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CNN Live At Daybreak

Wake-Up Call: Iraqi Sanctions

Aired May 08, 2003 - 06:04   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: We've also placed a "Wake-Up Call" to our State Department producer, Elise Labott.
Elise -- good morning.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: Well, there's a real push here by the United States to lift the sanctions across the board against Iraq.

Yesterday, the Bush administration announced it will ease some of its unilateral sanctions imposed against Iraq to clear the way for expanded oil sales, allow expanded money, goods and equipment to be brought into Iraq for reconstruction efforts. And then they'll push the U.N. Security Council to lift the sanctions with that resolution; the British and Spain also joining the U.S. in sponsoring this text.

Secretary Powell met with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan about this resolution yesterday. We're hearing it called for the naming of a special U.N. representative on Iraq to coordinate with the U.S. and coalition partners on the reconstruction, and does provide for an arrangement for international oversight of Iraqi oil sales.

The Bush administration is hoping that this resolution will heal some of those rifts between the U.S. and some of the council members, such as France, Russia and Germany, that opposed the war -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So, is that a compromise within the resolution to include a member of the United Nations to help oversee the oil in Iraq? Will that compromise make the Security Council vote for the resolution, do you think?

LABOTT: Well, everybody has been calling for a U.N. role all along, saying that, you know, the U.N. is very knowledgeable, has a lot of experience in reconstruction, thinks like that, and they trust the U.N. a lot more to deal with some of those issues than they do the U.S.

So far, Russia has been the biggest hold-out, urging the Security Council not to lift the sanctions until Iraq has been certified that it's clear of weapons of mass destruction. Moscow is very worried that its commercial interests will be negatively affected if the sanctions are lifted on Iraqi oil and the food program -- the oil-for- food program is discontinued. So, they're pushing for a longer period of U.N. control over those oil sales, and Germany has indicated it could support the resolution with some reservations.

So, now the Bush administration is sending a top State Department official, Assistant Secretary Kim Holmes, to Moscow and Berlin in the coming days to try and persuade the Russians and Germans to support the resolution and the lifting of the sanctions, and we know this will be followed by a visit by Secretary Powell to Moscow and Berlin next week -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Gotcha. Elise Labott, thanks for bringing us up-to- date on DAYBREAK.

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 May 8, 2003 - 06:04   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We've also placed a "Wake-Up Call" to our State Department producer, Elise Labott.
Elise -- good morning.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: Well, there's a real push here by the United States to lift the sanctions across the board against Iraq.

Yesterday, the Bush administration announced it will ease some of its unilateral sanctions imposed against Iraq to clear the way for expanded oil sales, allow expanded money, goods and equipment to be brought into Iraq for reconstruction efforts. And then they'll push the U.N. Security Council to lift the sanctions with that resolution; the British and Spain also joining the U.S. in sponsoring this text.

Secretary Powell met with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan about this resolution yesterday. We're hearing it called for the naming of a special U.N. representative on Iraq to coordinate with the U.S. and coalition partners on the reconstruction, and does provide for an arrangement for international oversight of Iraqi oil sales.

The Bush administration is hoping that this resolution will heal some of those rifts between the U.S. and some of the council members, such as France, Russia and Germany, that opposed the war -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So, is that a compromise within the resolution to include a member of the United Nations to help oversee the oil in Iraq? Will that compromise make the Security Council vote for the resolution, do you think?

LABOTT: Well, everybody has been calling for a U.N. role all along, saying that, you know, the U.N. is very knowledgeable, has a lot of experience in reconstruction, thinks like that, and they trust the U.N. a lot more to deal with some of those issues than they do the U.S.

So far, Russia has been the biggest hold-out, urging the Security Council not to lift the sanctions until Iraq has been certified that it's clear of weapons of mass destruction. Moscow is very worried that its commercial interests will be negatively affected if the sanctions are lifted on Iraqi oil and the food program -- the oil-for- food program is discontinued. So, they're pushing for a longer period of U.N. control over those oil sales, and Germany has indicated it could support the resolution with some reservations.

So, now the Bush administration is sending a top State Department official, Assistant Secretary Kim Holmes, to Moscow and Berlin in the coming days to try and persuade the Russians and Germans to support the resolution and the lifting of the sanctions, and we know this will be followed by a visit by Secretary Powell to Moscow and Berlin next week -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Gotcha. Elise Labott, thanks for bringing us up-to- date on DAYBREAK.

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