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CNN Live At Daybreak

'International News Desk'

Aired February 03, 2004 - 05:38   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: Well, Britain is launching its own investigation into intelligence used to justify war with Iraq.
Our senior international editor, David Clinch, joins us with more on this morning's big announcement by Prime Minister Tony Blair.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Yes.

COSTELLO: It's going on right now, as a matter of fact.

CLINCH: It is continuing. You know, this is no secret, I am a news geek and this is news geek heaven here. You're listening -- Blair out here in front of a parliamentary committee being grilled on all sorts of domestic issues, but particularly on Iraq, has announced -- it's not official yet, that will happen in parliament later -- but has announced that Britain will have its own review of its intelligence that it used to justify the war in Iraq.

The points that are key here for the domestic audience to understand here in the U.S., Blair didn't have a, the British government did not have a previous policy of regime change to fall back on. He based, Britain based its part in the invasion of Iraq on the argument that weapons of mass destruction existed and were about to be used.

He, Blair, acknowledging that that now likely will not turn out to be true, but interestingly making it clear he has no regrets and saying he would have gone to war even based on what the Iraqi Survey Group and David Kay have turned up to far, which is evidence of programs and evidence of intention to build weapons.

Now, that's a very interesting transformation of his argument and we'll be looking into that...

COSTELLO: So after the members of parliament get done grilling him, what will happen? Will he form a committee?

CLINCH: The committee, as I understand it, will be formed by members of each party in Britain, his party, the Conservative Party, the Liberal Democrats and will also be headed by another lord. We had Lord Hutton last week. There'll be another lord to be named later. About 7:30 or so we'll hear an official announcement.

COSTELLO: Well, because the big controversy here with our own inquiry into weapons of mass destruction is President Bush will appoint the members of this council that's going to investigate the intelligence. CLINCH: Right. This will be similar in the sense that Blair will play a part in appointing, but it will be, to a greater degree, independent as far as we can see. And, interestingly, he acknowledged, will look into not only how intelligence was gathered, but how it was used. But not, in his words, into the fundamental question of whether the political decision to go to war was right or wrong. So that's interesting.

COSTELLO: Interesting.

CLINCH: It will be interesting. Also looking into this Pakistani scientist who's sent information and nuclear secrets to North Korea, Iran, Libya, as well. It's just a great day for news today. We'll be watching all those stories.

COSTELLO: OK, well, you go back and get to work.

David, we appreciate it.

CLINCH: OK.

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 February 3, 2004 - 05:38   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Britain is launching its own investigation into intelligence used to justify war with Iraq.
Our senior international editor, David Clinch, joins us with more on this morning's big announcement by Prime Minister Tony Blair.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Yes.

COSTELLO: It's going on right now, as a matter of fact.

CLINCH: It is continuing. You know, this is no secret, I am a news geek and this is news geek heaven here. You're listening -- Blair out here in front of a parliamentary committee being grilled on all sorts of domestic issues, but particularly on Iraq, has announced -- it's not official yet, that will happen in parliament later -- but has announced that Britain will have its own review of its intelligence that it used to justify the war in Iraq.

The points that are key here for the domestic audience to understand here in the U.S., Blair didn't have a, the British government did not have a previous policy of regime change to fall back on. He based, Britain based its part in the invasion of Iraq on the argument that weapons of mass destruction existed and were about to be used.

He, Blair, acknowledging that that now likely will not turn out to be true, but interestingly making it clear he has no regrets and saying he would have gone to war even based on what the Iraqi Survey Group and David Kay have turned up to far, which is evidence of programs and evidence of intention to build weapons.

Now, that's a very interesting transformation of his argument and we'll be looking into that...

COSTELLO: So after the members of parliament get done grilling him, what will happen? Will he form a committee?

CLINCH: The committee, as I understand it, will be formed by members of each party in Britain, his party, the Conservative Party, the Liberal Democrats and will also be headed by another lord. We had Lord Hutton last week. There'll be another lord to be named later. About 7:30 or so we'll hear an official announcement.

COSTELLO: Well, because the big controversy here with our own inquiry into weapons of mass destruction is President Bush will appoint the members of this council that's going to investigate the intelligence. CLINCH: Right. This will be similar in the sense that Blair will play a part in appointing, but it will be, to a greater degree, independent as far as we can see. And, interestingly, he acknowledged, will look into not only how intelligence was gathered, but how it was used. But not, in his words, into the fundamental question of whether the political decision to go to war was right or wrong. So that's interesting.

COSTELLO: Interesting.

CLINCH: It will be interesting. Also looking into this Pakistani scientist who's sent information and nuclear secrets to North Korea, Iran, Libya, as well. It's just a great day for news today. We'll be watching all those stories.

COSTELLO: OK, well, you go back and get to work.

David, we appreciate it.

CLINCH: OK.

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