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CNN Live At Daybreak
Deadline to Surrender Comes, Goes for Cornered Militants
Aired March 19, 2004 - 06:00 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: And good morning to you.
It is Friday, March 19.
From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Let me bring you up to date.
A deadline to surrender has come and gone for a cornered group of militants in Pakistan. One of them might be Osama bin Laden's right hand man in al Qaeda. Pakistani troops resumed their offensive at daylight.
Reinforcements on the way for NATO troops trying to break up ethnic fighting in Kosovo. At least 31 people have been killed in two days.
Taiwan's president and vice president are shot. You can see there in the circle a bullet hole. It happened about five hours ago. Their injuries not believed to be grave.
The suspected Ohio highway shooter will waive extradition and be returned from Nevada to face charges. Charles McCoy, Jr. could be on his way back to Ohio as soon as tonight.
And a second delay for formal charges against a Fresno, California man accused of killing his nine children. Marcus Wesson has decided on a lawyer, but the lawyer is deciding if he'll take the case.
We update our top stories every 15 minutes. The next update comes your way at 6:15 Eastern.
A battle halfway across the globe that Americans should have plenty of interest in this morning. Pakistani troops believe they have cornered Osama bin Laden's right hand man, Ayman al-Zawahri. Let's zoom into the area. It is a remote mountainous region of Pakistan. This is the southern tip of a lawless region known as the federally administrated tribal areas. It stretches along Pakistan's northwest border with Afghanistan. Government troops have surrounded the area and are urging some 200 al Qaeda fighters to surrender. Fighting is said to be very fierce here.
Here's a look at the events over the last few days, leading up to the possible cornering of Ayman al-Zawahri. Earlier this week, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf visited tribal leaders to request their blessing for a special mission. Secretary of State Colin Powell arrived in Pakistan on Wednesday and met with Mr. Musharraf on Thursday. Before that meeting, Powell announced the United States was upgrading ties with Pakistan, making it easier for that country to acquire and stockpile U.S. weaponry.
And later in the day, Mr. Musharraf told CNN's Aaron Brown an operation was under way and Pakistani forces had a high value al Qaeda target within their sights. Government sources say al Qaeda operatives captured this week provided information suggesting al- Zawahri is with that group of besieged al Qaeda fighters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. PERVEZ MUSHARRAF, PAKISTAN: But the resistance that is being offered by the people there, we feel that there may be a high value target. I can't say who. But they are giving pitched battle at the moment. They are not coming out in spite of the fact that we have pounded them with artillery.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And, of course, we want to talk more about this. So let's head live to London now and Paul Eedle, an expert on al Qaeda.
Good morning and thank you for joining us.
PAUL EEDLE, AL QAEDA EXPERT: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: How sure, really, can Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf be that al-Zawahri is hiding at that particular tribal area?
EEDLE: I've been surprised that they've put out the name of Zawahri. It's a risk. If he isn't found, they'll look rather silly. But I think these operations have been going on now for several weeks and on the 24th of February, al Qaeda itself put out a statement on the Internet denying that the noose was closing, and denying it so vehemently that I rather suspect the noose may be closing.
COSTELLO: Maybe so. Pakistani troops are certainly pounding this target by air, with troops on the ground.
If it is al-Zawahri, how fierce will the fighting get?
EEDLE: I think that even if it wasn't Zawahri, these are people who fight to the death. We saw that in Tora Bora in the war in Afghanistan at the end of 2001. They fought to the death until they found a way to escape and they fled. If they are really cornered they'll fight to the bitter end.
COSTELLO: If al-Zawahri isn't hiding there, who else might be there?
EEDLE: It's not necessarily that there would be other senior people of al Qaeda with him. I think we are fairly confident that Osama bin Laden and Zawahri travel together. But at the first sign of danger they split up. So bin Laden may have been somewhere in the area when the operation started, but he probably isn't now. COSTELLO: I was going to ask you about Osama bin Laden. I mean some people -- even Pervez Musharraf said at one point that he is dead.
Do you believe that bin Laden is alive and that he was recently with al-Zawahri?
EEDLE: I think there's no doubt that he's alive. His exact movements, I don't think anybody can be sure of. But there was a 45 minute audiotape released in January which showed that he was not only alive, but closely in touch with events in the Middle East, calling for the setting up of a shadow government in the Gulf to resist what bin Laden says is an expected American invasion of the Gulf area.
COSTELLO: Paul Eedle, live from London, thank you for enlightening us this morning.
And let me take you back. On this date in 2003, CNN broadcast the first air strikes over Baghdad. It was the beginning of what the U.S. government called a shock and awe campaign. And after the military action began in Iraq, President Bush addressed the nation. This morning, on the anniversary of U.S.-led invasion, the president will deliver a White House speech outlining the coalition's accomplishments in Iraq and progress of the war against terror.
Also, Colin Powell is making a surprise visit this morning, a visit to Baghdad. It's part of his tour of Asian nations.
CNN's Walter Rodgers live in Baghdad with the latest on that -- and this was a surprise, wasn't it?
Who is he meeting with?
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, indeed, it is a bit of a surprise, although privately many of us knew here, knew that he was coming. For security reasons, it couldn't be announced.
Secretary Powell is here to reaffirm the Bush administration's commitment to the reconstruction of Iraq in the post-Saddam era. He is meeting, of course, with Paul Bremer, the chief American administrator here, the man who's literally running the show.
Additionally, Powell is here to commemorate the one year anniversary of the American led assault on Iraq. That was just a year ago this month. And he's also here, as he's been saying, to remind the world that there was another anniversary that he wanted to have remembered. That anniversary was 13 years ago at the Kurdish town of Halabjah and it was 13 years ago this week, according to Secretary Powell, that Saddam Hussein used chemical weapons against his own people, killing 5,000 Kurds, men, women and children.
Powell, meeting with some soldiers in a mess hall, said this anniversary should remind all soldiers here that they are doing the right thing and that the region is no longer threatened by these chemical weapons and weapons of mass destruction. He told the American soldiers here, as well, that they are here to strike a blow for freedom, that they are here to establish democracy and freedom in Iraq, and he went so far as to suggest that in the post-Saddam era in Iraq, there will be greater freedom for Iraqi women in the new and modern Iraqi society.
Now, on that front, it appears to be the secretary of state is going to have a tour de force. Still, American casualties continue in this part of the world. On Wednesday -- and we're just getting this information now -- two Marines from the 1st Marine Division in an area just west of Baghdad were killed. We've just received information on that.
So the post-end of conflict deaths continues to creep very much closer to 400 American soldiers killed since President Bush declared an end to major combat operations -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Walter Rodgers reporting live from Baghdad this morning.
Let's head to the forecast center now and check in with Chad on this day before spring.
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The last day of winter.
COSTELLO: Yes. Thank goodness.
MYERS: And you know what? The snow moves out by noon, so maybe just the last couple of hours of winter.
COSTELLO: Oh, I hope so.
MYERS: Probably not. There's another one in our forecast before it's done.
COSTELLO: Oh, no.
MYERS: Not yet, not literally in the forecast, but it's only early March.
COSTELLO:
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Let's talk about something good now, shall we?
MYERS: What do you have, Carol?
COSTELLO: This is a beautiful CNN cup. Not exactly like the DAYBREAK cup we're giving out to the winners of our contest every day...
MYERS: Oh, I was wondering whether you had it.
COSTELLO: It's beautiful, isn't it?
