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CNN Live At Daybreak

Wake-Up Call: Help Wanted in Iraq

Aired September 24, 2003 - 06:30   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 LIN, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush is calling on all nations of goodwill to help rebuild Iraq. In his speech to the United Nations, Mr. Bush portrayed Iraq as a central battle in the war on terrorism. He defended the U.S.-led invasion and said the timetable for establishing self-rule in Iraq won't be rushed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The primary goal of our coalition in Iraq is self-government for the people of Iraq, reached by orderly and democratic process. This process must unfold according to the needs of Iraqis, neither hurried nor delayed by the wishes of other parties.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Well, now, Secretary of State Colin Powell goes to work trying to get the help the U.S. needs from other nations on Iraq.

For more, we've placed a "Wake-Up Call" to our State Department producer, Elise Labott. She is on the telephone from New York.

Elise, you could say Secretary Powell is doing the diplomatic heavy lifting now.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: Well, Carol, first, President Bush has a few meetings of his own. Secretary Powell will be joining those meetings with the leaders of Germany, Pakistan and India -- countries the U.S. is hoping to help in Iraq, perhaps even with troops.

And then, the president leaves later today, and Secretary Powell takes over, continuing to meet with ministers throughout the week in the hopes of finding common ground, how to move forward, get this resolution passed. The U.S. is looking for more money, perhaps at this donor's conference for Iraq later this month, and for more troops. And then, they hope to move on that resolution, ready to vote on it soon.

But it seems to be that even though there is a very difference of opinion on issues of this timetable, as you just heard in that President Bush's sound byte, there seems to be a real cooperative spirit. Everyone really wants to move ahead. Even the president of France, Jacques Chirac, said that even though there are differences with the U.S. and France, France really wants America to succeed in Iraq.

So, later today, President Bush has those meetings, and then Secretary Powell, as you said, does that heavy lifting -- Carol.

LIN: In the meantime, President Bush brought up weapons of mass destruction at the U.N. on Tuesday. What is new there?

LABOTT: Well, that's another challenge in addition to helping to rebuild Iraq that the president gave to the members of the General Assembly yesterday on how to stop the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction -- curbing exports of those dangerous weapons by making proliferation international crime now.

You've heard President Bush, other officials, say in the past that the threat of weapons of mass destruction in the hands of what they call state sponsors of terrorism, rogue nations, who could pass these weapons of mass destruction to terrorist groups is one of the gravest threats to national security.

And so, President Bush is asking the international community for an anti-proliferation resolution, asking countries to get more involved in the interdiction of weapons shipment. And that's even something, Carol, that the U.S. and France agree. Yesterday, President Chirac said that France supports President Bush in this initiative wholeheartedly and will walk beside him -- Carol.

LIN: All right, thank you very much, Elise Labott, very early this morning reporting in from New York.

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 24, 2003 - 06:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush is calling on all nations of goodwill to help rebuild Iraq. In his speech to the United Nations, Mr. Bush portrayed Iraq as a central battle in the war on terrorism. He defended the U.S.-led invasion and said the timetable for establishing self-rule in Iraq won't be rushed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The primary goal of our coalition in Iraq is self-government for the people of Iraq, reached by orderly and democratic process. This process must unfold according to the needs of Iraqis, neither hurried nor delayed by the wishes of other parties.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Well, now, Secretary of State Colin Powell goes to work trying to get the help the U.S. needs from other nations on Iraq.

For more, we've placed a "Wake-Up Call" to our State Department producer, Elise Labott. She is on the telephone from New York.

Elise, you could say Secretary Powell is doing the diplomatic heavy lifting now.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: Well, Carol, first, President Bush has a few meetings of his own. Secretary Powell will be joining those meetings with the leaders of Germany, Pakistan and India -- countries the U.S. is hoping to help in Iraq, perhaps even with troops.

And then, the president leaves later today, and Secretary Powell takes over, continuing to meet with ministers throughout the week in the hopes of finding common ground, how to move forward, get this resolution passed. The U.S. is looking for more money, perhaps at this donor's conference for Iraq later this month, and for more troops. And then, they hope to move on that resolution, ready to vote on it soon.

But it seems to be that even though there is a very difference of opinion on issues of this timetable, as you just heard in that President Bush's sound byte, there seems to be a real cooperative spirit. Everyone really wants to move ahead. Even the president of France, Jacques Chirac, said that even though there are differences with the U.S. and France, France really wants America to succeed in Iraq.

So, later today, President Bush has those meetings, and then Secretary Powell, as you said, does that heavy lifting -- Carol.

LIN: In the meantime, President Bush brought up weapons of mass destruction at the U.N. on Tuesday. What is new there?

LABOTT: Well, that's another challenge in addition to helping to rebuild Iraq that the president gave to the members of the General Assembly yesterday on how to stop the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction -- curbing exports of those dangerous weapons by making proliferation international crime now.

You've heard President Bush, other officials, say in the past that the threat of weapons of mass destruction in the hands of what they call state sponsors of terrorism, rogue nations, who could pass these weapons of mass destruction to terrorist groups is one of the gravest threats to national security.

And so, President Bush is asking the international community for an anti-proliferation resolution, asking countries to get more involved in the interdiction of weapons shipment. And that's even something, Carol, that the U.S. and France agree. Yesterday, President Chirac said that France supports President Bush in this initiative wholeheartedly and will walk beside him -- Carol.

LIN: All right, thank you very much, Elise Labott, very early this morning reporting in from New York.

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