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American Morning
Can Hans Blix Say Iraq is Disarmed?
Aired March 07, 2003 - 08:06 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush last night said the key question and only right now is this -- can Hans Blix say that Iraq is disarmed? Blix back at the U.N. today.
And, so, too, is Richard Roth, who joins us live this morning with more.
A preview now -- Richard, good morning.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
The United Nations chief weapons inspector, Hans Blix, goes before the Security Council in a little over two hours. Blix is going to explain to the Security Council his latest review of Iraq's level of cooperation. He's likely to praise Iraq for dismantling Al Samoud 2 missiles, but point to other areas where there continues to be a failure to fully cooperate.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell will be on hand. Before the Council session Powell will be having breakfast with foreign ministers from Mexico and Spain. This is Powell this morning leaving his hotel for that breakfast on New York's East Side.
A spokesman for the State Department saying that changes to a proposed U.S. resolution are still available. They may be discussed, very well, today at consultations inside the Security Council chamber. But no matter what, President Bush said last evening it's time to get a vote.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes, we'll call for a vote. No matter what the whip count is, we're calling for the vote. We want to see people stand up and say what their opinion is about Saddam Hussein and the utility of the United Nations Security Council. And so you bet. It's time for people to show their cards, to let the world know where they stand when it comes to Saddam.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: So you had France and Russia and China saying they wouldn't be in favor of a resolution. Now President Bush saying this. It's a stand-off. Here's Powell yesterday settling down with the backers of the U.S.-U.K.-Spain resolution to go over any changes. We're told by a diplomat that the British government is likely to introduce an amendment or potential changes today at the consultations -- Bill. HEMMER: Richard, about this resolution that may extend some sort of time, it's talked about from three to five days, maybe two weeks, how serious is that talk right now and what would an extension of three to five days do in this case, Richard?
ROTH: Well, Security Council members just want to hear just what do the British, the Chileans have in mind, or, I should say the Spanish, what they have in mind. And a deadline, a short deadline would not please Russia. Lavrov, the Russian ambassador, last night said what kind of compromise is that if it's just three to five days and then you go to war?
Those countries that oppose this resolution would like weeks.
HEMMER: We'll see if they get it.
Richard Roth at the U.N..
Thanks.
See you later today.
Our special coverage does continue. In about 90 minutes from now, "Showdown Iraq," the weapons report with Hans Blix back at the U.N. Paula will be joined by Wolf Blitzer down in D.C. and Christiane Amanpour overseas in London. Again, special coverage, 9:30 a.m. Eastern time, a little less than an hour and a half from now -- Paula.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Bill.
President Bush says that simply containing Saddam Hussein would not protect the United States and he said the September 11 attacks are the proof.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: September the 11th should say to the American people that we're now a battlefield, that weapons of mass destruction in the hands of a terrorist organization could be deployed here at home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: So did the president succeed in getting his main points across during the news conference?
Our senior analyst, Jeff Greenfield, is here with more to analyze some of the language used and some of the broader themes he struck.
JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
ZAHN: Good morning.
I noticed he used the word hope 16 times and said he would only wage war if he had to eight times. But you were struck by some broader themes of his performance. GREENFIELD: Yes. I think the most striking substantive theme was the attempt to link Saddam Hussein with terror in general and with 9/11 in particular. We heard an example of that just a minute ago. And over and over again, maybe 11 times, the terror and terrorism was used by the president. Here's just one example.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: He provides funding and training and safe haven to terrorists, terrorists who would willingly use weapons of mass destruction against America and other peace loving countries. Saddam Hussein and his weapons are a direct threat to this country, to our people and to all free people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GREENFIELD: And the point of this, Paula, I think, is that the polls are showing and European reaction is showing that there are a lot of folks who just aren't convinced that this war now is somehow a matter of national security. And the more the president can make the war against Saddam Hussein a war against terrorism, which the, which Americans would almost unanimously support -- there was almost no opposition to going to Afghanistan -- the stronger his case, I think.
ZAHN: Help us better understand through the prism of looking at these polls why he continues to make this argument six months after he addressed the Security Council for the first time.
