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CNN Live At Daybreak

CNN International News Desk

Aired July 14, 2003 - 05:51   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: In France, they are celebrating Bastille Day with increased security for the traditional parade down the Champs d'Elysees. Did I say that right, David?
DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Champs d'Elysees.

COSTELLO: Thank you.

Last year, someone fired a pistol at French President Jacques Chirac during the parade. Today marks the 214th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille. It's a good thing you were here.

CLINCH: Yes.

COSTELLO: I've been on vacation, David.

CLINCH: Glad to help.

COSTELLO: But let's get...

CLINCH: Champs d'Elysees.

COSTELLO: Thank you.

CLINCH: Well, actually the Champs d'Elysees features -- and one of the things I was going to talk about today, we are covering this so-called 16 words story.

COSTELLO: Oh, yes.

CLINCH: The reference that President Bush made in his State of the Union address last year about the British government having learned that Iraq was trying to get uranium from Africa.

Well, the story just won't go away.

COSTELLO: No.

CLINCH: And one of the things we've been looking into most recently is that there -- the British are very embarrassed and annoyed by the fact that they say they still have information that they believe to be credible that Iraq was trying to get uranium.

COSTELLO: But it's separate intelligence from the intelligence that President Bush talked about in his State of the Union.

CLINCH: Yes. They're saying it's not the stuff that the Americans have dismissed, it's not the faked documents, it's other intelligence. But, they say they can't say where they got it from because it's from another intelligence agency, not British intelligence...

COSTELLO: And why? Why can't they say where they got it?

CLINCH: Well, in their view, they're saying it's not us, we don't want to embarrass our sources or compromise them. It's up to the other country to reveal it. But we, the British, cannot give it to the United States or to the IAEA.

And as far as we know, and, in fact, we've just confirmed this with the IAEA, they, the British, never have shown it to the Americans and never have shown it to the IAEA -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So, can we make some educated guesses as to what country supposedly gave this information to Britain?

CLINCH: Well, there was a lot of reporting out in the last few weeks that it might have been from Italian intelligence. Well, we've been pushing the Italians for weeks. They, the Berlesconi government, put out a statement on Sunday, a very specific statement, saying the Italian intelligence had never given any information about Iraq seeking uranium from Africa.

Well, who else might it be? We don't know, but -- and this is very much unconfirmed stuff -- but we're looking at reports in British newspapers today that, believe it or not, it might have come from the French.

COSTELLO: Oh, come on.

CLINCH: Now, that seems very unlikely, the French obviously supplying information that Iraq was looking for nuclear -- for weapons of mass destruction seems unlikely the French. But possibility there, according to the British reports, is that the French are very well connected in Africa, in Niger particularly. French companies run those uranium mines. They might have had intelligence which they might have shared with the British but insisted the British never show it to the Americans or anyone else.

Perhaps. It doesn't seem tremendously likely. But Bastille Day playing a role in the fact that we're trying to get the French to give us a reaction on that and they're all turning that...

COSTELLO: Bastille Day is playing a role in this?

CLINCH: Well, they're tremendously busy celebrating Bastille Day. So our Jim Bittermann and others in Paris trying to get their hands on some French officials today to, we assume, reject those suggestions, as the Italians have. Whether they reject them or not, the question that will haunt Tony Blair as he comes to the United States later this week is what is that other intelligence? They're out there on the record right now saying we have this other intelligence. They're, the question will not go away, especially as the comes here to Washington later in the week. COSTELLO: Well, wouldn't you like to be in the room when President Bush talks to Tony Blair?

CLINCH: Right.

COSTELLO: Because, you know, things might get a little hot under the collar.

CLINCH: It's tense. I mean frustration is the official word in Britain. But there is some anger, I would think, behind-the-scenes. The British are appearing quite silly at the moment in the sense that the Americans have said there's no evidence to support this claim, the British, putting it on the British was silly, it should have never been in the speech. And the British are saying well, actually, we have some intelligence that we believe.

So it's very awkward. They can't reveal what that intelligence is. And, of course, we're trying to find out which country it came from. And that question won't go away.

COSTELLO: OK...

CLINCH: Very quickly, I'll talk more about this at six, President Bush has left Africa. We're still there reporting. We're hoping to report from Liberia again today. It's pouring with rain there today so we can't get a signal up. But we will stay on that story for the foreseeable future and still reporting on Africa long term.

COSTELLO: All right, David Clinch, many thanks.

We'll check back with you in the next hour.

