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CNN Live At Daybreak
View From White House
Aired April 14, 2003 - 06:36 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: The Bush administration is becoming increasingly frustrated with Syria. President Bush wants Damascus to become more cooperative and stop harboring members of Saddam Hussein's fallen government.
Let's get an update now from the White House and Dana Bash, who is live on the phone with us this morning.
Good morning.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Well, you're absolutely right. The administration's rhetoric from the president on down is getting pretty tough when it comes to Syria; first, as you mentioned, the question of harboring senior members of Iraq's regime.
The president talked to us when he returned from Camp David yesterday, and he said that the Syrian government needs to cooperate with the U.S. and the coalition partners, not to harbor what he said were Baathists and any military officials, anybody who could be held accountable for their leadership and what he says that they have done or they did as leaders in Iraq.
And the president also suggested and said that Syria has chemical weapons, and said that -- quote -- "People have got to know that we're serious about stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction."
Now, although ridding Iraq of weapons of mass destruction was the primary stated goal for that war, for this war that we're currently in, the president was really careful, Carol, not to threaten military action against Syria in any way at this point. But nevertheless, the rhetoric was pretty strong.
COSTELLO: And, Dana, we just talked to Sheila MacVicar, who is in Damascus. Syria is denying everything. So what can that country do to prove to the Bush administration that it's telling the truth?
BASH: That's a good question, and I think that's going to be a hard thing to do, particularly listening to not only the president yesterday, but his top aides. Secretary Rumsfeld, the defense secretary, was also condemning Syria for what he says is their attempt to send -- quote -- "busloads of people into Iraq to help the Iraqis fight American soldiers." So pretty strong words from some of the president's top aides.
In addition to that, of course, going back about a week, the Bush administration is also charging that Syria is or has sold some military equipment to the Iraqis, like night-vision goggles, that has helped them -- or was intended to help them fight the Americans.
So these are pretty strong words from the Bush administration. Again, certainly not threatening any military action, but making it pretty clear that they mean business. And the top -- really, the top issue for the Bush administration is this whole question of whether or not they're harboring the senior members of the Iraqi -- or the Baathist Party.
COSTELLO: Yes, and we know that coalition forces caught Saddam's half-brother as he was trying to make his way into Syria. He did not make it. He is now in the custody of coalition forces.
Dana Bash live from Washington, many thanks to you.
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 April 14, 2003 - 06:36 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The Bush administration is becoming increasingly frustrated with Syria. President Bush wants Damascus to become more cooperative and stop harboring members of Saddam Hussein's fallen government.
Let's get an update now from the White House and Dana Bash, who is live on the phone with us this morning.
Good morning.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Well, you're absolutely right. The administration's rhetoric from the president on down is getting pretty tough when it comes to Syria; first, as you mentioned, the question of harboring senior members of Iraq's regime.
The president talked to us when he returned from Camp David yesterday, and he said that the Syrian government needs to cooperate with the U.S. and the coalition partners, not to harbor what he said were Baathists and any military officials, anybody who could be held accountable for their leadership and what he says that they have done or they did as leaders in Iraq.
And the president also suggested and said that Syria has chemical weapons, and said that -- quote -- "People have got to know that we're serious about stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction."
Now, although ridding Iraq of weapons of mass destruction was the primary stated goal for that war, for this war that we're currently in, the president was really careful, Carol, not to threaten military action against Syria in any way at this point. But nevertheless, the rhetoric was pretty strong.
COSTELLO: And, Dana, we just talked to Sheila MacVicar, who is in Damascus. Syria is denying everything. So what can that country do to prove to the Bush administration that it's telling the truth?
BASH: That's a good question, and I think that's going to be a hard thing to do, particularly listening to not only the president yesterday, but his top aides. Secretary Rumsfeld, the defense secretary, was also condemning Syria for what he says is their attempt to send -- quote -- "busloads of people into Iraq to help the Iraqis fight American soldiers." So pretty strong words from some of the president's top aides.
In addition to that, of course, going back about a week, the Bush administration is also charging that Syria is or has sold some military equipment to the Iraqis, like night-vision goggles, that has helped them -- or was intended to help them fight the Americans.
So these are pretty strong words from the Bush administration. Again, certainly not threatening any military action, but making it pretty clear that they mean business. And the top -- really, the top issue for the Bush administration is this whole question of whether or not they're harboring the senior members of the Iraqi -- or the Baathist Party.
COSTELLO: Yes, and we know that coalition forces caught Saddam's half-brother as he was trying to make his way into Syria. He did not make it. He is now in the custody of coalition forces.
Dana Bash live from Washington, many thanks to you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
