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CNN Live At Daybreak
International Wrap: Eye on the World
Aired September 16, 2003 - 06:41 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: Well the United States is taking aim at Syria again.
Our senior international editor David Clinch is here with details on that.
So what's this about?
DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Hey, Carol.
Well, we saw Colin Powell in Iraq over the last couple of days looking at the progress, or lack of progress there, depending on which way you look at it. He certainly saw a lot of progress in his mind while he was there.
But on his way back from the region, he brought up, as he said, the subject, which it's going to be in the background for a while now, Syria and Iran, of course, but primarily Syria, specifically pointing out that he had gone to Syria in May and warned them quite -- in quite friendly terms at the time, that they needed greater cooperation on the subject of terrorism, weapons of mass destruction. Syrian troops in Lebanon needed to be removed. All of those issues were brought back up in May.
Well he noted to reporters on his way back from Iraq that none of that progress has been seen or very little, in his view. And reminded the Syrians, he wasn't in Syria, but he reminded the Syrians in the region while he was there that Congress will be debating what's called a Syrian Accountability Act today in Washington.
COSTELLO: The Syrian Accountability Act.
CLINCH: Yes, this was an act which was rejected previously by the Bush administration giving Syria a chance, basically. The Bush administration said they wouldn't allow it to pass in the past. Well it's going to be debated again, and Powell pointing out to the Syrians, be careful, because this time we might.
Now it calls on Syria for progress in that regard.
COSTELLO: And what happens if there is no progress?
CLINCH: Well that's the question. Of course you know as we were looking in the Gallop Poll there, the amount of money that's being spent on Iraq is a big issue in terms of the economy. But terrorism, weapons of mass destruction are still a big issue for the public and for the Bush administration, and they simply cannot allow countries like Syria and Iran to continue not cooperating.
COSTELLO: Well aren't some of those weapons of mass destruction supposed to be hidden in Syria?
CLINCH: Well, those kinds of reports have been out there. We have never really found anything of great substance. I think the weapons of mass destruction that they are talking about, for the most part, are those that get sent to Hezbollah and are there available for their use primarily against Israel. But of course there is the question mark what is in Syria in terms of terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, an almost complete lack of cooperation so far.
The Syrians saying today in response to what Powell said yesterday that they will cooperate if the U.S. demands are logical and realistic. Well that's very nice of them. But again, the question now of course becomes the Americans so deeply involved in Iraq, what kind of threat can they really mount against Syria and Iran. I mean we're not really talking about military action at this point. That, of course, was a threat back at the time originally when they went back into Iraq. That's not really a realistic threat right now, but still Syria on warning. So that's the story we're covering today.
I told you earlier I would check -- you asked me, we were talking about the report of a -- or the story of a new arrival on the Pitcairn Islands.
COSTELLO: Yes.
CLINCH: For anybody who wasn't watching earlier, young Emily Rose Christian (ph), first child born on the Pitcairn Islands in 17 years. Pushes the population from 47 up to 48.
COSTELLO: And that's down there near New Zealand.
CLINCH: Right. She is now the ninth generation from the mutineers from the HMS Bounty.
COSTELLO: And there are only 48 people on the island.
CLINCH: Christian (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Well, we talked about her earlier. And you asked me what do these 47, now 48, people in the Pitcairn Islands do. They do fish, as you suggested. But apparently the way you make money on the Pitcairn Islands is you sell stamps.
COSTELLO: Stamps.
CLINCH: Well, people pay a lot of money for rare stamps, and it doesn't get much more rarer than a Pitcairn Island stamp. And now with the Internet, they have -- actually have a Web site dedicated to selling stamps.
COSTELLO: You have got to be kidding.
CLINCH: And actually also selling Web sites with the suffix, I suppose you would call it, pn, which is the Pitcairn Island suffix. So you could have, you know, Carol.pn, if you wanted. Lots of money to be made...
COSTELLO: Got you.
CLINCH: ... in both of those areas, apparently.
COSTELLO: Well thank you for enlightening us. We appreciate it.
CLINCH: OK.
