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CNN Live At Daybreak

International News Desk

Aired September 22, 2003 - 05:33   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: Of course, Iraq is in the forefront of the work our international desk is doing today, as well as other news globally.
So let's check in with our senior international editor, David Clinch -- good morning.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Carol, good morning.

Yes, well, President Bush's speech to the United Nations on Tuesday -- time flies, doesn't it? It does not seem like a year ago that President Bush was up there in front of the U.N. justifying the action the United States was about to take with or without, as we now know, without U.N. support.

He'll be back up there again tomorrow and this time around more than ever, really, I think it's not just an international story, it's increasingly becoming a domestic story, President Bush still, to a certain extent, justifying the war, even though, in some ways, the war is over. And more importantly now with it being an election year, everything that happens in Iraq, everything he says at the U.N. is a factor in his own campaign to remain president.

COSTELLO: But what can he say to get the international community to give the United States some money and some troops to help out in Iraq?

CLINCH: Well, there are lots of things he could say...

COSTELLO: Yes?

CLINCH: But it's not entirely clear that he's prepared to say any of them. I think there are all indications that he will, in a general sense, talk about the United Nations taking on a greater role in Iraq in the political side, perhaps on the military side in the long run. But in the immediate sense, it is far from clear that either at the U.N. or in any U.N. resolution that he wants passed, that the United States will say the words or write the words that France and Russia and others want to see, to really take it to the next level, to get Pakistani, Turkish troops in there, perhaps even French troops.

Well, you know, we're hearing from President Chirac of France in the "New York Times" today, in a full length interview with them, laying out his version of events -- a very fast turnover of sovereignty to the Iraqi government, the United States leaving and then a second phase of six to nine months before there's full independence for Iraq.

COSTELLO: The "New York Times" is reporting this morning that members of the Iraqi Governing Council are going to come to the United States and say, hey, turn over sovereignty to us, we can save you lots of money.

CLINCH: Right.

COSTELLO: Isn't that going to complicate things for President Bush?

CLINCH: Well, it will to a certain extent. I mean the Governing Council is sort of sandwiched in between the Bush administration position and the France position. The Iraqi Governing Council, knowing that it's not fully ready to take on responsibility, but on the other hand, as you see in the "New York Times" report today, saying we could do it a lot cheaper right now than L. Paul Bremer and his people are doing it.

They're pointing out examples, for instance, in this article, of saying Bremer and the administration, the U.S. administration, sends all their laundry out to Kuwait and then brings it back.

COSTELLO: At a cost of what?

CLINCH: Thousands and thousands.

COSTELLO: Twenty thousand dollars?

CLINCH: Well, you know, maybe that's an unfair example. I think we have to be fair to Bremer, who, he and these Congress -- Council members, I should say -- are both appearing before Congress this week. We have to be fair to him. The Council can say what it likes. It is really not ready to take over full control of Iraq. That's just simply not the case.

COSTELLO: Well, one of its members -- there was an attempted assassination over the weekend.

CLINCH: Absolutely. Now, on the other hand, from the Governing Council's point of view, one of the reasons it's so expensive for the U.S. to stay in Iraq is that the U.S. is the target and therefore security, by definition, costs millions. So if the U.S. were to leave, that would be a savings right there.

Again, sort of an easy argument for them to make. But all of this playing out as President Bush gets ready for his speech on Tuesday. And it will be a key speech, and, again, part of the domestic political scene, as well.

COSTELLO: Absolutely. And you're going to get back with us the next hour?

CLINCH: Yes. More to come.

COSTELLO: Thank you, David. CLINCH: All right.

COSTELLO: We appreciate it.

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 - 05:33   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Of course, Iraq is in the forefront of the work our international desk is doing today, as well as other news globally.
So let's check in with our senior international editor, David Clinch -- good morning.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Carol, good morning.

Yes, well, President Bush's speech to the United Nations on Tuesday -- time flies, doesn't it? It does not seem like a year ago that President Bush was up there in front of the U.N. justifying the action the United States was about to take with or without, as we now know, without U.N. support.

He'll be back up there again tomorrow and this time around more than ever, really, I think it's not just an international story, it's increasingly becoming a domestic story, President Bush still, to a certain extent, justifying the war, even though, in some ways, the war is over. And more importantly now with it being an election year, everything that happens in Iraq, everything he says at the U.N. is a factor in his own campaign to remain president.

COSTELLO: But what can he say to get the international community to give the United States some money and some troops to help out in Iraq?

CLINCH: Well, there are lots of things he could say...

COSTELLO: Yes?

CLINCH: But it's not entirely clear that he's prepared to say any of them. I think there are all indications that he will, in a general sense, talk about the United Nations taking on a greater role in Iraq in the political side, perhaps on the military side in the long run. But in the immediate sense, it is far from clear that either at the U.N. or in any U.N. resolution that he wants passed, that the United States will say the words or write the words that France and Russia and others want to see, to really take it to the next level, to get Pakistani, Turkish troops in there, perhaps even French troops.

Well, you know, we're hearing from President Chirac of France in the "New York Times" today, in a full length interview with them, laying out his version of events -- a very fast turnover of sovereignty to the Iraqi government, the United States leaving and then a second phase of six to nine months before there's full independence for Iraq.

COSTELLO: The "New York Times" is reporting this morning that members of the Iraqi Governing Council are going to come to the United States and say, hey, turn over sovereignty to us, we can save you lots of money.

CLINCH: Right.

COSTELLO: Isn't that going to complicate things for President Bush?

CLINCH: Well, it will to a certain extent. I mean the Governing Council is sort of sandwiched in between the Bush administration position and the France position. The Iraqi Governing Council, knowing that it's not fully ready to take on responsibility, but on the other hand, as you see in the "New York Times" report today, saying we could do it a lot cheaper right now than L. Paul Bremer and his people are doing it.

They're pointing out examples, for instance, in this article, of saying Bremer and the administration, the U.S. administration, sends all their laundry out to Kuwait and then brings it back.

COSTELLO: At a cost of what?

CLINCH: Thousands and thousands.

COSTELLO: Twenty thousand dollars?

CLINCH: Well, you know, maybe that's an unfair example. I think we have to be fair to Bremer, who, he and these Congress -- Council members, I should say -- are both appearing before Congress this week. We have to be fair to him. The Council can say what it likes. It is really not ready to take over full control of Iraq. That's just simply not the case.

COSTELLO: Well, one of its members -- there was an attempted assassination over the weekend.

CLINCH: Absolutely. Now, on the other hand, from the Governing Council's point of view, one of the reasons it's so expensive for the U.S. to stay in Iraq is that the U.S. is the target and therefore security, by definition, costs millions. So if the U.S. were to leave, that would be a savings right there.

Again, sort of an easy argument for them to make. But all of this playing out as President Bush gets ready for his speech on Tuesday. And it will be a key speech, and, again, part of the domestic political scene, as well.

COSTELLO: Absolutely. And you're going to get back with us the next hour?

CLINCH: Yes. More to come.

COSTELLO: Thank you, David. CLINCH: All right.

COSTELLO: We appreciate it.

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