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CNN Live At Daybreak

France Criticizes New British Proposal to Iraqi Resolution

Aired March 13, 2003 - 06:07   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: Now for the latest in the showdown with Iraq. This afternoon, the U.N. Security Council will take up a British plan aimed at reaching a consensus. The plan would withdraw a March 17 deadline set in a new resolution, and demand Saddam Hussein perform six specific disarmament tasks.
The benchmarks would be: A statement from Saddam Hussein renouncing efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction; letting Iraqi scientists be interviewed outside of Iraq; surrendering stores of anthrax; destroying its Al Samoud 2 missiles, all of them; and accounting for all unmanned aerial vehicles, like the drone reported by Hans Blix; and surrendering all mobile production labs.

And just a short time ago, France criticized the British proposal, saying it doesn't answer questions about the international community -- about what the international community is asking, rather. The French statement says Baghdad must be given a more realistic deadline to get rid of its weapons of mass destruction.

Of course, this again leads us to Baghdad and President Saddam Hussein. Is he willing to meet each benchmark?

Rym Brahimi is in Baghdad live. We pose that question to her.

Good morning -- Rym.

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.

Well, so far there hasn’t been an official reaction to that proposal with the benchmarks here in Baghdad. I have been talking to Iraqi officials over the past few days however, and a lot of them do seem to say we don't see what more we can do to cooperate. We've already been doing all we can. Now, we also have heard privately from some Iraqi officials that the Iraqi government is prepared to do everything it can to avert a war.

Of course, today is a Muslim holiday; especially Muslim Shiites are commemorating the death of the Imam Hussein (ph), so it's a very quiet day.

But despite that, the Al Samoud missile destruction continues. We have heard that from U.N. weapons inspectors. They're at the site right now. They've also gone to several sites around Iraq. And again, the fact that this is a Muslim holiday hasn't prevented them from assessing any site very easily.

The only reaction we've had to the British proposal or to what's happening in Britain, rather, is in a newspaper, the newspaper run by the president's son, saying that Prime Minister Blair is actually on the verge of what they say is a bottomless pit. His following of America has endangered his country, and he has a chance of surviving if he listens to the British people and helps avert a war in Iraq.

Meanwhile, Carol, the religious leaders in the southern city of Najapir (ph) have issued a fatwa, or a religious edict, calling for jihad, calling for Muslims not only in Iraq but everywhere, to fight the Americans, saying that it's a sin for anyone, any Muslim, to support the Americans if they invade Iraq -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Rym Brahimi reporting live from Baghdad 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.




Resolution>


Aired March 13, 2003 - 06:07   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now for the latest in the showdown with Iraq. This afternoon, the U.N. Security Council will take up a British plan aimed at reaching a consensus. The plan would withdraw a March 17 deadline set in a new resolution, and demand Saddam Hussein perform six specific disarmament tasks.
The benchmarks would be: A statement from Saddam Hussein renouncing efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction; letting Iraqi scientists be interviewed outside of Iraq; surrendering stores of anthrax; destroying its Al Samoud 2 missiles, all of them; and accounting for all unmanned aerial vehicles, like the drone reported by Hans Blix; and surrendering all mobile production labs.

And just a short time ago, France criticized the British proposal, saying it doesn't answer questions about the international community -- about what the international community is asking, rather. The French statement says Baghdad must be given a more realistic deadline to get rid of its weapons of mass destruction.

Of course, this again leads us to Baghdad and President Saddam Hussein. Is he willing to meet each benchmark?

Rym Brahimi is in Baghdad live. We pose that question to her.

Good morning -- Rym.

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.

Well, so far there hasn’t been an official reaction to that proposal with the benchmarks here in Baghdad. I have been talking to Iraqi officials over the past few days however, and a lot of them do seem to say we don't see what more we can do to cooperate. We've already been doing all we can. Now, we also have heard privately from some Iraqi officials that the Iraqi government is prepared to do everything it can to avert a war.

Of course, today is a Muslim holiday; especially Muslim Shiites are commemorating the death of the Imam Hussein (ph), so it's a very quiet day.

But despite that, the Al Samoud missile destruction continues. We have heard that from U.N. weapons inspectors. They're at the site right now. They've also gone to several sites around Iraq. And again, the fact that this is a Muslim holiday hasn't prevented them from assessing any site very easily.

The only reaction we've had to the British proposal or to what's happening in Britain, rather, is in a newspaper, the newspaper run by the president's son, saying that Prime Minister Blair is actually on the verge of what they say is a bottomless pit. His following of America has endangered his country, and he has a chance of surviving if he listens to the British people and helps avert a war in Iraq.

Meanwhile, Carol, the religious leaders in the southern city of Najapir (ph) have issued a fatwa, or a religious edict, calling for jihad, calling for Muslims not only in Iraq but everywhere, to fight the Americans, saying that it's a sin for anyone, any Muslim, to support the Americans if they invade Iraq -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Rym Brahimi reporting live from Baghdad 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.




Resolution>