GREENFIELD: Indeed. Well, you know, in this case the polling seems to be consistent. There was, I think it was a Quinnipiac poll just out a couple of days ago. When you ask what's more important, to keep trying for U.N. support or move quickly without it -- these are Americans, by the way, not Europeans or others -- a pretty hefty majority says keep trying for U.N. support. And that's suggests that the president has not yet convinced the country that the war against Saddam Hussein is in the direct national security interests of the United States.
ZAHN: There are also some concerns about Iraqi civilians being killed if there is a war.
Let's listen to what the president had to say about that directly last night.
GREENFIELD: Yes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: America also accepts our responsibility to protect innocent lives in every way possible. We will bring food and medicine to the Iraqi people. We will help that nation to build a just government after decades of brutal dictatorship.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GREENFIELD: And I think what you're getting at here, and I was frankly surprised that he kept returning to this theme over and over again, it may not have been a coincidence that the president met just a day or ago with the papal envoy. The pope has expressed a lot of concern about civilian casualties. And I think beyond that, and this, I think, is particularly true about the European reaction, the idea of the United States as the bully boy, the most powerful country in the world, the only superpower, inflicting civilian casualties even though our military says they're doing everything that they can to minimize that, is something clearly that weighs on the mind of the White House because there's no other reason why the president would have returned to that theme repeatedly, even in answering a question where that wasn't even the key question.
So I always think, from my days in politics, when you hear a public official like the president repeatedly come back to a theme, it's telling you something about what they think the concerns are they have to address.
ZAHN: This was the president's first news conference in 17 months. That could be a very risky format.
GREENFIELD: The first prime time news conference in 17 months, right.
ZAHN: For any president. In the end, how does it play with the American public?
GREENFIELD: This may sound odd to you. I'm not sure what the president said last night is going to mean much in the long run because once the war starts, if, as everybody assumes, it starts, first, there will be an overwhelming outpouring of support in the short run for the president, because there always is when Americans are put at risk.
And then the question is going to be what happens? Americans are very impatient people. We don't like long drawn out wars. If it's quick, he gets a tremendous benefit. If it's a mess, he gets in trouble.
ZAHN: Jeff Greenfield, thanks for your insights this morning.
COMMERCIAL
HEMMER: Well, CNN now learning that the Bush administration will divide Iraq into three sectors to be managed in the event of a post- war scenario.
Barbara Starr at the Pentagon with more on this.
A bit of a management set up, or more to it -- Barbara, good morning.
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
Well, indeed, CNN has learned that the Bush administration now has very detailed plans to divide Iraq into three sectors for civil administration once the shooting stops. There will be a northern and southern sector, each run by a retired U.S. Army general, and Baghdad, quite interestingly, is now slated to be run by a woman named Barbara Bodeen. And you may remember that Barbara Bodeen was the U.S. ambassador to Yemen during the bombing of the USS Cole. She is now in the Pentagon, part of a team of more than 150 people that plan to go to Baghdad as soon as -- if there is a war -- as soon as security is established by U.S. military forces.
In addition to this, we now know that the Bush administration has assembled a team of officials, U.S. government officials, each of which will go to a separate Iraqi ministry, government ministry, and run one of those ministries. And all of this is now being called the interim civil administration of Iraq. It will be under retired Army Lieutenant General Jay Gardner.
Let's bring you up to date on a couple of other developments here this morning.
CNN has also learned that the U.S. military is now establishing a very secret, very close hold base inside Saudi Arabia, a base very close to the Iraqi border, and this will be the jumping off point, we are now told, for special forces when they go into Iraq, at least some of them, when they move into oil fields, weapons of mass destruction facilities and other sensitive sites. This base within miles of the Iraqi border will also be a search and rescue base if there are operations that need to be mounted to rescue any downed pilots or air crews over Iraq.
Finally, Bill, what's really interesting here this morning is what we are not hearing about the search for Osama bin Laden. In regular reporting channels, everyone tells us they haven't heard a word here about the use of any U.S. military forces on the Afghan- Pakistan border to search for bin Laden. But what we have been told, quite interestingly, we have confirmed that an organization called the Joint Special Operations Command, known as JSOC -- these are the most covert U.S. military special operations forces -- they are now in that border region. They have been in Afghanistan. These are the forces the likes of which are Delta Force, Seal Team 6, all the very special, very covert forces. They are said to be in the area -- Bill.
HEMMER: All interesting developments.
Barbara, thanks.