MYERS: What were the questions yesterday?
COSTELLO: Oh, well, let's read over the questions, shall we?
The first question was what county in Tennessee wants to ban gays from living there? The answer was Rhea County. And the second question, you're now able to see William Shakespeare's will online. In it, he leaves his wife something. What is it? And, of course, it was his second bed.
And who is the winner, Chad?
MYERS: His second best bed.
COSTELLO: Second best bed.
MYERS: That's very funny. Darrell Viles from Alma, Arkansas.
COSTELLO: Wooh!
MYERS: There you go, Darrell.
COSTELLO: Thank you so much for participating everyone.
MYERS: Your mug will be in the mail as soon as we get one.
COSTELLO: Chad.
MYERS: It's coming today.
COSTELLO: They're coming today.
MYERS: They are.
COSTELLO: We're going to mail them out next week. Don't scare people like that, because we want them to participate again this morning.
MYERS: I understand.
COSTELLO: 6:50 Eastern time will be our next news quiz questions.
MYERS: OK.
COSTELLO: All right.
MYERS: Pay attention.
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: All right.
COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, U.S. Marines patrolling Haiti's capital. Our special guest, Father Paul Carrier, is in that city on his own mission to help the people of Haiti. We'll talk live with him this morning. Plus, an assassination attempt on a president campaigning in the streets. But the weekend election will go on as planned.
And the Pakistani military operation to catch Osama bin Laden's right hand man. We'll check in at the Pentagon to find out how the U.S. military views the situation.
This is DAYBREAK for Friday, March 19th.
COSTELLO: Welcome back to DAYBREAK.
6:14 Eastern time.
Time to take a quick look at the top stories.
An assassination attempt in Taiwan just about six hours ago. The president and vice president were shot while campaigning for this weekend's presidential election. Their injuries are not life threatening. But look closely there. You can see a bullet hole in the window of the car carrying the president and vice president. See it in the circle there? We'll have an update live for you in just a bit.
Also, after a visit to Pakistan, Secretary of State Colin Powell makes a stop in Baghdad today, as the U.S. marks the anniversary of the war.
And U.S. troops head to Kosovo as part of a NATO peacekeeping force to stop ethnic violence that has left at least 31 dead.
We update our top stories every 15 minutes. The next update comes your way at 6:30 Eastern.
All right, now to Taiwan. A senior government official says the president and the vice president did not suffer life threatening injuries when they were shot today. The shootings come the day before a landmark election.
Our senior Asia correspondent, Mike Chinoy, joins us live from Taipei with an update on the condition of the president and vice president -- hello, Mike.
MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.
Well, President Chen Shui-bian and Vice President Annette Lu were campaigning in southern Taiwan. They were driving in an open vehicle through a crowded street packed with supporters. Many of them were setting off firecrackers.
In the din, somebody opened fire. The president was hit in the stomach. The vice president was hit in the knee. The injuries are not life threatening. The president, in fact, having had that wound stitched up, has just been released from the hospital and is getting ready to fly back to his home here in Taipei.
All of this comes less than 24 hours before the people of Taiwan are due to go to the polls in a race that has been neck and neck, with Chen and his opponent, opposition leader Lien Chan, in a virtual dead heat. It's interesting to see now what kind of impact this is going to have on the voting on Saturday -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And, Mike, this is an important election for everybody here in the United States to pay attention to because there are political ramifications in light of the upcoming election and in light of this attack.
Tell us about them.
CHINOY: Well, Chen Shui-bian has based his whole campaign on trying to cement Taiwan's separate status from mainland China. Beijing, of course, claims Taiwan as a renegade province. And if this incident gives him a boost and allows him to win the election and pursue that policy of making Taiwan more and more independent from mainland China, diplomats here and political analysts are concerned that the Chinese may start to flex their muscles towards Taiwan. And if it gets out of hand, the conflict could draw in the United States. The U.S. has pledged to support Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack.
So there's an awful lot at stake in the election on Saturday -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Mike Chinoy reporting live from Taipei this morning.
The terrain, the timing, the terrorists they're up against, we'll talk to our reporter live in the region and a military expert, as well, about the operation now under way in Pakistan.
And police step up just in time when two little kids allegedly plot revenge against a bully. That's just ahead on DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: One day until spring and look at the weather in Babylon, New York. It's beautiful, though, isn't it, Chad?
MYERS: It really is, because you know what? The ground was warm enough, most of the roads were warm enough...
COSTELLO: Oh, oh, thank you, sir.
MYERS: Oh.
COSTELLO: That was so kind of him to wipe the lens off for us.
MYERS: That's very funny. From our affiliate WCBS there in New York. We're obviously, when they get those shots...
COSTELLO: Look. It looks much better now.
MYERS: Hey, well, actually, well, you never know. Not to his wife. I'm sure the other shot looked much better. He's the cameraman. He doesn't get on TV much.
Hey, Rick from Cream Ridge, New Jersey just e-mailed me with four inches and Jim three inches on the ground. He works for one of the school districts around the Trenton area and many of the school districts there are closed. So you may want to pay attention to that radio on or local TV or whatever it is so you don't send your kids out to the bus stop and make them wait all day for the bus that never comes.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: All week long, all week long we've been talking to Father Paul Carrier. He's working with incredibly poor children in Haiti through a program created and run by Fairfield University in Connecticut.
Well, Father Carrier has moved on to Port-au-Prince now and he joins us live by phone.
Good morning, Father Carrier.
PAUL CARRIER, S.J., FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: Tell us what...
CARRIER: How are you?
COSTELLO: I'm fine.
Tell us what Port-au-Prince is like.
CARRIER: Well, coming in yesterday by plane, you do see the strong American presence at the airport with the Marines and the troops. The city seems to be pretty quiet and, again, it's been quiet since I've been here last night.
COSTELLO: Well, that's good. Do you see the U.S. Marines in the streets?
CARRIER: Pretty much. They drive around in their vehicles and they're, you know, in their full battle gear and fatigues and helmets. And they're driving around and, again, there's a presence there. I don't know. I hope that it's for the best in the long run.
COSTELLO: Are the people talking with them? Does there seem to be fear because American troops are there? Or are people glad?
CARRIER: No, I think there's a sense of reassurance that they're here. And, again, I think that the difference between here and Cap Haitien is that in Cap Haitien there isn't much of a presence at all. Well, there were no Marines in Cap Haitien and the rebel troops are still armed and still in control of the city. So I think it's a big difference between what's happening in Port-au-Prince and the rest of the country.
COSTELLO: So you can definitely see the effects of the new government that's being put into place in Port-au-Prince?
CARRIER: I think so. And yet again, as we were talking yesterday, the effects haven't reached out to the rest of the country. Again, I haven't been here all week in Port-au-Prince, but having been in Cap Haitien, it's really irrelevant, really, what's been going on here. And that's what kind of frightens me or makes me feel sad, is that there's nothing that's trickling down back to Cap Haitien.
And the thought I had, Carol, that I just wanted to share with you quickly was that somehow I wish if policymakers had been with me this week walking around, as I have gone, and going to the villages and talking to the people, I wonder if they would have made the same decisions and the same policies that they are, because from what I've witnessed and what I've heard in Cap Haitien, I mean, a lot of people are suffering. And the country has been put back many, many, many years.
COSTELLO: Well, in fairness, it's early and the interim government is just being put into place, so perhaps things will get better. We can only hope so.