COSTELLO: Thank you, David.
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 September 16, 2003 - 06:41 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Well the United States is taking aim at Syria again.
Our senior international editor David Clinch is here with details on that.
So what's this about?
DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Hey, Carol.
Well, we saw Colin Powell in Iraq over the last couple of days looking at the progress, or lack of progress there, depending on which way you look at it. He certainly saw a lot of progress in his mind while he was there.
But on his way back from the region, he brought up, as he said, the subject, which it's going to be in the background for a while now, Syria and Iran, of course, but primarily Syria, specifically pointing out that he had gone to Syria in May and warned them quite -- in quite friendly terms at the time, that they needed greater cooperation on the subject of terrorism, weapons of mass destruction. Syrian troops in Lebanon needed to be removed. All of those issues were brought back up in May.
Well he noted to reporters on his way back from Iraq that none of that progress has been seen or very little, in his view. And reminded the Syrians, he wasn't in Syria, but he reminded the Syrians in the region while he was there that Congress will be debating what's called a Syrian Accountability Act today in Washington.
COSTELLO: The Syrian Accountability Act.
CLINCH: Yes, this was an act which was rejected previously by the Bush administration giving Syria a chance, basically. The Bush administration said they wouldn't allow it to pass in the past. Well it's going to be debated again, and Powell pointing out to the Syrians, be careful, because this time we might.
Now it calls on Syria for progress in that regard.
COSTELLO: And what happens if there is no progress?
CLINCH: Well that's the question. Of course you know as we were looking in the Gallop Poll there, the amount of money that's being spent on Iraq is a big issue in terms of the economy. But terrorism, weapons of mass destruction are still a big issue for the public and for the Bush administration, and they simply cannot allow countries like Syria and Iran to continue not cooperating.
COSTELLO: Well aren't some of those weapons of mass destruction supposed to be hidden in Syria?
CLINCH: Well, those kinds of reports have been out there. We have never really found anything of great substance. I think the weapons of mass destruction that they are talking about, for the most part, are those that get sent to Hezbollah and are there available for their use primarily against Israel. But of course there is the question mark what is in Syria in terms of terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, an almost complete lack of cooperation so far.
The Syrians saying today in response to what Powell said yesterday that they will cooperate if the U.S. demands are logical and realistic. Well that's very nice of them. But again, the question now of course becomes the Americans so deeply involved in Iraq, what kind of threat can they really mount against Syria and Iran. I mean we're not really talking about military action at this point. That, of course, was a threat back at the time originally when they went back into Iraq. That's not really a realistic threat right now, but still Syria on warning. So that's the story we're covering today.
I told you earlier I would check -- you asked me, we were talking about the report of a -- or the story of a new arrival on the Pitcairn Islands.
COSTELLO: Yes.
CLINCH: For anybody who wasn't watching earlier, young Emily Rose Christian (ph), first child born on the Pitcairn Islands in 17 years. Pushes the population from 47 up to 48.
COSTELLO: And that's down there near New Zealand.
CLINCH: Right. She is now the ninth generation from the mutineers from the HMS Bounty.
COSTELLO: And there are only 48 people on the island.
CLINCH: Christian (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Well, we talked about her earlier. And you asked me what do these 47, now 48, people in the Pitcairn Islands do. They do fish, as you suggested. But apparently the way you make money on the Pitcairn Islands is you sell stamps.
COSTELLO: Stamps.
CLINCH: Well, people pay a lot of money for rare stamps, and it doesn't get much more rarer than a Pitcairn Island stamp. And now with the Internet, they have -- actually have a Web site dedicated to selling stamps.
COSTELLO: You have got to be kidding.
CLINCH: And actually also selling Web sites with the suffix, I suppose you would call it, pn, which is the Pitcairn Island suffix. So you could have, you know, Carol.pn, if you wanted. Lots of money to be made...
COSTELLO: Got you.
CLINCH: ... in both of those areas, apparently.
COSTELLO: Well thank you for enlightening us. We appreciate it.
CLINCH: OK.
COSTELLO: Thank you, David.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