Barbara Starr at the Pentagon today.
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 7, 2003 - 08:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush last night said the key question and only right now is this -- can Hans Blix say that Iraq is disarmed? Blix back at the U.N. today.
And, so, too, is Richard Roth, who joins us live this morning with more.
A preview now -- Richard, good morning.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
The United Nations chief weapons inspector, Hans Blix, goes before the Security Council in a little over two hours. Blix is going to explain to the Security Council his latest review of Iraq's level of cooperation. He's likely to praise Iraq for dismantling Al Samoud 2 missiles, but point to other areas where there continues to be a failure to fully cooperate.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell will be on hand. Before the Council session Powell will be having breakfast with foreign ministers from Mexico and Spain. This is Powell this morning leaving his hotel for that breakfast on New York's East Side.
A spokesman for the State Department saying that changes to a proposed U.S. resolution are still available. They may be discussed, very well, today at consultations inside the Security Council chamber. But no matter what, President Bush said last evening it's time to get a vote.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes, we'll call for a vote. No matter what the whip count is, we're calling for the vote. We want to see people stand up and say what their opinion is about Saddam Hussein and the utility of the United Nations Security Council. And so you bet. It's time for people to show their cards, to let the world know where they stand when it comes to Saddam.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: So you had France and Russia and China saying they wouldn't be in favor of a resolution. Now President Bush saying this. It's a stand-off. Here's Powell yesterday settling down with the backers of the U.S.-U.K.-Spain resolution to go over any changes. We're told by a diplomat that the British government is likely to introduce an amendment or potential changes today at the consultations -- Bill. HEMMER: Richard, about this resolution that may extend some sort of time, it's talked about from three to five days, maybe two weeks, how serious is that talk right now and what would an extension of three to five days do in this case, Richard?
ROTH: Well, Security Council members just want to hear just what do the British, the Chileans have in mind, or, I should say the Spanish, what they have in mind. And a deadline, a short deadline would not please Russia. Lavrov, the Russian ambassador, last night said what kind of compromise is that if it's just three to five days and then you go to war?
Those countries that oppose this resolution would like weeks.
HEMMER: We'll see if they get it.
Richard Roth at the U.N..
Thanks.
See you later today.
Our special coverage does continue. In about 90 minutes from now, "Showdown Iraq," the weapons report with Hans Blix back at the U.N. Paula will be joined by Wolf Blitzer down in D.C. and Christiane Amanpour overseas in London. Again, special coverage, 9:30 a.m. Eastern time, a little less than an hour and a half from now -- Paula.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Bill.
President Bush says that simply containing Saddam Hussein would not protect the United States and he said the September 11 attacks are the proof.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: September the 11th should say to the American people that we're now a battlefield, that weapons of mass destruction in the hands of a terrorist organization could be deployed here at home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: So did the president succeed in getting his main points across during the news conference?
Our senior analyst, Jeff Greenfield, is here with more to analyze some of the language used and some of the broader themes he struck.
JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
ZAHN: Good morning.
I noticed he used the word hope 16 times and said he would only wage war if he had to eight times. But you were struck by some broader themes of his performance. GREENFIELD: Yes. I think the most striking substantive theme was the attempt to link Saddam Hussein with terror in general and with 9/11 in particular. We heard an example of that just a minute ago. And over and over again, maybe 11 times, the terror and terrorism was used by the president. Here's just one example.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: He provides funding and training and safe haven to terrorists, terrorists who would willingly use weapons of mass destruction against America and other peace loving countries. Saddam Hussein and his weapons are a direct threat to this country, to our people and to all free people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GREENFIELD: And the point of this, Paula, I think, is that the polls are showing and European reaction is showing that there are a lot of folks who just aren't convinced that this war now is somehow a matter of national security. And the more the president can make the war against Saddam Hussein a war against terrorism, which the, which Americans would almost unanimously support -- there was almost no opposition to going to Afghanistan -- the stronger his case, I think.
ZAHN: Help us better understand through the prism of looking at these polls why he continues to make this argument six months after he addressed the Security Council for the first time.
