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CNN Live At Daybreak

Wake-Up Call: Diplomatic Pressure

Aired March 04, 2003 - 06:05   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: Behind the scenes, the U.S. is still applying diplomatic pressure to get the nine needed votes from the U.N. Security Council. It sounds like a good topic for a "Wake-Up Call."
Our State Department producer, Elise Labott, is on the phone from Washington.

Good morning -- Elise.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: You know, many Americans think diplomacy is dead, but is it?

LABOTT: Well, not at all, Carol. The U.S. is focusing on those six non-permanent Security Council members, hoping their support will intimate France, Russia and China from using their veto.

And officials tell us that Secretary Powell held a top-secret meeting in Washington yesterday with the Mexican foreign minister in the hopes of getting his country's support for a U.N. resolution.

And officials believe that they'll win over Mexico, they'll also win over Chile. And diplomats are fanning out across the globe to meet with leaders from those non-permanent member states. In the past week, envoys have not only been in Chile, but in Pakistan and the Africa countries, Cameroon, Angola and Guinea. And officials believe that the U.S. is in pretty good shape to pass the resolution, and they hope to put it to a vote shortly -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Interesting. Perhaps as early as next week.

What does the Arab world think about a second resolution?

LABOTT: Well, to put it bluntly, they're scared. In addition to a lot of anti-American sentiment among the Arab public, there are a lot of Arab leaders who are worried that once the U.S. gets rid of Saddam Hussein that the Bush administration will go after their regimes next.

Later this week, a delegation of Arab foreign ministers is traveling to New York to meet with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. This group was established at the Arab Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh this weekend, and they're going to lobby against military action, argue for more time for inspectors. And we are told that they could be bringing a petition with them, which will be signed by a larger group of Arab states, and could have signatures from leaders from European countries as well. And we’re told they hope to have this petition for Kofi Annan and the Security Council before that meeting with Hans Blix on Friday in New York -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Another interesting twist. Elise Labott, thanks very much for waking up early with DAYBREAK.

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 March 4, 2003 - 06:05   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Behind the scenes, the U.S. is still applying diplomatic pressure to get the nine needed votes from the U.N. Security Council. It sounds like a good topic for a "Wake-Up Call."
Our State Department producer, Elise Labott, is on the phone from Washington.

Good morning -- Elise.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: You know, many Americans think diplomacy is dead, but is it?

LABOTT: Well, not at all, Carol. The U.S. is focusing on those six non-permanent Security Council members, hoping their support will intimate France, Russia and China from using their veto.

And officials tell us that Secretary Powell held a top-secret meeting in Washington yesterday with the Mexican foreign minister in the hopes of getting his country's support for a U.N. resolution.

And officials believe that they'll win over Mexico, they'll also win over Chile. And diplomats are fanning out across the globe to meet with leaders from those non-permanent member states. In the past week, envoys have not only been in Chile, but in Pakistan and the Africa countries, Cameroon, Angola and Guinea. And officials believe that the U.S. is in pretty good shape to pass the resolution, and they hope to put it to a vote shortly -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Interesting. Perhaps as early as next week.

What does the Arab world think about a second resolution?

LABOTT: Well, to put it bluntly, they're scared. In addition to a lot of anti-American sentiment among the Arab public, there are a lot of Arab leaders who are worried that once the U.S. gets rid of Saddam Hussein that the Bush administration will go after their regimes next.

Later this week, a delegation of Arab foreign ministers is traveling to New York to meet with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. This group was established at the Arab Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh this weekend, and they're going to lobby against military action, argue for more time for inspectors. And we are told that they could be bringing a petition with them, which will be signed by a larger group of Arab states, and could have signatures from leaders from European countries as well. And we’re told they hope to have this petition for Kofi Annan and the Security Council before that meeting with Hans Blix on Friday in New York -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Another interesting twist. Elise Labott, thanks very much for waking up early with DAYBREAK.

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