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CNN Live At Daybreak

International News Desk

Aired September 23, 2003 - 05:35   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: So, what do the French, Germans and Russians want from President Bush in his speech this morning?
Our senior international editor David Clinch has some insight -- what can he say?

DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Well, as I said yesterday, there are lots of things he could say, but there's really...

COSTELLO: He probably won't say, though.

CLINCH: ... really not much indication at all that President Bush will use this speech today, at least in very specific terms, to say anything that the French, particularly the French, the Germans or the Russians, want to hear. He will, of course, separately meet with President Chirac and I suppose it's possible that you might see some behind the scenes negotiations there, either in that meeting or perhaps subsequent meetings, between Secretary Powell and the French foreign minister, which might lead to some compromise. Both sides are interested in a compromise.

COSTELLO: Well, what would be a compromise?

CLINCH: A compromise would be that the wording of any U.N. resolution -- I mean this is important. The French have said they won't veto a resolution. But the United States putting forward a resolution that doesn't really change anything in terms of handing over real power to the U.N. or giving more power to the Iraqis, and that is not vetoed by the French or others, won't really change anything because you won't see other countries -- Pakistan, Turkey or any other country -- signing on to send troops to Iraq to a resolution that doesn't add anything to the power of the U.N. or the Iraqi Governing Council.

So what the U.S. is being asked to do by the French is compromise somewhat on the wording. You might see some compromise on the wording behind-the-scenes. But as our reporters are pointing out, that's unlikely to happen today and in some senses unlikely to happen even over the period of weeks or months. But you might see that happen. Both sides are interested in compromise in some form.

The Russians also are making it clear that they won't veto. They are interested in seeing specifically more better wording in any U.N. resolution that would give the U.N. a role now. I mean I don't think anybody on the French and the Russian side, no matter what they say, thinks that the Iraqi Governing Council can immediately take over Iraq and the Americans can leave immediately.

COSTELLO: Let's talk about the U.N. role because there was a suicide bomber at the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad once again.

CLINCH: Yes.

COSTELLO: And we heard from a U.N. member, and Kofi Annan, actually, that they're sort of thinking about their role in Iraq and what exactly they should do.

CLINCH: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: And that complicates matters further for the president, doesn't it?

CLINCH: It absolutely does, because the longer that the U.N. stays there without a real role and the U.S. still in control, the longer the U.N. stays there in the most vulnerable of positions, not really able to do anything truly meaningful, because it hasn't been given the power, but, on the other hand, a target because it's there while the U.S. is in control. So it's a very difficult situation for the U.N. and Kofi Annan's speech today will be very much worth listening to, as well.

COSTELLO: We'll all be listening.

David Clinch, many thanks.

He'll be back with us, hopefully, in the next hour.

CLINCH: OK.

We've got more on Iraq and the president's planned address before the United Nations on our Web site. Just click onto cnn.com, AOL keyword: CNN.

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 - 05:35   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: So, what do the French, Germans and Russians want from President Bush in his speech this morning?
Our senior international editor David Clinch has some insight -- what can he say?

DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Well, as I said yesterday, there are lots of things he could say, but there's really...

COSTELLO: He probably won't say, though.

CLINCH: ... really not much indication at all that President Bush will use this speech today, at least in very specific terms, to say anything that the French, particularly the French, the Germans or the Russians, want to hear. He will, of course, separately meet with President Chirac and I suppose it's possible that you might see some behind the scenes negotiations there, either in that meeting or perhaps subsequent meetings, between Secretary Powell and the French foreign minister, which might lead to some compromise. Both sides are interested in a compromise.

COSTELLO: Well, what would be a compromise?

CLINCH: A compromise would be that the wording of any U.N. resolution -- I mean this is important. The French have said they won't veto a resolution. But the United States putting forward a resolution that doesn't really change anything in terms of handing over real power to the U.N. or giving more power to the Iraqis, and that is not vetoed by the French or others, won't really change anything because you won't see other countries -- Pakistan, Turkey or any other country -- signing on to send troops to Iraq to a resolution that doesn't add anything to the power of the U.N. or the Iraqi Governing Council.

So what the U.S. is being asked to do by the French is compromise somewhat on the wording. You might see some compromise on the wording behind-the-scenes. But as our reporters are pointing out, that's unlikely to happen today and in some senses unlikely to happen even over the period of weeks or months. But you might see that happen. Both sides are interested in compromise in some form.

The Russians also are making it clear that they won't veto. They are interested in seeing specifically more better wording in any U.N. resolution that would give the U.N. a role now. I mean I don't think anybody on the French and the Russian side, no matter what they say, thinks that the Iraqi Governing Council can immediately take over Iraq and the Americans can leave immediately.

COSTELLO: Let's talk about the U.N. role because there was a suicide bomber at the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad once again.

CLINCH: Yes.

COSTELLO: And we heard from a U.N. member, and Kofi Annan, actually, that they're sort of thinking about their role in Iraq and what exactly they should do.

CLINCH: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: And that complicates matters further for the president, doesn't it?

CLINCH: It absolutely does, because the longer that the U.N. stays there without a real role and the U.S. still in control, the longer the U.N. stays there in the most vulnerable of positions, not really able to do anything truly meaningful, because it hasn't been given the power, but, on the other hand, a target because it's there while the U.S. is in control. So it's a very difficult situation for the U.N. and Kofi Annan's speech today will be very much worth listening to, as well.

COSTELLO: We'll all be listening.

David Clinch, many thanks.

He'll be back with us, hopefully, in the next hour.

CLINCH: OK.

We've got more on Iraq and the president's planned address before the United Nations on our Web site. Just click onto cnn.com, AOL keyword: CNN.

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