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American Morning

Vote on New U.N. Resolution Could Come as Early as Tomorrow

Aired March 12, 2003 - 09:30   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: A vote on a new U.N. resolution could come as early as tomorrow. The U.S. Believes it is only a few votes away from having the nine needed to pass a Security Council resolution authorizing force.
Let's check in with Richard Roth about Andrea Koppel's report.

Andrea reported at the top of the hour, it is the administration's belief they have the support of Cameroon, Angola, Pakistan, and still in play, of course, is Chile and Mexico.

What are you hearing?

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Well, the people here on the ground are not going to confirm at the moment, and for the ambassadors here, they may wait until the last minute before they publicly admit how they're going to vote. It's all being conducted at higher levels, through Secretary Powell, the president of the United States and corresponding figures back home. Andrea reporting Guinea and the U.S. camp leaving fight over chile and Mexico to woo one of them.

But of course that still leaves the veto, and British Prime Minister Tony Blair issued another appeal today to France and Russia to reconsider.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I hope that even now those countries that are saying they would use their veto, no matter what the circumstances, will reconsider and realize that by doing so they put at risk not just the disarmament of Saddam, but actually the unity of the United Nations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: Now the question is whether France and Russia would relent on the veto, but in light of the British government issuing new conditions in order to woo some more support for those nations who are undecided to give Iraq more time, those conditions are kind of stiff -- a television appearance by Iraq's President Saddam Hussein to go on national television to renounce weapons of mass destruction, design tests from Iraq to fly out of the country for interviews, neighboring Cyprus, 30 of them, destruction forthwith of 10,000 liters of anthrax and other chemical and biological weapons, things like that. Those are items that Iraq has declined to do in a way because they insist they have no more weapons of mass destruction, and interview is with scientists have been very difficult to obtain without tape recorders or minders, even in Baghdad. And the U.S. says they are conducted in bugged hotel rooms -- Paula.

ZAHN: Richard, we need your perspective on something. I know you've cautioned us to be very careful of the use of the word veto word. Almost every published account this morning points to the very likely veto by the French. You're saying that we really shouldn't say that, there is still some play here?

ROTH: I've been wrong before. It's very possible there will be vetoes. It's just sometimes on the technical procedures. The veto may never happen if they don't get the nine votes. But now it appears and from comments in Washington, the White House is willing to take the veto and claim a moral victory and tell people where each nation stands on Iraq and disarmament. So the veto threat is still very live, though the countries, Russia, France, still steadfastly declined to use the veto word.

ZAHN: Richard Roth, thanks for putting that into context for us. Appreciate it.

The U.S. complained very loudly that evidence of an Iraqi drone that could deliver chemical weapons was all about buried in the last report to the U.N. by the chief weapon inspector Hans Blix. Now CNN has toured a facility where the drones are made.

Let's go live to Baghdad. Nic Robertson on duty there, with the latest developments.

Good morning, Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

Well, clearly, Iraqi officials working very hard to put down those reports that this particular drone, or what they call an RPV, a remotely piloted vehicle, could deliver chemical or biological weapons, and that they're saying it doesn't go beyond the U.N. limits of about 93 miles. Now this aircraft Iraqi officials, journalists saw, a prototype. Iraqi officials say they have one aircraft, a wingspan of 25 feet. It looked as if some bits were held together with duct tape and bits of aluminum foil on the aircraft.

Now Iraqi officials say this device, this aerial surveillance craft, as they describe it, is designed only for reconnaissance. They say it can only fly 80 miles, it can only fly around a very small radius, perhaps a circle with a radius of a couple of miles. So Iraqi officials really putting on display this aircraft to try and show that they say that it doesn't violate U.n. regulations in any way, shape or form -- Paula.

ZAHN: What else can we expect on the inspections front?

ROBERTSON: Well, we hear that there are another three Al-Samoud II missiles destroyed today, two truckloads of components for those missiles as well. It appears as if the destruction of the Al-Samoud II missiles is continuing, albeit a little slower than in the past. Most days there have been a destruction of six Al-Samoud IIs. Today, only three. But it is a work in progress. And as the U.N. keeps reminding us here, at least, the timetable on this is firmly in the hands of Iraqi officials -- Paula.

ZAHN: Nic Robertson, reporting from Baghdad. Thanks so much.

