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U.N. Considers Sending Peacekeepers to Iraq

Aired February 26, 2004 - 11:07   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.


HEIDI COLLINS, ANCHOR: Well, as you might imagine, Haiti is on the agenda at the United Nations today. Let's go ahead and bring in our senior U.N. Correspondent, Richard Roth, in New York this morning.
Richard, hello once again.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Heidi.

You might see the U.N. Security Council issue a statement regarding the deterioration of the security situation on Haiti.

There won't be any votes to send peacekeepers. But the French here at the United Nations are saying that -- what the French government would like an immediate preparation of the sending in of international forces.

The five-point plan yesterday introduced out of Paris -- many think they want the forces sent right now. That's something the U.S. is highly reluctant to do. The push appears to be between Washington and Paris to get a peace plan in place and then have some sort of international deployment.

Jamaica's ambassador requesting a formal meeting of the council later today, in which many countries will have a chance to air their views on the crisis -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Richard, we've also been talking about these allegation that the British actually may have spied on U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan before the Iraq war.

Any chance that he will address this topic today?

ROTH: Secretary-General Annan due back from a trip from Japan and may appear before cameras to address this.

We're told the secretary-general did receive a phone call from the British ambassador to the U.N., who is back in the United Kingdom today, to discuss the matter. An official statement from the U.N. not forthcoming so far. A U.N. spokesman saying no comment.

The U.N. can sweep for bugs here, but this spying story has been out in newspapers for a year. And this week, a British court -- the British government, dropping prosecution charges against a translator for the U.K. communications services, who leaked a memo which said that the intelligence agencies of the U.S. asked U.K. intelligence agencies to spy on countries on the Security Council. And today, Heidi, former British minister alleging that she knew that Kofi Annan's conversations were taped by British intelligence services.

Germany had no comment. Russia said -- hadn't seen the report but wouldn't be surprised -- the Russian ambassador saying that this proves the British intelligence services are quite proficient.

COLLINS: All right. Richard Roth, live from the U.N. this morning. Richard, thanks again.

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 26, 2004 - 11:07   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, ANCHOR: Well, as you might imagine, Haiti is on the agenda at the United Nations today. Let's go ahead and bring in our senior U.N. Correspondent, Richard Roth, in New York this morning.
Richard, hello once again.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Heidi.

You might see the U.N. Security Council issue a statement regarding the deterioration of the security situation on Haiti.

There won't be any votes to send peacekeepers. But the French here at the United Nations are saying that -- what the French government would like an immediate preparation of the sending in of international forces.

The five-point plan yesterday introduced out of Paris -- many think they want the forces sent right now. That's something the U.S. is highly reluctant to do. The push appears to be between Washington and Paris to get a peace plan in place and then have some sort of international deployment.

Jamaica's ambassador requesting a formal meeting of the council later today, in which many countries will have a chance to air their views on the crisis -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Richard, we've also been talking about these allegation that the British actually may have spied on U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan before the Iraq war.

Any chance that he will address this topic today?

ROTH: Secretary-General Annan due back from a trip from Japan and may appear before cameras to address this.

We're told the secretary-general did receive a phone call from the British ambassador to the U.N., who is back in the United Kingdom today, to discuss the matter. An official statement from the U.N. not forthcoming so far. A U.N. spokesman saying no comment.

The U.N. can sweep for bugs here, but this spying story has been out in newspapers for a year. And this week, a British court -- the British government, dropping prosecution charges against a translator for the U.K. communications services, who leaked a memo which said that the intelligence agencies of the U.S. asked U.K. intelligence agencies to spy on countries on the Security Council. And today, Heidi, former British minister alleging that she knew that Kofi Annan's conversations were taped by British intelligence services.

Germany had no comment. Russia said -- hadn't seen the report but wouldn't be surprised -- the Russian ambassador saying that this proves the British intelligence services are quite proficient.

COLLINS: All right. Richard Roth, live from the U.N. this morning. Richard, thanks again.

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