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CNN Live At Daybreak
Pressuring Syria
Aired April 15, 2003 - 06:06 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 on to the subject of Syria. Secretary of State Colin Powell suggests the Syrians may face sanctions if they do not address U.S. demands.
CNN's David Ensor details the accusations against Damascus.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Beyond the warnings to Damascus from the Bush administration, some specific allegations.
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: We have intelligence that indicates that some Iraqi people have been allowed into Syria, in some cases to stay, in some cases to transit.
ENSOR: Family members of some senior Iraqi leaders and senior Baath Party officials are desperately trying to get into Syria, say Pentagon officials, and may try to go from there to Libya. But other U.S. officials, while they confirm evidence some lower-level Iraqis may have crossed the border, say there is, in fact, no evidence any senior Iraqi leader has been allowed into Syria thus far.
Pentagon officials also say Syria should resist the temptation to acquire Iraqi scientists to help with its chemical weapons program.
RUMSFELD: We have seen a chemical weapons test in Syria over the past 12-15 months.
ENSOR: A recent CIA report says Syria has a stockpile of the nerve agent sarin, and is trying to develop more toxic and persistent nerve agents. Syria denies it has any weapons of mass destruction.
GEOFFREY KEMP, NIXON CENTER: Someone said that with the demise of Saddam Hussein, there is now a vacancy in the axis of evil, and that Syria is a natural candidate to join the axis.
ENSOR: But it is not that simple. Complicating the picture: Syria's help in the war on terrorism.
Secretary of State Powell told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last year that -- quote: "The president has taken note of Syria's cooperation on al Qaeda. Syria's cooperation in this regard has been substantial, and has helped save American lives."
Furthermore, analysts say, the U.S. has limited leverage over Damascus. Military action, they say, would not make sense. KEMP: The danger is that if you get involved with Syria in a military way, it's very difficult to see how Israel could be left out.
ENSOR (on camera): Still, Assad deeply angered the U.S. by allowing fighters in to try to kill Americans in Iraq. The pressure on him from here now is likely to be unrelenting.
David Ensor, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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 15, 2003 - 06:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now on to the subject of Syria. Secretary of State Colin Powell suggests the Syrians may face sanctions if they do not address U.S. demands.
CNN's David Ensor details the accusations against Damascus.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Beyond the warnings to Damascus from the Bush administration, some specific allegations.
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: We have intelligence that indicates that some Iraqi people have been allowed into Syria, in some cases to stay, in some cases to transit.
ENSOR: Family members of some senior Iraqi leaders and senior Baath Party officials are desperately trying to get into Syria, say Pentagon officials, and may try to go from there to Libya. But other U.S. officials, while they confirm evidence some lower-level Iraqis may have crossed the border, say there is, in fact, no evidence any senior Iraqi leader has been allowed into Syria thus far.
Pentagon officials also say Syria should resist the temptation to acquire Iraqi scientists to help with its chemical weapons program.
RUMSFELD: We have seen a chemical weapons test in Syria over the past 12-15 months.
ENSOR: A recent CIA report says Syria has a stockpile of the nerve agent sarin, and is trying to develop more toxic and persistent nerve agents. Syria denies it has any weapons of mass destruction.
GEOFFREY KEMP, NIXON CENTER: Someone said that with the demise of Saddam Hussein, there is now a vacancy in the axis of evil, and that Syria is a natural candidate to join the axis.
ENSOR: But it is not that simple. Complicating the picture: Syria's help in the war on terrorism.
Secretary of State Powell told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last year that -- quote: "The president has taken note of Syria's cooperation on al Qaeda. Syria's cooperation in this regard has been substantial, and has helped save American lives."
Furthermore, analysts say, the U.S. has limited leverage over Damascus. Military action, they say, would not make sense. KEMP: The danger is that if you get involved with Syria in a military way, it's very difficult to see how Israel could be left out.
ENSOR (on camera): Still, Assad deeply angered the U.S. by allowing fighters in to try to kill Americans in Iraq. The pressure on him from here now is likely to be unrelenting.
David Ensor, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