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




Tomorrow>


Aired March 12, 2003 - 09:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: A vote on a new U.N. resolution could come as early as tomorrow. The U.S. Believes it is only a few votes away from having the nine needed to pass a Security Council resolution authorizing force.
Let's check in with Richard Roth about Andrea Koppel's report.

Andrea reported at the top of the hour, it is the administration's belief they have the support of Cameroon, Angola, Pakistan, and still in play, of course, is Chile and Mexico.

What are you hearing?

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Well, the people here on the ground are not going to confirm at the moment, and for the ambassadors here, they may wait until the last minute before they publicly admit how they're going to vote. It's all being conducted at higher levels, through Secretary Powell, the president of the United States and corresponding figures back home. Andrea reporting Guinea and the U.S. camp leaving fight over chile and Mexico to woo one of them.

But of course that still leaves the veto, and British Prime Minister Tony Blair issued another appeal today to France and Russia to reconsider.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I hope that even now those countries that are saying they would use their veto, no matter what the circumstances, will reconsider and realize that by doing so they put at risk not just the disarmament of Saddam, but actually the unity of the United Nations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: Now the question is whether France and Russia would relent on the veto, but in light of the British government issuing new conditions in order to woo some more support for those nations who are undecided to give Iraq more time, those conditions are kind of stiff -- a television appearance by Iraq's President Saddam Hussein to go on national television to renounce weapons of mass destruction, design tests from Iraq to fly out of the country for interviews, neighboring Cyprus, 30 of them, destruction forthwith of 10,000 liters of anthrax and other chemical and biological weapons, things like that. Those are items that Iraq has declined to do in a way because they insist they have no more weapons of mass destruction, and interview is with scientists have been very difficult to obtain without tape recorders or minders, even in Baghdad. And the U.S. says they are conducted in bugged hotel rooms -- Paula.

ZAHN: Richard, we need your perspective on something. I know you've cautioned us to be very careful of the use of the word veto word. Almost every published account this morning points to the very likely veto by the French. You're saying that we really shouldn't say that, there is still some play here?

ROTH: I've been wrong before. It's very possible there will be vetoes. It's just sometimes on the technical procedures. The veto may never happen if they don't get the nine votes. But now it appears and from comments in Washington, the White House is willing to take the veto and claim a moral victory and tell people where each nation stands on Iraq and disarmament. So the veto threat is still very live, though the countries, Russia, France, still steadfastly declined to use the veto word.

ZAHN: Richard Roth, thanks for putting that into context for us. Appreciate it.

The U.S. complained very loudly that evidence of an Iraqi drone that could deliver chemical weapons was all about buried in the last report to the U.N. by the chief weapon inspector Hans Blix. Now CNN has toured a facility where the drones are made.

Let's go live to Baghdad. Nic Robertson on duty there, with the latest developments.

Good morning, Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

Well, clearly, Iraqi officials working very hard to put down those reports that this particular drone, or what they call an RPV, a remotely piloted vehicle, could deliver chemical or biological weapons, and that they're saying it doesn't go beyond the U.N. limits of about 93 miles. Now this aircraft Iraqi officials, journalists saw, a prototype. Iraqi officials say they have one aircraft, a wingspan of 25 feet. It looked as if some bits were held together with duct tape and bits of aluminum foil on the aircraft.

Now Iraqi officials say this device, this aerial surveillance craft, as they describe it, is designed only for reconnaissance. They say it can only fly 80 miles, it can only fly around a very small radius, perhaps a circle with a radius of a couple of miles. So Iraqi officials really putting on display this aircraft to try and show that they say that it doesn't violate U.n. regulations in any way, shape or form -- Paula.

ZAHN: What else can we expect on the inspections front?

ROBERTSON: Well, we hear that there are another three Al-Samoud II missiles destroyed today, two truckloads of components for those missiles as well. It appears as if the destruction of the Al-Samoud II missiles is continuing, albeit a little slower than in the past. Most days there have been a destruction of six Al-Samoud IIs. Today, only three. But it is a work in progress. And as the U.N. keeps reminding us here, at least, the timetable on this is firmly in the hands of Iraqi officials -- Paula.

ZAHN: Nic Robertson, reporting from Baghdad. Thanks so much.

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




Tomorrow>