What is your mission in Port-au-Prince?
CARRIER: Well, again, it's just to be here for a little bit and then head back to the States this afternoon. And then hopefully be able to continue sharing my experiences with people back home and telling them what I saw and what I heard. And, again, it's interesting, again, I won't see much today here in Port-au-Prince, but my last image of Cap Haitien as I was waiting to leave Cap Haitien was of the sound of the rebels feverishly rebuilding the prison. And, again, I talked to you about visiting the hospital. It had two hours of electricity and villages, you know, villages that were very poor. And the last sound I heard was the rebuilding of a prison.
And, again, I leave discouraged and I leave saddened, but I am grateful to you and to the CNN team for having followed this story with me. I really appreciate that.
COSTELLO: Well, you've been providing some fascinating information for us.
Father Carrier, have a safe trip home.
And thank you for joining us all week on DAYBREAK.
CARRIER: Thank you.
Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Coming up, one year after the first bombs fell on Baghdad, the president speaks to the nation about Iraq once again. We'll preview his message live from the White House.
And protecting passengers -- the new request for some airlines.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Good morning to you.
Welcome back to DAYBREAK.
I'm Carol Costello.
It is Friday, March 19.
Let me bring you up to date.
In Spain, five suspects are formally charged in the Madrid commuter train bombings and five more suspects are arrested in connection with last week's attacks. The death toll has now gone up to 202.
Colin Powell makes a surprise side trip to Baghdad during his Asian tour. These are pictures we got into CNN just a short time ago. The secretary of state is meeting with U.S. civilian administrator Paul Bremer and other coalition officials.
In Thailand, medical and engineering troops are shipping out to relieve humanitarian operations in southern Iraq. The Thai government pledged to stick to its promise to be part of the U.S.-led coalition.
In Los Angeles, long time disk jockey J.J. Jackson has died. Jackson was one of the first music video jocks on MTV. He died of an apparent heart attack. He was just 62.
We update the top stories every 15 minutes. The next update comes your way at 6:45 Eastern.
It is difficult to know exactly what's going on in Pakistan now, but we are going to take you as close as we can to the fighting.
We have Ryan Chilcote live in Kabul, Afghanistan and Dan Plesch, a security expert and a fellow with the University of London. He's live in London this morning for us.
Let's start with you -- Ryan.
The Pakistani military has 7,000 troops. They're fighting by air, trying to root out these tribal fighters.
How are U.S. troops on your side of the border participating?
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the U.S. military has launched what they're calling Operation Mountain Storm. And basically what that is is they've teamed up with the Afghan National Army -- that's the armies here of Afghanistan that the U.S. military is training -- and they're patrolling up and down that border. Now, the hope of the U.S. military and the expectation, really, is that even if the Pakistan -- the Pakistani Army is not able to apprehend or kill those suspected al Qaeda and Taliban fighters in western Pakistan, the hope is that they'll at least be able to flush them out of that tribal area and push them into Afghanistan, where the U.S. military will be waiting to ambush them.
COSTELLO: And let me, let me...
CHILCOTE: They have fire bases in that area.
COSTELLO: Let me interrupt you there and go to Dan for just a second.
CHILCOTE: Go ahead.
COSTELLO: In light of what Ryan is saying, how long would this operation take? How entrenched are these al Qaeda fighters in western Pakistan?
DAN PLESCH, TERRORISM EXPERT, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON FELLOW: Well, very entrenched in southern Waziristan, an area where the British fought 100 years ago. I think one has to ask why President Musharraf and why there's been so much hype about the potential for capturing senior al Qaeda leaders. Of course, if they don't catch them, it could be something of an (UNINTELLIGIBLE) goal.
I have to say I would want to question in Washington whether there's a political pressure from the White House to get some kind of political results in the war on terror now that the Spanish have been peeled off and in the aftermath of that attack.
But going back to the situation on the ground, one has to recall that a year or so ago the U.S. suffered some quite severe defeats at the hands of al Qaeda in 2002. And one trusts that they've learned the lessons of those engagements. Entrenched is a good phrase for it. There's heavy artillery being used not just by the Pakistanis, but by the people they're fighting. They're in an area which traditionally has been very hostile to any outside interference, whether from the British or, frankly, from the Pakistan government itself.
COSTELLO: Dan...
PLESCH: But they, the guerrilla fighters are adept at slipping away while under pressure. So the idea they've actually been cornered, if that's true, is very good. But one has to question whether it is.
COSTELLO: Dan, before we go on about the military operations going on, I want to go back to the point you made about the hype.
PLESCH: Sure.
COSTELLO: If President Musharraf, the Pakistani president, just said that al-Zawahri is hiding in there and it's not true, wouldn't he look pretty silly? I mean he wouldn't be doing that just for political purposes, because wouldn't it hurt him in the end? PLESCH: Well, he might not be. But the, it's a little hard to see where this story first started to come out from. And I think one has objectively to say, to talk about this in advance, if you get him, there's no great advantage in having said it in advance. If you don't get him, it looks bad. So it's -- it smacks, in some sense, of some sort of political desperation spin mongering to put this out in advance. I mean, frankly, I think many people I talked to would say softly, softly, catch a monkey and then when you've got what you want to get, then talk about it.
COSTELLO: All right, let's get back to Ryan Chilcote -- Ryan, you've been talking to American troops on the Afghanistan side of the border.
What are they saying? Do they feel that al-Zawahri is there or maybe Osama bin Laden?
CHILCOTE: You know, the way that the military has been handling this campaign, it's very compartmentalized. So to be honest, the soldiers that I've been speaking with don't really have a whole lot better of an idea, believe it or not, than you or I do. So you find as many opinions about who is over there and whether they think, those soldiers think they're going to be caught, as you might find, say, in the United States.
A lot of soldiers are pretty confident. But, after all, some of the soldiers that are here right now, believe it or not, were actually here two years ago. They've, they were here for a six month deployment, went home and are now back again. And so they are a bit leery of any talk of catching Osama bin Laden. Remember, this all began two years ago. Two years ago to the month, that's when the very famous battle was -- Operation Anaconda -- took place. That's when the U.S. military thought that they had Osama bin Laden right in their sights. He got away. He actually, they believe, slipped into Pakistan over the border, into that area in which the U.S. military has been maintaining has become a safe haven for al Qaeda and Taliban now.
COSTELLO: Well, let's talk more about that with Dan Plesch.
Dan, is it safe to say that whoever is hiding up there and whoever is creating this fierce resistance to the Pakistani military, isn't it good to capture them or kill them? Wouldn't that make it safer for all of us?
PLESCH: Well, yes, it would. But in a sense, it's slightly beside the point. I think classic counterinsurgency, counter- guerrilla doctrine says that the military component is essential, but it isn't really the main point, that the -- any kind of guerrilla war has to be won at the political level and one has to deal with overall grievances that are involved and to get international support.
And right now, what one has got, frankly, is where al Qaeda pretty much has the initiative. They only have to send a fax to some newspaper and the global media go into spasm. And that is very bad, I think, for the alliance that the U.S. is leading. And if one looks at the reality, we now see action taking place from Spain through Iraq, continued actions inside Saudi Arabia, about which we hear little, through to Afghanistan.
This has, in a sense, some of the components of a global guerilla war at this point and I think we need to understand this situation, in many ways, is actually more serious even than the president lets us know.
COSTELLO: All right, Dan Plesch joining us live from London, Ryan Chilcote from Afghanistan.
