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CNN Live Today

Washington Issues Multiple Warnings to Syria

Aired April 14, 2003 - 11:23   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.


LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Moments ago here, we saw and heard Secretary of State Colin Powell echoing those words, and also saying that Syria has told the U.S. that its border is closed. However, the secretary of state says it is a very porous border. Syria today now denying that it is harboring members of the Iraqi regime over that border, the regime or their families. More on that now coming from CNN's Sheila MacVicar, who joins us from the Syrian capital, Damascus -- hello, Sheila.
SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Leon. Yes, indeed, a litany of allegations coming Washington way towards Damascus. Yesterday, we had the triple whammy. Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell, and the president himself all putting Syria on notion -- notice, rather, and all talking about different issues.

From the president, we heard the question of Syria's chemical weapons program, a covert program which Syria has never acknowledged, but which is widely believed to exist. We heard from the secretary of state and secretary of defense on the question of weapons transfers, and the question of these allegations about members of Saddam Hussein's regime finding shelter in Syria.

Now, the Syrians have been talking about these allegations for days, have said that to the best of their knowledge, and this is a country where one would be fairly certain that the government would have a good idea of who is here, that to the best of their knowledge, there is no one here from Saddam Hussein's regime, certainly no one that's on the wanted list of 55, not even any family members from senior regime authority figures.

It's also interesting to note that late last week, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld himself described the information that he was speaking out on, the basis of that information, is what he called "scraps of intelligence," and we're being told by very well informed sources here in the Syrian capital that it is just simply impossible to confirm or deny, but it would seem on balance to be very unlikely. So it would seem, Leon, that what we're listening to are perhaps some warning shots being fired across Syria's bow, if you will, a warning, muscular warning, If you're even thinking about doing this, don't do it because we'll know, and if you are doing it, then please stop -- Leon.

HARRIS: Well, Sheila, is there any way to interpret -- or figure out exactly how the government of Bashar al Asad, the president of Syria, is actually interpreting these words, and if there's any sign as to whether or not they're having any effect on their policy there? MACVICAR: Well, we've heard from a number of Syrian officials, the most public statement we have was over the weekend from Syria's foreign minister, Farouk al Shara, who -- a clearly frustrated foreign minister talking about the multiple number of messages that the Syrians are hearing from the American administration, and talking about, basically saying, sometimes we don't know what they want.

It's been very confusing, I think, at least in part for them. Hearing today from U.K. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, the question of what happens next, him saying very clearly that there is no list, Syria is not next on the list, and saying also very clearly that Syria does not face military action from the U.S. and the U.K., but it may face a range of other sanctions. There clearly are, as Jack Straw has said, some very serious questions which the Syrian authorities will have to be held to account for, serious questions which they must answer, and questions which they are being encouraged by others to fully cooperate in answering -- Leon.

HARRIS: All right. We may be at just at the beginning of this road. We'll have to see where it leads. Thank you, Sheila. Sheila MacVicar reporting live for us from Damascus, Syria.

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 - 11:23   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Moments ago here, we saw and heard Secretary of State Colin Powell echoing those words, and also saying that Syria has told the U.S. that its border is closed. However, the secretary of state says it is a very porous border. Syria today now denying that it is harboring members of the Iraqi regime over that border, the regime or their families. More on that now coming from CNN's Sheila MacVicar, who joins us from the Syrian capital, Damascus -- hello, Sheila.
SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Leon. Yes, indeed, a litany of allegations coming Washington way towards Damascus. Yesterday, we had the triple whammy. Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell, and the president himself all putting Syria on notion -- notice, rather, and all talking about different issues.

From the president, we heard the question of Syria's chemical weapons program, a covert program which Syria has never acknowledged, but which is widely believed to exist. We heard from the secretary of state and secretary of defense on the question of weapons transfers, and the question of these allegations about members of Saddam Hussein's regime finding shelter in Syria.

Now, the Syrians have been talking about these allegations for days, have said that to the best of their knowledge, and this is a country where one would be fairly certain that the government would have a good idea of who is here, that to the best of their knowledge, there is no one here from Saddam Hussein's regime, certainly no one that's on the wanted list of 55, not even any family members from senior regime authority figures.

It's also interesting to note that late last week, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld himself described the information that he was speaking out on, the basis of that information, is what he called "scraps of intelligence," and we're being told by very well informed sources here in the Syrian capital that it is just simply impossible to confirm or deny, but it would seem on balance to be very unlikely. So it would seem, Leon, that what we're listening to are perhaps some warning shots being fired across Syria's bow, if you will, a warning, muscular warning, If you're even thinking about doing this, don't do it because we'll know, and if you are doing it, then please stop -- Leon.

HARRIS: Well, Sheila, is there any way to interpret -- or figure out exactly how the government of Bashar al Asad, the president of Syria, is actually interpreting these words, and if there's any sign as to whether or not they're having any effect on their policy there? MACVICAR: Well, we've heard from a number of Syrian officials, the most public statement we have was over the weekend from Syria's foreign minister, Farouk al Shara, who -- a clearly frustrated foreign minister talking about the multiple number of messages that the Syrians are hearing from the American administration, and talking about, basically saying, sometimes we don't know what they want.

It's been very confusing, I think, at least in part for them. Hearing today from U.K. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, the question of what happens next, him saying very clearly that there is no list, Syria is not next on the list, and saying also very clearly that Syria does not face military action from the U.S. and the U.K., but it may face a range of other sanctions. There clearly are, as Jack Straw has said, some very serious questions which the Syrian authorities will have to be held to account for, serious questions which they must answer, and questions which they are being encouraged by others to fully cooperate in answering -- Leon.

HARRIS: All right. We may be at just at the beginning of this road. We'll have to see where it leads. Thank you, Sheila. Sheila MacVicar reporting live for us from Damascus, Syria.

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