less terrorism in the region, but that that democracy would be a shining example, an impetus, the president says, to finally get the Israelis and the Palestinians back at the bargaining table.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A Palestinian state must be a reformed and peaceful state that abandons forever the use of terror.
(APPLAUSE)
For its part, the new government of Israel, as the terror threat is removed and security improves, will be expected to support the creation of a viable Palestinian state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Mr. Bush also said Israel would be expected to stop expanding settlements in the occupied territories. Mr. Bush outlining his views on Middle East peace, linking them to regime change in Iraq, an ambitious proposal by the president. As a candidate, he was firmly against nation-building. In that speech last night, he laid out a long-term commitment for U.S. troops and U.S. experts in rebuilding Iraq.
He also promised to protect Iraq's oil fields from any sabotage; that those oil fields are key. That is how the United States would pay for rebuilding Iraq, by selling its oil -- Paula.
ZAHN: So, the president had a number of distinct audiences last night, did he not? There is a view this morning that part of the reason that he did this speech was to somehow mollify the Arab street. And then in addition to that, he had the European audience, in addition to the American public.
KING: You have heard all of the European leaders say the president needs to make clear that he is committed to the Israeli- Palestinian peace talks, even as we may have war in Iraq.
You also have heard the voices of Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden, saying the goal of the United States is to side with Israel in seizing Iraq, in seizing its oil and its riches. The president trying to, as you note, speak to the Arab street, saying nothing could be further from the truth; that the United States has a moral cause to free the Iraqi people, and then will leave and leave them a new democratic government.
Some just question whether the president's vision is overly ambitious, whether the United States can, especially in a short period of time, set up a new and a democratic Iraq, and whether the domino effect would be peace across the region. That will be debated as we move into these next two critical weeks toward a possible war.
ZAHN: Thanks, John -- John King reporting from the White House for us 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.
Aired February 27, 2003 - 07:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: More now on our top story. President Bush says Saddam Hussein will be disarmed one way or another. And he said, overthrowing the Iraqi leader would pave the way for peace in the Middle East.
Saddam also speaking out during an interview that aired last night on "60 Minutes." Saddam was asked by Dan Rather if he expects war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN RATHER, CBS ANCHOR: Mr. President, do you expect to be attacked by an American-led invasion?
SADDAM HUSSEIN, PRESIDENT OF IRAQ (through translator): We hope that the attack will not take place, but we are bracing ourselves to meet such an attack, to face it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: We have two reports for you now. Nic Robertson joins us from Baghdad, John King at the White House.
We're going to get started with Nic this morning.
Good morning -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
Perhaps an indication of just how much Iraq is bracing itself for it. President Saddam Hussein appears on television here with great regularity. Last night, he appeared with governors of the provinces of Iraq. They told him that their provinces were ready and prepared for the possibility of war.
The Iraqi leader, however, delivering perhaps his starkest and bluntest message so far to the Iraqi people of how they should prepare for war, telling them that they should dig trenches in their gardens.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HUSSEIN (through translator): How can people protect themselves from bombing? Even in your back garden, you should dig a shelter. There is no harm in that. If, god forbid, a bomb falls on your house, you will be in your shelter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: Perhaps, however, a little bit of positive news from U.N. inspectors here. They've been working on destroying some old mustard gas artillery shells. Their work had been held up because they couldnt figure out how to get the mustard gas out of the shells. They've figured out a way to do that. That is now proceeding.
However, on that big issue of, is Iraq going to begin destroying its Al Samoud 2 missiles Saturday? No word yet from Iraqi officials. The U.N. here says that Baghdad has until Friday to let them know it intends to do it -- Paula.
ZAHN: Nic Robertson, thanks for the update.
Let's go back to John King, who is standing by at the White House.
I guess, John, some people were surprised that President Bush chose last night to make a linkage between success in Iraq ultimately and stability for the Israelis and Palestinians. How do you think it will play?
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, one of the great criticisms of this administration across the Arab world has been that Mr. Bush is giving short shrift to the Israeli-Palestinian issue, while marching toward what many see as an inevitable war in Iraq. Mr. Bush did make that link last night, as you noted. He says if there was a new government in Iraq, a new democracy in Iraq, not only will there be less terrorism in the region, but that that democracy would be a shining example, an impetus, the president says, to finally get the Israelis and the Palestinians back at the bargaining table.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A Palestinian state must be a reformed and peaceful state that abandons forever the use of terror.
(APPLAUSE)
For its part, the new government of Israel, as the terror threat is removed and security improves, will be expected to support the creation of a viable Palestinian state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Mr. Bush also said Israel would be expected to stop expanding settlements in the occupied territories. Mr. Bush outlining his views on Middle East peace, linking them to regime change in Iraq, an ambitious proposal by the president. As a candidate, he was firmly against nation-building. In that speech last night, he laid out a long-term commitment for U.S. troops and U.S. experts in rebuilding Iraq.
He also promised to protect Iraq's oil fields from any sabotage; that those oil fields are key. That is how the United States would pay for rebuilding Iraq, by selling its oil -- Paula.
ZAHN: So, the president had a number of distinct audiences last night, did he not? There is a view this morning that part of the reason that he did this speech was to somehow mollify the Arab street. And then in addition to that, he had the European audience, in addition to the American public.
KING: You have heard all of the European leaders say the president needs to make clear that he is committed to the Israeli- Palestinian peace talks, even as we may have war in Iraq.
You also have heard the voices of Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden, saying the goal of the United States is to side with Israel in seizing Iraq, in seizing its oil and its riches. The president trying to, as you note, speak to the Arab street, saying nothing could be further from the truth; that the United States has a moral cause to free the Iraqi people, and then will leave and leave them a new democratic government.
Some just question whether the president's vision is overly ambitious, whether the United States can, especially in a short period of time, set up a new and a democratic Iraq, and whether the domino effect would be peace across the region. That will be debated as we move into these next two critical weeks toward a possible war.
ZAHN: Thanks, John -- John King reporting from the White House for us 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.