Thanks to both of you.
President Bush launched the war in Iraq with a speech to the American people and bombs on Baghdad. And one year later, the president will mark the anniversary with another speech.
Our Kathleen Koch joins us by phone from the White House with what we can expect in today's address -- good morning, Kathleen.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
This will be an important speech the president will make in the East Room to an audience of largely ambassadors from the countries that have been part of the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, in Afghanistan. We're assuming the ambassador to Spain will be there, as well. They are still part of the alliance, though the new leader there has promised to pull their troops out of Iraq.
At this point, we're told by White House -- senior White House officials that the president will describe, first of all, the coalition's accomplishments in Iraq before broadening into a review of global progress in the war on terror. One official says that the president will insist that coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan have ended two of the most violent and dangerous regimes on earth, liberating over 50 million people.
The president, we're told by Scott McClellan, the White House spokesman, will also emphasize the international nature of the war on terror, making the point that there are many different missions in the global war on terror and that a lot of different countries are helping in a lot of different ways. Of course, with the recent attacks in Spain, the president will make mention of those, saying that it's a grim reminder that the civilized world is at war. The president will also likely mention the recent bombing in Baghdad and put all this into context, describing it as a time of testing, that terrorists are trying to shake the will of the United States and our allies, but terrorists are finding out, the president will say, that they cannot shake our will or our resolve.
We're also told by officials here that the president will link the conflict in Iraq to successes in limiting the spread of weapons of mass destruction, things like continuing progress in talks with North Korea, Libya's abandonment of its nuclear weapons program, Iran's decision to allow back in international inspectors into the country. So the president will point to those as some clear successes that have occurred, in part, because of the U.S. action in Iraq.
And the president will also make some mention of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, using some of the same terms that we've heard in his recent speeches, arguing that both the administration, Congress, the Clinton administration and the United Nations looked at the best intelligence available at the time on Iraq and saw a threat and had to act.
COSTELLO: All right.
KOCH: Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, we'll be listening.
Kathleen Koch reporting live from Washington by phone this morning.
The civilian administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, is supposedly going to conduct a news conference along with Secretary of State Colin Powell in Baghdad. You can see, well, maybe you can't see. The room is set up. The reporters are assembled. Once the two begin speaking, of course, we'll take you back live to Baghdad and we'll let you listen to what they have to say.
Let's move on now with other news.
A disturbing story involving children in a small Montana town tops our look at Stories Across America. This is Forsyth Elementary School, where three boys have been arrested in an alleged plot to shoot a third grade classmate. Authorities say the boys -- two are eight, the other 11 -- buried a loaded handgun in a sandbox. The sheriff says the boys planned the alleged assault because the female classmate had teased two of them. Another classmate alerted school officials.
The FCC is fining Infinity Broadcasting $27,500 for a 2001 Howard Stern broadcast about sex. The agency also says the use of the "F" word can bring a maximum fine in the future. It's never said that before, that using that word violated FCC rules. It does now, though. And you might recall there's a move in Congress to make the maximum fine for indecency $500,000.
DAYBREAK will be right -- actually, DAYBREAK will go on right now.
The government has a message -- make that an order -- for the pilots of international flights over the United States -- keep those cockpit doors locked. The Transportation Security Administration issued the order as part of the effort to prevent another 9/11 type event.
Let's head to the forecast center now to check in with Chad for a look at the travel forecast this morning.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: And I'm kind of scared to hear.
MYERS: Travel is going to be a little slow. And you're not going to New York City today, Carol, I don't think.
COSTELLO: I am, actually.
MYERS: You are?
COSTELLO: I'm supposed to.
MYERS: Well, then you're going to have to wait maybe till later on this afternoon.
COSTELLO: OK.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MYERS: Carol, do you have something for me there?
COSTELLO: Do I have something for you?
MYERS: Do you have to go to Mr. Paul Bremer here pretty soon?
COSTELLO: No, they're not talking yet. They were supposed to begin at 6:25 Eastern, but they're a little late.
MYERS: All right.
COSTELLO: Unfortunately we can't control their timing. I wish we could.
Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, if Osama bin Laden's number two man is captured alive, what would happen next? We'll examine the legal proceedings that could take place against a high profile terror suspect.
Could new laws since September 11 drive up America's gas prices?
Plus, making profits off the words no one wants to hear, Donald Trump's latest money making idea.
That's next on DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: And we're taking another live picture for you out of Baghdad. We're expecting the U.S. civilian administrator, Paul Bremer, to begin speaking along with Secretary of State Colin Powell, who paid a surprise visit to Baghdad this morning. We can probably guess what they'll be talking about, but we won't give it away. Reporters are assembled. They're expected to start talking, oh, in about one minute. So until they do, let's talk about this. If al Qaeda's number two man, Ayman al-Zawahri, is brought back alive, what will happen to him?
Our legal eagle is in Miami this morning, Kendall Coffey.
Time for some Coffey Talk. He is live from Miami on the phone -- good morning, Kendall.
KENDALL COFFEY, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Hey, good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: So what will happen to him, do you think, if they catch him?
COFFEY: Well, he won't be brought to a U.S. courtroom any time soon. To the contrary. They're all -- the focus now is the critical and urgent need to get information about other al Qaeda operatives, about any further plans for future atrocities. So he'll be held isolated, incommunicado. And to use the phrase that was applied when they captured the number three guy from al Qaeda, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, they will be applying all appropriate pressure to get this guy to break and tell them the truth about what's going on.
COSTELLO: Well, and we all suspect what that term pressure means, as you are using it this morning.
How accessible -- oh, I'm sorry to interrupt you, Kendall.
Secretary of State Colin Powell coming to the podium in Baghdad. He's to talk with the civilian administrator, Paul Bremer. He's been meeting with him all morning long. Let's pause and listen to what he has to say.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A minute of silence in memory of the two martyrs, Ali al-Khatib and Ali Abdelaziz. The name of god most merciful, a quotation from the Koran. After the security situation in Iraq has become tragic, where it is impossible to live with and where there were too many innocent victims from among the Iraqi people who, without any reason, because of the American measures, which has proved its failure in eliminating terrorism and the creation of a secure environment.
After a year of occupation, the occupation of Iraq, we, representatives of the media, of the Iraqi media and Arab media and foreign media working in Iraq, we declare our condemnation of the incident which led to the killing of the two journalists, martyr Ali al-Khatib and martyr Ali Abdelaziz from the Arabiya satellite station, who were killed at the hands of the American forces the evening of Thursday, the 18th of March.
We ask for an investigation, an open investigation before all of the media with the entity that committed this murder of the journalists and we also ask the providing of security and guarantees for the press in Iraq, which are facing dangers with their lives. And we declare our abandonment or boycott of the conference because of the martyrs.
Thank you.
COSTELLO: Just to explain to you a little bit of what's going on -- and we're only guessing here -- there were two journalists from Al- Arabiya apparently killed by U.S. troops. And as you heard, the person speaking called it murder. And, of course, we don't know exactly what happened. It could have well been accidental.
We think that Secretary of State Colin Powell will address that, but we're not really sure. We're trying to find out who that voice was that was speaking before this news conference is to begin.
Let's listen in again to see if Secretary Powell is speaking.
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: ... rights and privileges of the journalists who just left to express their feelings. This is something that could never have happened at an earlier time in the history of Iraq, and certainly not in the last 30 years.