GREENFIELD: Indeed. Well, you know, in this case the polling seems to be consistent. There was, I think it was a Quinnipiac poll just out a couple of days ago. When you ask what's more important, to keep trying for U.N. support or move quickly without it -- these are Americans, by the way, not Europeans or others -- a pretty hefty majority says keep trying for U.N. support. And that's suggests that the president has not yet convinced the country that the war against Saddam Hussein is in the direct national security interests of the United States.
ZAHN: There are also some concerns about Iraqi civilians being killed if there is a war.
Let's listen to what the president had to say about that directly last night.
GREENFIELD: Yes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: America also accepts our responsibility to protect innocent lives in every way possible. We will bring food and medicine to the Iraqi people. We will help that nation to build a just government after decades of brutal dictatorship.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GREENFIELD: And I think what you're getting at here, and I was frankly surprised that he kept returning to this theme over and over again, it may not have been a coincidence that the president met just a day or ago with the papal envoy. The pope has expressed a lot of concern about civilian casualties. And I think beyond that, and this, I think, is particularly true about the European reaction, the idea of the United States as the bully boy, the most powerful country in the world, the only superpower, inflicting civilian casualties even though our military says they're doing everything that they can to minimize that, is something clearly that weighs on the mind of the White House because there's no other reason why the president would have returned to that theme repeatedly, even in answering a question where that wasn't even the key question.
So I always think, from my days in politics, when you hear a public official like the president repeatedly come back to a theme, it's telling you something about what they think the concerns are they have to address.
ZAHN: This was the president's first news conference in 17 months. That could be a very risky format.
GREENFIELD: The first prime time news conference in 17 months, right.
ZAHN: For any president. In the end, how does it play with the American public?
GREENFIELD: This may sound odd to you. I'm not sure what the president said last night is going to mean much in the long run because once the war starts, if, as everybody assumes, it starts, first, there will be an overwhelming outpouring of support in the short run for the president, because there always is when Americans are put at risk.
And then the question is going to be what happens? Americans are very impatient people. We don't like long drawn out wars. If it's quick, he gets a tremendous benefit. If it's a mess, he gets in trouble.
ZAHN: Jeff Greenfield, thanks for your insights this morning.
COMMERCIAL
HEMMER: Well, CNN now learning that the Bush administration will divide Iraq into three sectors to be managed in the event of a post- war scenario.
Barbara Starr at the Pentagon with more on this.
A bit of a management set up, or more to it -- Barbara, good morning.
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
Well, indeed, CNN has learned that the Bush administration now has very detailed plans to divide Iraq into three sectors for civil administration once the shooting stops. There will be a northern and southern sector, each run by a retired U.S. Army general, and Baghdad, quite interestingly, is now slated to be run by a woman named Barbara Bodeen. And you may remember that Barbara Bodeen was the U.S. ambassador to Yemen during the bombing of the USS Cole. She is now in the Pentagon, part of a team of more than 150 people that plan to go to Baghdad as soon as -- if there is a war -- as soon as security is established by U.S. military forces.
In addition to this, we now know that the Bush administration has assembled a team of officials, U.S. government officials, each of which will go to a separate Iraqi ministry, government ministry, and run one of those ministries. And all of this is now being called the interim civil administration of Iraq. It will be under retired Army Lieutenant General Jay Gardner.
Let's bring you up to date on a couple of other developments here this morning.
CNN has also learned that the U.S. military is now establishing a very secret, very close hold base inside Saudi Arabia, a base very close to the Iraqi border, and this will be the jumping off point, we are now told, for special forces when they go into Iraq, at least some of them, when they move into oil fields, weapons of mass destruction facilities and other sensitive sites. This base within miles of the Iraqi border will also be a search and rescue base if there are operations that need to be mounted to rescue any downed pilots or air crews over Iraq.
Finally, Bill, what's really interesting here this morning is what we are not hearing about the search for Osama bin Laden. In regular reporting channels, everyone tells us they haven't heard a word here about the use of any U.S. military forces on the Afghan- Pakistan border to search for bin Laden. But what we have been told, quite interestingly, we have confirmed that an organization called the Joint Special Operations Command, known as JSOC -- these are the most covert U.S. military special operations forces -- they are now in that border region. They have been in Afghanistan. These are the forces the likes of which are Delta Force, Seal Team 6, all the very special, very covert forces. They are said to be in the area -- Bill.
HEMMER: All interesting developments.
Barbara, thanks.
Barbara Starr at the Pentagon today.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
