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American Morning

Preparations for War Stepped Up in Iraq

Aired March 17, 2003 - 09:01   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: Preparations for war have been stepped up overnight in Iraq.
Let's go to Baghdad where Nic Robertson is standing by.

Good morning, Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

Well, those preparations that we're seeing around here today, people taking, or storekeepers taking goods out of stores, be it electrical stores, antiques stores, people removing what they consider to be valuable items and locking up their stores. Clearly, people expecting here war coming very, very soon.

Now the U.N. weapons inspectors here, and there are still 56 of them in Iraq, that's about half of the number there was a month ago, they say they have not received any orders or instructions yet to depart Iraq. They are continuing their work here. They're overseeing another two Al-Samoud II being destroyed today. Also, five warheads for the Al-Samoud II also being destroyed. The inspectors at a number of sites.

However, they do say they are ready to leave. They do have an evacuation plan ready, should the call come. Their primary option is to fly out of Iraq. That would take them about an hour and a half to clear Iraqi airspace after leaving the airport. They could, of course, drive. That would take them about six hours to reach the Jordanian border, and if the U.N. weapons inspectors leave, likely hot on their heels would be the U.N. humanitarian workers here, and that really would send a signal to the Iraqi population, war getting close.

The information minister here commenting a little earlier today on the Azores summit, saying that it was clear the United States -- it was clear to the rest the world, at least, the United States and Great Britain were lying. He said the rest of the world was becoming completely clear on the issue that Iraq doesn't have weapons mass destruction, and he said that the summit was therefore a failure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMED SA'EED AL SAHAF, IRAQI INFORMATION MINISTER: I think it's a failure. Despicable, the three failures, they tried again to divert the attention, and all they presented is a series of lies and a series of dark, black propaganda, like Mr. Bush and the others.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ROBERTSON: Now, Sahaf also said they are cooperating with the inspectors. A number of moves have been made in recent days, documents, lists of scientists and some particular sites -- Paula.

ZAHN: Nic, you talked about storekeepers moving some of their goods around. Are there any other signs that the Iraqi public is expecting war?

ROBERTSON: Well, yesterday, people were buying water pumps, some people were buying generators. Overnight, at least overnight when President Saddam Hussein and the Revolutionary Command Council announced that decree, splitting the country into four military areas, that really was a trigger for people just ahead of the Azores summit now, then people went to gas stations to fill up their cars. They were out again last night doing the same thing. Tonight, not as many people at the gas stations, certainly fewer people on the street here, certainly people also looking a lot more serious as they go about their business today -- Paula.

ZAHN: Nic Robertson, reporting from Baghdad this morning.

Meanwhile, President Bush is calling today the moment of truth for the world.

Dana Bash standing by at the White House with more.

Good morning, Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

Well, up until yesterday, we had heard a lot of talk about ultimatums, but those ultimatums were for Saddam Hussein to disarm.

Yesterday, the president and his chief allies issued an ultimatum to the U.N. They made it pretty clear that the U.N. has one final chance to go along with them in their notion that Saddam has already given up his chance to disarm, and that military action is clearly imminent, and that they will go along and do -- and make that move through the United Nations, but the president made very clear that diplomacy is coming to an end, possibly in the next few hours.

Now the president used this summit as a show of unity to stand side by side with his chief allies, and at that summit, he made clear that there is one chance to avoid military action, and that is for Saddam Hussein to leave Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Saddam Hussein can leave the country, if he's interested in peace. You see the decision is his to make, it's been his to make all along as to whether or not there is use of the military. He got to decide, whether he's going to disarm, and he didn't. He can decide whether he wants to leave the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BASH: Now, on his way back from the Azores, the president already started to make some phone calls, shoring up support for what he calls his coalition of the willing. He spoke with the Australian Prime Minister John Howard. He, of course, has already pledged some military troops to go along with the United States. He is expected to make calls today, also some action here at the White House this morning, some top members of the president's national security team arriving here for meeting this is morning, and, Paula, we should note that yesterday on the trip, the president had along with him his top speech writer and his top adviser, Karen Hughes, somebody who left the White House, but is still in close contact with him. The speech we are told the president could possibly give could come as early as tonight, that speech the U.S. was intending to give as soon as the U.N. process is exhausted. That could be as early as tonight, and that speech would give an ultimatum to Saddam Hussein, and would give a signal to people in Iraq, especially U.S. citizen, that it's time to leave, and that war could be imminent -- Paula.

ZAHN: Thanks, Dana. Dana Bash, reporting from the White House.