I also regret the loss of life, the two journalists that they commemorated here by their action. I regret any loss of life, whether it is journalists, coalition soldiers, non-governmental organization workers, missionaries, average Iraqi citizens just going about their daily life.
But let's be clear who is responsible for this -- terrorists, those individuals left over from the old regime who do not want to see the Iraqi people live in peace, who do not want to see democracy take root, who would return this nation to a nation under the thumb of a dictator, a dictator who filled mass graves, who ran rape rooms, who suppressed his people, who wasted the resources and the talents of the Iraqi people on terrorism, on weapons of mass destruction, on threatening neighbors.
Those days are gone. This is the first anniversary of the beginning of the conflict that ended his brutal regime and put Iraq onto a new path to a brighter future.
Yes, there will be difficult days ahead. Yes, we will have challenges with the security situation. Coalition forces will continue to go after these individuals who are responsible for these acts. Increasingly, Iraqi security forces will take on more and more of the responsibility for dealing with these individuals.
But we must not let anyone believe that we won't prevail. We will prevail because we owe it to the Iraqi people. The Iraqi people deserve it. And guess what? The Iraqi people want it. They want to live in a democracy. They reflected that in the recent actions of the Governing Council to put in place an administrative law on the way to a full constitution, an administrative law that grants freedoms to Iraqis of a kind that they have never enjoyed before, as you just saw exercised a few moments ago. A bill of rights, rights for women, an independent judiciary, a military that is under civilian control, representative government, free elections, all of the things that are appreciated by individuals around the world. And now the people of Iraq will enjoy these rights -- not privileges, but rights, as a result of our efforts a year ago and what we have been doing for the last year and what we will continue to do in the future.
With this administrative law, we are now on track to put in place an interim government on the first of July, at which time the Coalition Provisional Authority will end and the American embassy will take its place, representing American presence here. Iraqis will govern themselves, with our assistance, the assistance of the United Nations and coalition partners, and, of course, with the continuing presence of an American military force to provide the stability that will be needed during this time of transition.
So much is happening that is good. Town councils are being formed. Schools are being rebuilt. School books are being distributed to children. The hospital system is being repaired. The sanitary system is being repaired. The water system is being repaired. The oil system is being repaired in order to generate funds that will not go to suppress people, but will go to benefit people. The electrical system is being repaired. Iraq is becoming a respected nation once again, as your foreign minister, who I just met with a little while ago, Mr. Zebari, carries your message to the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Conferences and to the U.N. and other places around the world, to say that a free and democratic Iraq that wants to be a responsible partner in the international community is on its way back.
And so I'm pleased to be here to demonstrate American commitment and American support to this effort and to thank all (AUDIO GAP) for their commitment to this effort, for their understanding of what we are trying to achieve. What we were trying to achieve, in simple words, is to give Iraqis a country they can be proud of that is based on democracy, freedom, the individual rights of men and women, a free market system, an Iraq that will live in peace with its neighbors and with the world community. That is our goal. It is a goal that we intend to achieve as a partnership between the coalition, the Iraqi people, the Iraqi ministers, the new interim government, the United Nations and so many other international organizations that are committed to this effort.
And the United States will not shrink from this task. And President Bush has made it clear that the United States and its coalition partners will show the staying power necessary to accomplish our goal.
With that, I'd be delighted to take any questions that you might have.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Gedda?
GEORGE GEDDA, ASSOCIATED PRESS: Mr. Secretary, George Gedda of A.P.
Did you hear anything today that gives you confidence that the security forces will be able to turn a corner with respect to controlling the serious security situation that this country is still suffering?
POWELL: I had good discussions with Ambassador Bremer and his staff and with the military commanders. They have a good sense of who's responsible for these attacks. The intelligence system, I think, is getting more and more insight into what's happening. But I don't want to underestimate the seriousness of the challenge. And we have to shift as the enemy shifts. They've moved from harder targets to softer targets, so we'll have to adapt tactics likewise.
One of the key things that the coalition is working hard on now is to raise the number of functioning police, Iraqi police, make sure they're well equipped, make sure that the civil defense paramilitary units are out doing their job and are well equipped and to increase the rate at which we can bring military units up to -- into existence and up to a standard that will allow them to contribute to the security of the country; increasing the number of border patrolmen to keep terrorists from getting into the country with ease.
And so many things have to be done. The intelligence system has to change as the enemy changes shape and tactics. The military will respond accordingly with their changes in tactics. And most significantly and most importantly, increasing the size of Iraqi security forces, because they are, frankly, at the end of the day, they should be and I expect they will be, better able to get the intelligence needed to deal with these kinds of threats.
And so there has been a spike in attacks on coalition forces and soft targets. We have seen these spikes before. I hope it does not stay at this level and we'll work hard to get it down as fast as possible.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Salaima Abdel Hassan (ph)?
SALAIMA ABDEL HASSAN (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Mr. Colin Powell, welcome, first.
You mentioned that through the rebuilding there will be hospitals. We did not notice this building schools and hospitals. They're just simply painting the walls and the curbs. This is in contradiction to what you said.
Thank you.
POWELL: Well, certainly if a building is there and it needs repair and that will make it a functioning institution again, then let's do that. But as the full impact of the $18 billion that the United States Congress has appropriated to this task, as that money starts to flow out -- and contracts are being signed now -- I think you will see a great deal of new construction of the kind of institutions that this country very vitally needs -- in education, in health care, sanitary systems, clean water, all of the infrastructure systems that we are committed to.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Steve Weissman?
STEVE WEISSMAN, "NEW YORK TIMES": Thank you. Steve Weissman with the "New York Times."
Mr. Secretary -- here I am. There seems to be no sign of progress in resolving the impasse over what sort of government will take over Iraq on June 30th. Now that you've met with members of the Iraqi Governing Council and Foreign Minister Zebari, can you say as specifically as possible whether you've been able to make progress in getting a consensus or a solution on that issue or is the process basically frozen until the arrival of the U.N. envoy?
POWELL: I wouldn't say we're at an impasse or that anything is frozen. We are in a continuing process of moving toward an interim government. We have not yet resolved with the Iraqis or the Governing Council or with the U.N. its shape. But we have a number of ideas that are under consideration and we have time between now and then to come to decisions and to put in place that government.
Our concentration for the last month or two has been on the administrative law, the TAL. And now that that is in place -- and we have to make, create some annexes and amendments to it -- that will describe what the interim government will look like. In my conversations today with the Governing Council, we discussed various models and a number of ideas were put out on the table for consideration. We hope that the U.N. representative will be here in the not too distant future to participate in this dialogue.
So we're not frozen and we're not at an impasse. We are hard at work on this and in consultation with the U.N. and with the Governing Council.
COSTELLO: And as DAYBREAK wraps up and AMERICAN MORNING begins, I'm Carol Costello.
I say good-bye to you and we continue our live coverage of Colin Powell in Baghdad.
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 March 19, 2004 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you.
It is Friday, March 19.
From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Let me bring you up to date.
A deadline to surrender has come and gone for a cornered group of militants in Pakistan. One of them might be Osama bin Laden's right hand man in al Qaeda. Pakistani troops resumed their offensive at daylight.
Reinforcements on the way for NATO troops trying to break up ethnic fighting in Kosovo. At least 31 people have been killed in two days.
Taiwan's president and vice president are shot. You can see there in the circle a bullet hole. It happened about five hours ago. Their injuries not believed to be grave.
