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CNN Live At Daybreak
President Bush Addresses U.N., Expected to Emphasize World Unity
Aired September 23, 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 want to go global now, though. Let's check in with our correspondents all over the world to talk about the president's upcoming speech.
We have Jill Dougherty in Moscow, Robin Oakley in London and Jim Bittermann is in Paris.
Jim -- let's start with you.
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Carol. In fact, I think there is quite a bit of opposition here. There remains quite a bit of opposition here to the U.S. planning in Iraq.
Basically, the French have made it clear they're going to New York. And in a spirit of compromise, they've already accepted, for instance, this Governing Council that was set up by the United States. And basically, President Jacques Chirac said in a "New York Times" article over the weekend that France is not about to veto any U.S. resolution.
However, he said that France would only vote for that resolution if three conditions were met: First, a quick turnover of sovereignty to the Governing Council in Iraq; then a timetable, a very specific timetable for real power to be turned over; and then finally, a greater role for the United Nations in the governing of Iraq.
So, that's basically the French position, and that's the only way France, according to Jacques Chirac, will vote for the U.S. resolution. So, I think what we're looking at here is an abstention. Basically, they said they won't veto, but they won't vote for the resolution either.
Now over to my colleague Jill Dougherty in Moscow.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Well, here in Russia, Vladimir Putin on Saturday -- in fact, we sat down with him with some other journalists -- and he laid out his ideas. And essentially what he is saying is Russia is more liberal than the Europeans on this issue. He said, of course, the United Nations has to have a more active role, as he put it, not decorative, a real role.
But he also said Russia itself doesn't exclude the possibility that it could have a more active role as well in dealing with the post-war situation in Iraq. He said, theoretically, that could even include sending Russian troops, although he pointedly said at this point that is not on the table. And then, he also said if there is an international coalition -- an international operation, I should say, in Iraq, that that could be and probably should be under the U.S. auspices. He said it wouldn't make any difference who led it.
Now, he did say that the one thing, the requirement that Russia has is that the mandate, whatever it is from the United Nations, be very specific. He said especially about those troops: What are they going to do? How long will they be there?
On the sovereignty, it's a little broader. He said, I really think it should go as fast as possible, but you can't speed it up either. So, that makes it a little bit different from the French position.
And then, finally he said, you really have to have the trust of the Iraqi people, because if you don't have the trust of the Iraqi people, as he put it, we're going to be in there for the long haul.
And now we're going to go to London with Robin Oakley.
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN SENIOR EUROPOEAN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Tony Blair can be relied upon to be George Bush's strongest ally over any new U.N. resolution, as he was in the war against Iraq. But Tony Blair is paying a considerable price for that as he does so, and there may be some minor differences now between the U.S. and the U.K. over deadlines and questions of that sort.
Tony Blair is certainly dismissing the French idea of an immediate handover to the Iraqi Governing Council to be followed by a practical handover of power within months. British officials are saying that's unworkable.
But Tony Blair knows he's in trouble. He wants to get on with his European allies where he can, because the latest opinion polls are showing that while 63 percent of Britons thought the war against Iraq was a good idea at the time of the fall of Baghdad, that has now dropped to only 38 percent. And a majority, 53 percent of the British public, think a war in Iraq was a bad idea.
And meanwhile, Tony Blair and his government are suffering badly with the long-running Hutton (ph) inquiry into the death of a weapons scientist, who apparently committed suicide, which has become a trial of the government's case and its dossier presenting the case for the war against Iraq. Two-thirds of the British public now doubt that Tony Blair was honest over that, and his government is in trouble.
So, he will be looking for some way of showing solidarity with the European allies, who better caught the mood of the British public -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Robin Oakley live from London, Jill Dougherty in Moscow, Jim Bittermann in Paris, thanks to all of you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Unity>
Aired September 23, 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 want to go global now, though. Let's check in with our correspondents all over the world to talk about the president's upcoming speech.
We have Jill Dougherty in Moscow, Robin Oakley in London and Jim Bittermann is in Paris.
Jim -- let's start with you.
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Carol. In fact, I think there is quite a bit of opposition here. There remains quite a bit of opposition here to the U.S. planning in Iraq.
Basically, the French have made it clear they're going to New York. And in a spirit of compromise, they've already accepted, for instance, this Governing Council that was set up by the United States. And basically, President Jacques Chirac said in a "New York Times" article over the weekend that France is not about to veto any U.S. resolution.
However, he said that France would only vote for that resolution if three conditions were met: First, a quick turnover of sovereignty to the Governing Council in Iraq; then a timetable, a very specific timetable for real power to be turned over; and then finally, a greater role for the United Nations in the governing of Iraq.
So, that's basically the French position, and that's the only way France, according to Jacques Chirac, will vote for the U.S. resolution. So, I think what we're looking at here is an abstention. Basically, they said they won't veto, but they won't vote for the resolution either.
Now over to my colleague Jill Dougherty in Moscow.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Well, here in Russia, Vladimir Putin on Saturday -- in fact, we sat down with him with some other journalists -- and he laid out his ideas. And essentially what he is saying is Russia is more liberal than the Europeans on this issue. He said, of course, the United Nations has to have a more active role, as he put it, not decorative, a real role.
But he also said Russia itself doesn't exclude the possibility that it could have a more active role as well in dealing with the post-war situation in Iraq. He said, theoretically, that could even include sending Russian troops, although he pointedly said at this point that is not on the table. And then, he also said if there is an international coalition -- an international operation, I should say, in Iraq, that that could be and probably should be under the U.S. auspices. He said it wouldn't make any difference who led it.
Now, he did say that the one thing, the requirement that Russia has is that the mandate, whatever it is from the United Nations, be very specific. He said especially about those troops: What are they going to do? How long will they be there?
On the sovereignty, it's a little broader. He said, I really think it should go as fast as possible, but you can't speed it up either. So, that makes it a little bit different from the French position.
And then, finally he said, you really have to have the trust of the Iraqi people, because if you don't have the trust of the Iraqi people, as he put it, we're going to be in there for the long haul.
And now we're going to go to London with Robin Oakley.
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN SENIOR EUROPOEAN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Tony Blair can be relied upon to be George Bush's strongest ally over any new U.N. resolution, as he was in the war against Iraq. But Tony Blair is paying a considerable price for that as he does so, and there may be some minor differences now between the U.S. and the U.K. over deadlines and questions of that sort.
Tony Blair is certainly dismissing the French idea of an immediate handover to the Iraqi Governing Council to be followed by a practical handover of power within months. British officials are saying that's unworkable.
But Tony Blair knows he's in trouble. He wants to get on with his European allies where he can, because the latest opinion polls are showing that while 63 percent of Britons thought the war against Iraq was a good idea at the time of the fall of Baghdad, that has now dropped to only 38 percent. And a majority, 53 percent of the British public, think a war in Iraq was a bad idea.
And meanwhile, Tony Blair and his government are suffering badly with the long-running Hutton (ph) inquiry into the death of a weapons scientist, who apparently committed suicide, which has become a trial of the government's case and its dossier presenting the case for the war against Iraq. Two-thirds of the British public now doubt that Tony Blair was honest over that, and his government is in trouble.
So, he will be looking for some way of showing solidarity with the European allies, who better caught the mood of the British public -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Robin Oakley live from London, Jill Dougherty in Moscow, Jim Bittermann in Paris, thanks to all of you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Unity>
