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CNN Live At Daybreak

President Bush Still in New York

Aired September 24, 2003 - 05:06   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 still in New York this morning. He and the missus attended a nighttime reception at the Museum of Natural History. Of course, the focus of the president's trip had been his address to the United Nations.
Our senior White House correspondent John King describes the president's stance as unapologetic, adamant and unwavering.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is, the president says, time to move forward. But it is clear he proposes to do so largely on his terms. He was unapologetic about his decision to go to war.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Because a coalition of nations acted to defend the peace and the credibility of the United Nations, Iraq is free.

KING: Adamant that even those who opposed the war should now help pay for Iraq's costly reconstruction.

BUSH: All nations of good will should step forward and provide that support.

KING: And unwavering in saying the United States, not the United Nations, will determine the timetable for Iraq's political transition.

BUSH: The primary goal of our coalition in Iraq is self- government for the people of Iraq reached by orderly and democratic processes.

KING: French President Jacques Chirac is a leading voice among the many critics, using his General Assembly speech to again criticize the Iraq war as illegitimate and to demand a firm timetable for ending U.S. rule. But when the two leaders met later, Mr. Bush was adamant that a quick political transition is "just not in the cards" and that he would not give billions in U.S. reconstruction aid to an unelected Iraqi Governing Council.

A senior U.S. official on hand says President Chirac made clear that despite the disagreement, France will not stand in the way of a new Security Council resolution sought by the United States. Shaping that resolution is now the president's challenge and White House officials who initially had hoped for a deal while Mr. Bush is in New York now envision weeks of negotiations. (on camera): But even if Mr. Bush, in the end, gets his new resolution, many diplomats here believe it will not automatically guarantee the thousands of new international troops and the billions in Iraqi reconstruction commitments the president was hoping would soon follow.

John King, 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 24, 2003 - 05:06   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 still in New York this morning. He and the missus attended a nighttime reception at the Museum of Natural History. Of course, the focus of the president's trip had been his address to the United Nations.
Our senior White House correspondent John King describes the president's stance as unapologetic, adamant and unwavering.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is, the president says, time to move forward. But it is clear he proposes to do so largely on his terms. He was unapologetic about his decision to go to war.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Because a coalition of nations acted to defend the peace and the credibility of the United Nations, Iraq is free.

KING: Adamant that even those who opposed the war should now help pay for Iraq's costly reconstruction.

BUSH: All nations of good will should step forward and provide that support.

KING: And unwavering in saying the United States, not the United Nations, will determine the timetable for Iraq's political transition.

BUSH: The primary goal of our coalition in Iraq is self- government for the people of Iraq reached by orderly and democratic processes.

KING: French President Jacques Chirac is a leading voice among the many critics, using his General Assembly speech to again criticize the Iraq war as illegitimate and to demand a firm timetable for ending U.S. rule. But when the two leaders met later, Mr. Bush was adamant that a quick political transition is "just not in the cards" and that he would not give billions in U.S. reconstruction aid to an unelected Iraqi Governing Council.

A senior U.S. official on hand says President Chirac made clear that despite the disagreement, France will not stand in the way of a new Security Council resolution sought by the United States. Shaping that resolution is now the president's challenge and White House officials who initially had hoped for a deal while Mr. Bush is in New York now envision weeks of negotiations. (on camera): But even if Mr. Bush, in the end, gets his new resolution, many diplomats here believe it will not automatically guarantee the thousands of new international troops and the billions in Iraqi reconstruction commitments the president was hoping would soon follow.

John King, 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