The suspected Ohio highway shooter will waive extradition and be returned from Nevada to face charges. Charles McCoy, Jr. could be on his way back to Ohio as soon as tonight.
And a second delay for formal charges against a Fresno, California man accused of killing his nine children. Marcus Wesson has decided on a lawyer, but the lawyer is deciding if he'll take the case.
We update our top stories every 15 minutes. The next update comes your way at 6:15 Eastern.
A battle halfway across the globe that Americans should have plenty of interest in this morning. Pakistani troops believe they have cornered Osama bin Laden's right hand man, Ayman al-Zawahri. Let's zoom into the area. It is a remote mountainous region of Pakistan. This is the southern tip of a lawless region known as the federally administrated tribal areas. It stretches along Pakistan's northwest border with Afghanistan. Government troops have surrounded the area and are urging some 200 al Qaeda fighters to surrender. Fighting is said to be very fierce here.
Here's a look at the events over the last few days, leading up to the possible cornering of Ayman al-Zawahri. Earlier this week, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf visited tribal leaders to request their blessing for a special mission. Secretary of State Colin Powell arrived in Pakistan on Wednesday and met with Mr. Musharraf on Thursday. Before that meeting, Powell announced the United States was upgrading ties with Pakistan, making it easier for that country to acquire and stockpile U.S. weaponry.
And later in the day, Mr. Musharraf told CNN's Aaron Brown an operation was under way and Pakistani forces had a high value al Qaeda target within their sights. Government sources say al Qaeda operatives captured this week provided information suggesting al- Zawahri is with that group of besieged al Qaeda fighters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. PERVEZ MUSHARRAF, PAKISTAN: But the resistance that is being offered by the people there, we feel that there may be a high value target. I can't say who. But they are giving pitched battle at the moment. They are not coming out in spite of the fact that we have pounded them with artillery.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And, of course, we want to talk more about this. So let's head live to London now and Paul Eedle, an expert on al Qaeda.
Good morning and thank you for joining us.
PAUL EEDLE, AL QAEDA EXPERT: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: How sure, really, can Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf be that al-Zawahri is hiding at that particular tribal area?
EEDLE: I've been surprised that they've put out the name of Zawahri. It's a risk. If he isn't found, they'll look rather silly. But I think these operations have been going on now for several weeks and on the 24th of February, al Qaeda itself put out a statement on the Internet denying that the noose was closing, and denying it so vehemently that I rather suspect the noose may be closing.
COSTELLO: Maybe so. Pakistani troops are certainly pounding this target by air, with troops on the ground.
If it is al-Zawahri, how fierce will the fighting get?
EEDLE: I think that even if it wasn't Zawahri, these are people who fight to the death. We saw that in Tora Bora in the war in Afghanistan at the end of 2001. They fought to the death until they found a way to escape and they fled. If they are really cornered they'll fight to the bitter end.
COSTELLO: If al-Zawahri isn't hiding there, who else might be there?
EEDLE: It's not necessarily that there would be other senior people of al Qaeda with him. I think we are fairly confident that Osama bin Laden and Zawahri travel together. But at the first sign of danger they split up. So bin Laden may have been somewhere in the area when the operation started, but he probably isn't now. COSTELLO: I was going to ask you about Osama bin Laden. I mean some people -- even Pervez Musharraf said at one point that he is dead.
Do you believe that bin Laden is alive and that he was recently with al-Zawahri?
EEDLE: I think there's no doubt that he's alive. His exact movements, I don't think anybody can be sure of. But there was a 45 minute audiotape released in January which showed that he was not only alive, but closely in touch with events in the Middle East, calling for the setting up of a shadow government in the Gulf to resist what bin Laden says is an expected American invasion of the Gulf area.
COSTELLO: Paul Eedle, live from London, thank you for enlightening us this morning.
And let me take you back. On this date in 2003, CNN broadcast the first air strikes over Baghdad. It was the beginning of what the U.S. government called a shock and awe campaign. And after the military action began in Iraq, President Bush addressed the nation. This morning, on the anniversary of U.S.-led invasion, the president will deliver a White House speech outlining the coalition's accomplishments in Iraq and progress of the war against terror.
Also, Colin Powell is making a surprise visit this morning, a visit to Baghdad. It's part of his tour of Asian nations.
CNN's Walter Rodgers live in Baghdad with the latest on that -- and this was a surprise, wasn't it?
Who is he meeting with?
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, indeed, it is a bit of a surprise, although privately many of us knew here, knew that he was coming. For security reasons, it couldn't be announced.
Secretary Powell is here to reaffirm the Bush administration's commitment to the reconstruction of Iraq in the post-Saddam era. He is meeting, of course, with Paul Bremer, the chief American administrator here, the man who's literally running the show.
Additionally, Powell is here to commemorate the one year anniversary of the American led assault on Iraq. That was just a year ago this month. And he's also here, as he's been saying, to remind the world that there was another anniversary that he wanted to have remembered. That anniversary was 13 years ago at the Kurdish town of Halabjah and it was 13 years ago this week, according to Secretary Powell, that Saddam Hussein used chemical weapons against his own people, killing 5,000 Kurds, men, women and children.
Powell, meeting with some soldiers in a mess hall, said this anniversary should remind all soldiers here that they are doing the right thing and that the region is no longer threatened by these chemical weapons and weapons of mass destruction. He told the American soldiers here, as well, that they are here to strike a blow for freedom, that they are here to establish democracy and freedom in Iraq, and he went so far as to suggest that in the post-Saddam era in Iraq, there will be greater freedom for Iraqi women in the new and modern Iraqi society.
Now, on that front, it appears to be the secretary of state is going to have a tour de force. Still, American casualties continue in this part of the world. On Wednesday -- and we're just getting this information now -- two Marines from the 1st Marine Division in an area just west of Baghdad were killed. We've just received information on that.
So the post-end of conflict deaths continues to creep very much closer to 400 American soldiers killed since President Bush declared an end to major combat operations -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Walter Rodgers reporting live from Baghdad this morning.
Let's head to the forecast center now and check in with Chad on this day before spring.
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The last day of winter.
COSTELLO: Yes. Thank goodness.
MYERS: And you know what? The snow moves out by noon, so maybe just the last couple of hours of winter.
COSTELLO: Oh, I hope so.
MYERS: Probably not. There's another one in our forecast before it's done.
COSTELLO: Oh, no.
MYERS: Not yet, not literally in the forecast, but it's only early March.
COSTELLO:
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Let's talk about something good now, shall we?
MYERS: What do you have, Carol?
COSTELLO: This is a beautiful CNN cup. Not exactly like the DAYBREAK cup we're giving out to the winners of our contest every day...
MYERS: Oh, I was wondering whether you had it.
COSTELLO: It's beautiful, isn't it?
MYERS: What were the questions yesterday?
COSTELLO: Oh, well, let's read over the questions, shall we?
The first question was what county in Tennessee wants to ban gays from living there? The answer was Rhea County. And the second question, you're now able to see William Shakespeare's will online. In it, he leaves his wife something. What is it? And, of course, it was his second bed.
And who is the winner, Chad?
MYERS: His second best bed.
COSTELLO: Second best bed.
MYERS: That's very funny. Darrell Viles from Alma, Arkansas.
COSTELLO: Wooh!
MYERS: There you go, Darrell.
COSTELLO: Thank you so much for participating everyone.
MYERS: Your mug will be in the mail as soon as we get one.
COSTELLO: Chad.
MYERS: It's coming today.
