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CNN Live At Daybreak
Bush Makes Case on Iraq Before United Nations
Aired September 23, 2003 - 05:02 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: Today could be a turning point for President Bush and Iraq. In five hours, he makes his case on Iraq before the United Nations. He is expected to insist the war was the right thing to do and that there would be no know handover of power. He'll also appeal for help in rebuilding Iraq and meet privately with French President Jacques Chirac. The French president has said he wants the coalition in Iraq to turn over control to the Iraqi people within six to nine months, but President Bush's national security adviser says that just won't work.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Ambassador Bremer has been talking about a seven step plan, a constitution followed then by elections and then by the transfer of sovereignty. And it makes perfectly good sense to do this as soon as possible but to do it in a way that is responsible. And I think that the -- as all of us have said, the French plan, which would somehow try to transfer sovereignty to an unelected group of people, just isn't workable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Our Richard Roth is at the United Nations. He tells us what President Bush faces as he goes before the world body in New York.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The president of France got the early jump on the president of the United States, staging a charm offensive on the eve of the General Assembly debate. Jacques Chirac warmed up on children from 42 different countries, dedicating a new French-American school in Manhattan. Chirac noted tensions in relations between the U.S. and France, but said there is a friendship based on deep historical roots. But recent history has been strained. France is once again opposed to a U.S. Security Council resolution on Iraq. Chirac would like a fast transition to Iraqi self-rule, but the U.S. wants more time and less U.N. involvement.
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We all have the same goal, and that is to get Iraq into the hands of the Iraqi people as soon as practical and possible.
ROTH: The Bush-Chirac session is considered one of the most important meetings of U.N. VIP week. RICHARD HOLBROOKE, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: That resolution is not about 15 countries or even five countries. It's about two, the United States and France. Whatever Colin Powell and Dominique de Villepin, who are not exactly in love with each other right now, decide is acceptable, the Germans will go along with, the Russians will go along with.
ROTH: They all didn't go along with it despite President Bush's challenge last year in the General Assembly hall.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Will the United Nations serve the purpose of its founding or will it be irrelevant?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we're going to see is a slightly different dynamic, where President Bush now is in a position where, to some extent, he needs a bit of assistance.
ROTH: But President Bush is not going to apologize and will defend going to war to remove Saddam Hussein. In light of the latest bombing near the U.N. complex in Baghdad, many countries just want a unified plan of action.
PRES. PASCAL COUCEPHIN, SWITZERLAND: I think that the U.N. has not a choice than to stay and to try means of avoiding these kind of incidents. But the U.N. cannot retreat.
ALEXANDER DOWNER, AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: It's a difficult situation, but it's not a task that the international community should walk away from.
ROTH: The secretary general of the U.N. is expected to tell the U.S., France and 189 other countries that they'd better start thinking of improving how the U.N. functions and begin, in effect, but putting differences on Iraq and terrorism aside.
Richard Roth, CNN, the United Nations.
(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 23, 2003 - 05:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Today could be a turning point for President Bush and Iraq. In five hours, he makes his case on Iraq before the United Nations. He is expected to insist the war was the right thing to do and that there would be no know handover of power. He'll also appeal for help in rebuilding Iraq and meet privately with French President Jacques Chirac. The French president has said he wants the coalition in Iraq to turn over control to the Iraqi people within six to nine months, but President Bush's national security adviser says that just won't work.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Ambassador Bremer has been talking about a seven step plan, a constitution followed then by elections and then by the transfer of sovereignty. And it makes perfectly good sense to do this as soon as possible but to do it in a way that is responsible. And I think that the -- as all of us have said, the French plan, which would somehow try to transfer sovereignty to an unelected group of people, just isn't workable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Our Richard Roth is at the United Nations. He tells us what President Bush faces as he goes before the world body in New York.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The president of France got the early jump on the president of the United States, staging a charm offensive on the eve of the General Assembly debate. Jacques Chirac warmed up on children from 42 different countries, dedicating a new French-American school in Manhattan. Chirac noted tensions in relations between the U.S. and France, but said there is a friendship based on deep historical roots. But recent history has been strained. France is once again opposed to a U.S. Security Council resolution on Iraq. Chirac would like a fast transition to Iraqi self-rule, but the U.S. wants more time and less U.N. involvement.
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We all have the same goal, and that is to get Iraq into the hands of the Iraqi people as soon as practical and possible.
ROTH: The Bush-Chirac session is considered one of the most important meetings of U.N. VIP week. RICHARD HOLBROOKE, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: That resolution is not about 15 countries or even five countries. It's about two, the United States and France. Whatever Colin Powell and Dominique de Villepin, who are not exactly in love with each other right now, decide is acceptable, the Germans will go along with, the Russians will go along with.
ROTH: They all didn't go along with it despite President Bush's challenge last year in the General Assembly hall.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Will the United Nations serve the purpose of its founding or will it be irrelevant?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we're going to see is a slightly different dynamic, where President Bush now is in a position where, to some extent, he needs a bit of assistance.
ROTH: But President Bush is not going to apologize and will defend going to war to remove Saddam Hussein. In light of the latest bombing near the U.N. complex in Baghdad, many countries just want a unified plan of action.
PRES. PASCAL COUCEPHIN, SWITZERLAND: I think that the U.N. has not a choice than to stay and to try means of avoiding these kind of incidents. But the U.N. cannot retreat.
ALEXANDER DOWNER, AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: It's a difficult situation, but it's not a task that the international community should walk away from.
ROTH: The secretary general of the U.N. is expected to tell the U.S., France and 189 other countries that they'd better start thinking of improving how the U.N. functions and begin, in effect, but putting differences on Iraq and terrorism aside.
Richard Roth, CNN, the United Nations.
(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