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 17, 2003 - 09:01   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Preparations for war have been stepped up overnight in Iraq.
Let's go to Baghdad where Nic Robertson is standing by.

Good morning, Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

Well, those preparations that we're seeing around here today, people taking, or storekeepers taking goods out of stores, be it electrical stores, antiques stores, people removing what they consider to be valuable items and locking up their stores. Clearly, people expecting here war coming very, very soon.

Now the U.N. weapons inspectors here, and there are still 56 of them in Iraq, that's about half of the number there was a month ago, they say they have not received any orders or instructions yet to depart Iraq. They are continuing their work here. They're overseeing another two Al-Samoud II being destroyed today. Also, five warheads for the Al-Samoud II also being destroyed. The inspectors at a number of sites.

However, they do say they are ready to leave. They do have an evacuation plan ready, should the call come. Their primary option is to fly out of Iraq. That would take them about an hour and a half to clear Iraqi airspace after leaving the airport. They could, of course, drive. That would take them about six hours to reach the Jordanian border, and if the U.N. weapons inspectors leave, likely hot on their heels would be the U.N. humanitarian workers here, and that really would send a signal to the Iraqi population, war getting close.

The information minister here commenting a little earlier today on the Azores summit, saying that it was clear the United States -- it was clear to the rest the world, at least, the United States and Great Britain were lying. He said the rest of the world was becoming completely clear on the issue that Iraq doesn't have weapons mass destruction, and he said that the summit was therefore a failure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMED SA'EED AL SAHAF, IRAQI INFORMATION MINISTER: I think it's a failure. Despicable, the three failures, they tried again to divert the attention, and all they presented is a series of lies and a series of dark, black propaganda, like Mr. Bush and the others.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ROBERTSON: Now, Sahaf also said they are cooperating with the inspectors. A number of moves have been made in recent days, documents, lists of scientists and some particular sites -- Paula.

ZAHN: Nic, you talked about storekeepers moving some of their goods around. Are there any other signs that the Iraqi public is expecting war?

ROBERTSON: Well, yesterday, people were buying water pumps, some people were buying generators. Overnight, at least overnight when President Saddam Hussein and the Revolutionary Command Council announced that decree, splitting the country into four military areas, that really was a trigger for people just ahead of the Azores summit now, then people went to gas stations to fill up their cars. They were out again last night doing the same thing. Tonight, not as many people at the gas stations, certainly fewer people on the street here, certainly people also looking a lot more serious as they go about their business today -- Paula.

ZAHN: Nic Robertson, reporting from Baghdad this morning.

Meanwhile, President Bush is calling today the moment of truth for the world.

Dana Bash standing by at the White House with more.

Good morning, Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

Well, up until yesterday, we had heard a lot of talk about ultimatums, but those ultimatums were for Saddam Hussein to disarm.

Yesterday, the president and his chief allies issued an ultimatum to the U.N. They made it pretty clear that the U.N. has one final chance to go along with them in their notion that Saddam has already given up his chance to disarm, and that military action is clearly imminent, and that they will go along and do -- and make that move through the United Nations, but the president made very clear that diplomacy is coming to an end, possibly in the next few hours.

Now the president used this summit as a show of unity to stand side by side with his chief allies, and at that summit, he made clear that there is one chance to avoid military action, and that is for Saddam Hussein to leave Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Saddam Hussein can leave the country, if he's interested in peace. You see the decision is his to make, it's been his to make all along as to whether or not there is use of the military. He got to decide, whether he's going to disarm, and he didn't. He can decide whether he wants to leave the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BASH: Now, on his way back from the Azores, the president already started to make some phone calls, shoring up support for what he calls his coalition of the willing. He spoke with the Australian Prime Minister John Howard. He, of course, has already pledged some military troops to go along with the United States. He is expected to make calls today, also some action here at the White House this morning, some top members of the president's national security team arriving here for meeting this is morning, and, Paula, we should note that yesterday on the trip, the president had along with him his top speech writer and his top adviser, Karen Hughes, somebody who left the White House, but is still in close contact with him. The speech we are told the president could possibly give could come as early as tonight, that speech the U.S. was intending to give as soon as the U.N. process is exhausted. That could be as early as tonight, and that speech would give an ultimatum to Saddam Hussein, and would give a signal to people in Iraq, especially U.S. citizen, that it's time to leave, and that war could be imminent -- Paula.

ZAHN: Thanks, Dana. Dana Bash, reporting from the White House.

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