COSTELLO: They're coming today.
MYERS: They are.
COSTELLO: We're going to mail them out next week. Don't scare people like that, because we want them to participate again this morning.
MYERS: I understand.
COSTELLO: 6:50 Eastern time will be our next news quiz questions.
MYERS: OK.
COSTELLO: All right.
MYERS: Pay attention.
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: All right.
COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, U.S. Marines patrolling Haiti's capital. Our special guest, Father Paul Carrier, is in that city on his own mission to help the people of Haiti. We'll talk live with him this morning. Plus, an assassination attempt on a president campaigning in the streets. But the weekend election will go on as planned.
And the Pakistani military operation to catch Osama bin Laden's right hand man. We'll check in at the Pentagon to find out how the U.S. military views the situation.
This is DAYBREAK for Friday, March 19th.
COSTELLO: Welcome back to DAYBREAK.
6:14 Eastern time.
Time to take a quick look at the top stories.
An assassination attempt in Taiwan just about six hours ago. The president and vice president were shot while campaigning for this weekend's presidential election. Their injuries are not life threatening. But look closely there. You can see a bullet hole in the window of the car carrying the president and vice president. See it in the circle there? We'll have an update live for you in just a bit.
Also, after a visit to Pakistan, Secretary of State Colin Powell makes a stop in Baghdad today, as the U.S. marks the anniversary of the war.
And U.S. troops head to Kosovo as part of a NATO peacekeeping force to stop ethnic violence that has left at least 31 dead.
We update our top stories every 15 minutes. The next update comes your way at 6:30 Eastern.
All right, now to Taiwan. A senior government official says the president and the vice president did not suffer life threatening injuries when they were shot today. The shootings come the day before a landmark election.
Our senior Asia correspondent, Mike Chinoy, joins us live from Taipei with an update on the condition of the president and vice president -- hello, Mike.
MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.
Well, President Chen Shui-bian and Vice President Annette Lu were campaigning in southern Taiwan. They were driving in an open vehicle through a crowded street packed with supporters. Many of them were setting off firecrackers.
In the din, somebody opened fire. The president was hit in the stomach. The vice president was hit in the knee. The injuries are not life threatening. The president, in fact, having had that wound stitched up, has just been released from the hospital and is getting ready to fly back to his home here in Taipei.
All of this comes less than 24 hours before the people of Taiwan are due to go to the polls in a race that has been neck and neck, with Chen and his opponent, opposition leader Lien Chan, in a virtual dead heat. It's interesting to see now what kind of impact this is going to have on the voting on Saturday -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And, Mike, this is an important election for everybody here in the United States to pay attention to because there are political ramifications in light of the upcoming election and in light of this attack.
Tell us about them.
CHINOY: Well, Chen Shui-bian has based his whole campaign on trying to cement Taiwan's separate status from mainland China. Beijing, of course, claims Taiwan as a renegade province. And if this incident gives him a boost and allows him to win the election and pursue that policy of making Taiwan more and more independent from mainland China, diplomats here and political analysts are concerned that the Chinese may start to flex their muscles towards Taiwan. And if it gets out of hand, the conflict could draw in the United States. The U.S. has pledged to support Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack.
So there's an awful lot at stake in the election on Saturday -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Mike Chinoy reporting live from Taipei this morning.
The terrain, the timing, the terrorists they're up against, we'll talk to our reporter live in the region and a military expert, as well, about the operation now under way in Pakistan.
And police step up just in time when two little kids allegedly plot revenge against a bully. That's just ahead on DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: One day until spring and look at the weather in Babylon, New York. It's beautiful, though, isn't it, Chad?
MYERS: It really is, because you know what? The ground was warm enough, most of the roads were warm enough...
COSTELLO: Oh, oh, thank you, sir.
MYERS: Oh.
COSTELLO: That was so kind of him to wipe the lens off for us.
MYERS: That's very funny. From our affiliate WCBS there in New York. We're obviously, when they get those shots...
COSTELLO: Look. It looks much better now.
MYERS: Hey, well, actually, well, you never know. Not to his wife. I'm sure the other shot looked much better. He's the cameraman. He doesn't get on TV much.
Hey, Rick from Cream Ridge, New Jersey just e-mailed me with four inches and Jim three inches on the ground. He works for one of the school districts around the Trenton area and many of the school districts there are closed. So you may want to pay attention to that radio on or local TV or whatever it is so you don't send your kids out to the bus stop and make them wait all day for the bus that never comes.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: All week long, all week long we've been talking to Father Paul Carrier. He's working with incredibly poor children in Haiti through a program created and run by Fairfield University in Connecticut.
Well, Father Carrier has moved on to Port-au-Prince now and he joins us live by phone.
Good morning, Father Carrier.
PAUL CARRIER, S.J., FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: Tell us what...
CARRIER: How are you?
COSTELLO: I'm fine.
Tell us what Port-au-Prince is like.
CARRIER: Well, coming in yesterday by plane, you do see the strong American presence at the airport with the Marines and the troops. The city seems to be pretty quiet and, again, it's been quiet since I've been here last night.
COSTELLO: Well, that's good. Do you see the U.S. Marines in the streets?
CARRIER: Pretty much. They drive around in their vehicles and they're, you know, in their full battle gear and fatigues and helmets. And they're driving around and, again, there's a presence there. I don't know. I hope that it's for the best in the long run.
COSTELLO: Are the people talking with them? Does there seem to be fear because American troops are there? Or are people glad?
CARRIER: No, I think there's a sense of reassurance that they're here. And, again, I think that the difference between here and Cap Haitien is that in Cap Haitien there isn't much of a presence at all. Well, there were no Marines in Cap Haitien and the rebel troops are still armed and still in control of the city. So I think it's a big difference between what's happening in Port-au-Prince and the rest of the country.
COSTELLO: So you can definitely see the effects of the new government that's being put into place in Port-au-Prince?
CARRIER: I think so. And yet again, as we were talking yesterday, the effects haven't reached out to the rest of the country. Again, I haven't been here all week in Port-au-Prince, but having been in Cap Haitien, it's really irrelevant, really, what's been going on here. And that's what kind of frightens me or makes me feel sad, is that there's nothing that's trickling down back to Cap Haitien.
And the thought I had, Carol, that I just wanted to share with you quickly was that somehow I wish if policymakers had been with me this week walking around, as I have gone, and going to the villages and talking to the people, I wonder if they would have made the same decisions and the same policies that they are, because from what I've witnessed and what I've heard in Cap Haitien, I mean, a lot of people are suffering. And the country has been put back many, many, many years.
COSTELLO: Well, in fairness, it's early and the interim government is just being put into place, so perhaps things will get better. We can only hope so.
What is your mission in Port-au-Prince?
CARRIER: Well, again, it's just to be here for a little bit and then head back to the States this afternoon. And then hopefully be able to continue sharing my experiences with people back home and telling them what I saw and what I heard. And, again, it's interesting, again, I won't see much today here in Port-au-Prince, but my last image of Cap Haitien as I was waiting to leave Cap Haitien was of the sound of the rebels feverishly rebuilding the prison. And, again, I talked to you about visiting the hospital. It had two hours of electricity and villages, you know, villages that were very poor. And the last sound I heard was the rebuilding of a prison.
And, again, I leave discouraged and I leave saddened, but I am grateful to you and to the CNN team for having followed this story with me. I really appreciate that.
