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CNN Live At Daybreak
Bush Prepares to Address U.N. General Assembly Tomorrow
Aired September 22, 2003 - 05:05 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: President Bush, of course, is monitoring the latest developments in Iraq, as he does prepare to address the U.N. General Assembly tomorrow.
Now, CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash reports he'll ask the world body for help.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The president, back from Camp David to prepare for a week of mending diplomatic fences at the U.N. in hopes of getting more help mending war torn Iraq.
Tuesday, he returns to a United Nations still smarting from bitter divisions over Iraq, as the post-war situation is more dangerous and expensive, officials admit, than anticipated.
Democrats and Republicans who supported the war say it will be a tough sell, but Mr. Bush must give up some U.S. control to get the international assistance he wants.
SEN. CHRIS DODD (D), CONNECTICUT: We need to get the United Nations and the international community in. And there seems to be a great reluctance on the part of the administration to share the burden of Iraq. And unless we do that, this is going to continue to go downhill.
SEN. CHUCK HAGEL (R-NB), FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: We need assistance, we need training, we need money. But I think as much as anything else, we need a perception by the Iraqis that this is not just an American program.
BASH: A senior administration official tells CNN Mr. Bush will issue as "call to action" in three areas -- reconstruction not only in Iraq, but Afghanistan; success in both countries, the president will say, is in the world's interests; also, stopping the flow of weapons of mass destruction around the globe and working to end human rights violations, with a focus on banning slavery and exploitation of women.
As important as the president's public address when it comes to Iraq is his private pitch. Key one-on-one meetings are scheduled with two chief foes of the Iraq war, French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, with whom Mr. Bush has not had a substantial meeting in nearly a year and a half. Both leaders are crucial in the U.S. push for a new U.N. resolution aimed at luring more troops and money to Iraq. But they want Iraqis in control more quickly than Bush officials say is realistic. (on camera): Last year, the president suggested the U.N. risked being irrelevant if it didn't take action against Saddam Hussein. Now Mr. Bush finds a U.N. still relevant, indeed, seeking its blessing in order to get financial institutions and nations to help rebuild Iraq.
Dana Bash, CNN, the White House.
(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 September 22, 2003 - 05:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush, of course, is monitoring the latest developments in Iraq, as he does prepare to address the U.N. General Assembly tomorrow.
Now, CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash reports he'll ask the world body for help.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The president, back from Camp David to prepare for a week of mending diplomatic fences at the U.N. in hopes of getting more help mending war torn Iraq.
Tuesday, he returns to a United Nations still smarting from bitter divisions over Iraq, as the post-war situation is more dangerous and expensive, officials admit, than anticipated.
Democrats and Republicans who supported the war say it will be a tough sell, but Mr. Bush must give up some U.S. control to get the international assistance he wants.
SEN. CHRIS DODD (D), CONNECTICUT: We need to get the United Nations and the international community in. And there seems to be a great reluctance on the part of the administration to share the burden of Iraq. And unless we do that, this is going to continue to go downhill.
SEN. CHUCK HAGEL (R-NB), FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: We need assistance, we need training, we need money. But I think as much as anything else, we need a perception by the Iraqis that this is not just an American program.
BASH: A senior administration official tells CNN Mr. Bush will issue as "call to action" in three areas -- reconstruction not only in Iraq, but Afghanistan; success in both countries, the president will say, is in the world's interests; also, stopping the flow of weapons of mass destruction around the globe and working to end human rights violations, with a focus on banning slavery and exploitation of women.
As important as the president's public address when it comes to Iraq is his private pitch. Key one-on-one meetings are scheduled with two chief foes of the Iraq war, French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, with whom Mr. Bush has not had a substantial meeting in nearly a year and a half. Both leaders are crucial in the U.S. push for a new U.N. resolution aimed at luring more troops and money to Iraq. But they want Iraqis in control more quickly than Bush officials say is realistic. (on camera): Last year, the president suggested the U.N. risked being irrelevant if it didn't take action against Saddam Hussein. Now Mr. Bush finds a U.N. still relevant, indeed, seeking its blessing in order to get financial institutions and nations to help rebuild Iraq.
Dana Bash, CNN, the White House.
(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