CLINCH: OK.

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 July 14, 2003 - 05:51   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: In France, they are celebrating Bastille Day with increased security for the traditional parade down the Champs d'Elysees. Did I say that right, David?
DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Champs d'Elysees.

COSTELLO: Thank you.

Last year, someone fired a pistol at French President Jacques Chirac during the parade. Today marks the 214th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille. It's a good thing you were here.

CLINCH: Yes.

COSTELLO: I've been on vacation, David.

CLINCH: Glad to help.

COSTELLO: But let's get...

CLINCH: Champs d'Elysees.

COSTELLO: Thank you.

CLINCH: Well, actually the Champs d'Elysees features -- and one of the things I was going to talk about today, we are covering this so-called 16 words story.

COSTELLO: Oh, yes.

CLINCH: The reference that President Bush made in his State of the Union address last year about the British government having learned that Iraq was trying to get uranium from Africa.

Well, the story just won't go away.

COSTELLO: No.

CLINCH: And one of the things we've been looking into most recently is that there -- the British are very embarrassed and annoyed by the fact that they say they still have information that they believe to be credible that Iraq was trying to get uranium.

COSTELLO: But it's separate intelligence from the intelligence that President Bush talked about in his State of the Union.

CLINCH: Yes. They're saying it's not the stuff that the Americans have dismissed, it's not the faked documents, it's other intelligence. But, they say they can't say where they got it from because it's from another intelligence agency, not British intelligence...

COSTELLO: And why? Why can't they say where they got it?

CLINCH: Well, in their view, they're saying it's not us, we don't want to embarrass our sources or compromise them. It's up to the other country to reveal it. But we, the British, cannot give it to the United States or to the IAEA.

And as far as we know, and, in fact, we've just confirmed this with the IAEA, they, the British, never have shown it to the Americans and never have shown it to the IAEA -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So, can we make some educated guesses as to what country supposedly gave this information to Britain?

CLINCH: Well, there was a lot of reporting out in the last few weeks that it might have been from Italian intelligence. Well, we've been pushing the Italians for weeks. They, the Berlesconi government, put out a statement on Sunday, a very specific statement, saying the Italian intelligence had never given any information about Iraq seeking uranium from Africa.

Well, who else might it be? We don't know, but -- and this is very much unconfirmed stuff -- but we're looking at reports in British newspapers today that, believe it or not, it might have come from the French.

COSTELLO: Oh, come on.

CLINCH: Now, that seems very unlikely, the French obviously supplying information that Iraq was looking for nuclear -- for weapons of mass destruction seems unlikely the French. But possibility there, according to the British reports, is that the French are very well connected in Africa, in Niger particularly. French companies run those uranium mines. They might have had intelligence which they might have shared with the British but insisted the British never show it to the Americans or anyone else.

Perhaps. It doesn't seem tremendously likely. But Bastille Day playing a role in the fact that we're trying to get the French to give us a reaction on that and they're all turning that...

COSTELLO: Bastille Day is playing a role in this?

CLINCH: Well, they're tremendously busy celebrating Bastille Day. So our Jim Bittermann and others in Paris trying to get their hands on some French officials today to, we assume, reject those suggestions, as the Italians have. Whether they reject them or not, the question that will haunt Tony Blair as he comes to the United States later this week is what is that other intelligence? They're out there on the record right now saying we have this other intelligence. They're, the question will not go away, especially as the comes here to Washington later in the week. COSTELLO: Well, wouldn't you like to be in the room when President Bush talks to Tony Blair?

CLINCH: Right.

COSTELLO: Because, you know, things might get a little hot under the collar.

CLINCH: It's tense. I mean frustration is the official word in Britain. But there is some anger, I would think, behind-the-scenes. The British are appearing quite silly at the moment in the sense that the Americans have said there's no evidence to support this claim, the British, putting it on the British was silly, it should have never been in the speech. And the British are saying well, actually, we have some intelligence that we believe.

So it's very awkward. They can't reveal what that intelligence is. And, of course, we're trying to find out which country it came from. And that question won't go away.

COSTELLO: OK...

CLINCH: Very quickly, I'll talk more about this at six, President Bush has left Africa. We're still there reporting. We're hoping to report from Liberia again today. It's pouring with rain there today so we can't get a signal up. But we will stay on that story for the foreseeable future and still reporting on Africa long term.

COSTELLO: All right, David Clinch, many thanks.

We'll check back with you in the next hour.

CLINCH: OK.

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