COSTELLO: Well, you've been providing some fascinating information for us.
Father Carrier, have a safe trip home.
And thank you for joining us all week on DAYBREAK.
CARRIER: Thank you.
Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Coming up, one year after the first bombs fell on Baghdad, the president speaks to the nation about Iraq once again. We'll preview his message live from the White House.
And protecting passengers -- the new request for some airlines.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Good morning to you.
Welcome back to DAYBREAK.
I'm Carol Costello.
It is Friday, March 19.
Let me bring you up to date.
In Spain, five suspects are formally charged in the Madrid commuter train bombings and five more suspects are arrested in connection with last week's attacks. The death toll has now gone up to 202.
Colin Powell makes a surprise side trip to Baghdad during his Asian tour. These are pictures we got into CNN just a short time ago. The secretary of state is meeting with U.S. civilian administrator Paul Bremer and other coalition officials.
In Thailand, medical and engineering troops are shipping out to relieve humanitarian operations in southern Iraq. The Thai government pledged to stick to its promise to be part of the U.S.-led coalition.
In Los Angeles, long time disk jockey J.J. Jackson has died. Jackson was one of the first music video jocks on MTV. He died of an apparent heart attack. He was just 62.
We update the top stories every 15 minutes. The next update comes your way at 6:45 Eastern.
It is difficult to know exactly what's going on in Pakistan now, but we are going to take you as close as we can to the fighting.
We have Ryan Chilcote live in Kabul, Afghanistan and Dan Plesch, a security expert and a fellow with the University of London. He's live in London this morning for us.
Let's start with you -- Ryan.
The Pakistani military has 7,000 troops. They're fighting by air, trying to root out these tribal fighters.
How are U.S. troops on your side of the border participating?
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the U.S. military has launched what they're calling Operation Mountain Storm. And basically what that is is they've teamed up with the Afghan National Army -- that's the armies here of Afghanistan that the U.S. military is training -- and they're patrolling up and down that border. Now, the hope of the U.S. military and the expectation, really, is that even if the Pakistan -- the Pakistani Army is not able to apprehend or kill those suspected al Qaeda and Taliban fighters in western Pakistan, the hope is that they'll at least be able to flush them out of that tribal area and push them into Afghanistan, where the U.S. military will be waiting to ambush them.
COSTELLO: And let me, let me...
CHILCOTE: They have fire bases in that area.
COSTELLO: Let me interrupt you there and go to Dan for just a second.
CHILCOTE: Go ahead.
COSTELLO: In light of what Ryan is saying, how long would this operation take? How entrenched are these al Qaeda fighters in western Pakistan?
DAN PLESCH, TERRORISM EXPERT, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON FELLOW: Well, very entrenched in southern Waziristan, an area where the British fought 100 years ago. I think one has to ask why President Musharraf and why there's been so much hype about the potential for capturing senior al Qaeda leaders. Of course, if they don't catch them, it could be something of an (UNINTELLIGIBLE) goal.
I have to say I would want to question in Washington whether there's a political pressure from the White House to get some kind of political results in the war on terror now that the Spanish have been peeled off and in the aftermath of that attack.
But going back to the situation on the ground, one has to recall that a year or so ago the U.S. suffered some quite severe defeats at the hands of al Qaeda in 2002. And one trusts that they've learned the lessons of those engagements. Entrenched is a good phrase for it. There's heavy artillery being used not just by the Pakistanis, but by the people they're fighting. They're in an area which traditionally has been very hostile to any outside interference, whether from the British or, frankly, from the Pakistan government itself.
COSTELLO: Dan...
PLESCH: But they, the guerrilla fighters are adept at slipping away while under pressure. So the idea they've actually been cornered, if that's true, is very good. But one has to question whether it is.
COSTELLO: Dan, before we go on about the military operations going on, I want to go back to the point you made about the hype.
PLESCH: Sure.
COSTELLO: If President Musharraf, the Pakistani president, just said that al-Zawahri is hiding in there and it's not true, wouldn't he look pretty silly? I mean he wouldn't be doing that just for political purposes, because wouldn't it hurt him in the end? PLESCH: Well, he might not be. But the, it's a little hard to see where this story first started to come out from. And I think one has objectively to say, to talk about this in advance, if you get him, there's no great advantage in having said it in advance. If you don't get him, it looks bad. So it's -- it smacks, in some sense, of some sort of political desperation spin mongering to put this out in advance. I mean, frankly, I think many people I talked to would say softly, softly, catch a monkey and then when you've got what you want to get, then talk about it.
COSTELLO: All right, let's get back to Ryan Chilcote -- Ryan, you've been talking to American troops on the Afghanistan side of the border.
What are they saying? Do they feel that al-Zawahri is there or maybe Osama bin Laden?
CHILCOTE: You know, the way that the military has been handling this campaign, it's very compartmentalized. So to be honest, the soldiers that I've been speaking with don't really have a whole lot better of an idea, believe it or not, than you or I do. So you find as many opinions about who is over there and whether they think, those soldiers think they're going to be caught, as you might find, say, in the United States.
A lot of soldiers are pretty confident. But, after all, some of the soldiers that are here right now, believe it or not, were actually here two years ago. They've, they were here for a six month deployment, went home and are now back again. And so they are a bit leery of any talk of catching Osama bin Laden. Remember, this all began two years ago. Two years ago to the month, that's when the very famous battle was -- Operation Anaconda -- took place. That's when the U.S. military thought that they had Osama bin Laden right in their sights. He got away. He actually, they believe, slipped into Pakistan over the border, into that area in which the U.S. military has been maintaining has become a safe haven for al Qaeda and Taliban now.
COSTELLO: Well, let's talk more about that with Dan Plesch.
Dan, is it safe to say that whoever is hiding up there and whoever is creating this fierce resistance to the Pakistani military, isn't it good to capture them or kill them? Wouldn't that make it safer for all of us?
PLESCH: Well, yes, it would. But in a sense, it's slightly beside the point. I think classic counterinsurgency, counter- guerrilla doctrine says that the military component is essential, but it isn't really the main point, that the -- any kind of guerrilla war has to be won at the political level and one has to deal with overall grievances that are involved and to get international support.
And right now, what one has got, frankly, is where al Qaeda pretty much has the initiative. They only have to send a fax to some newspaper and the global media go into spasm. And that is very bad, I think, for the alliance that the U.S. is leading. And if one looks at the reality, we now see action taking place from Spain through Iraq, continued actions inside Saudi Arabia, about which we hear little, through to Afghanistan.
This has, in a sense, some of the components of a global guerilla war at this point and I think we need to understand this situation, in many ways, is actually more serious even than the president lets us know.
COSTELLO: All right, Dan Plesch joining us live from London, Ryan Chilcote from Afghanistan.
Thanks to both of you.
President Bush launched the war in Iraq with a speech to the American people and bombs on Baghdad. And one year later, the president will mark the anniversary with another speech.
Our Kathleen Koch joins us by phone from the White House with what we can expect in today's address -- good morning, Kathleen.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
This will be an important speech the president will make in the East Room to an audience of largely ambassadors from the countries that have been part of the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, in Afghanistan. We're assuming the ambassador to Spain will be there, as well. They are still part of the alliance, though the new leader there has promised to pull their troops out of Iraq.
At this point, we're told by White House -- senior White House officials that the president will describe, first of all, the coalition's accomplishments in Iraq before broadening into a review of global progress in the war on terror. One official says that the president will insist that coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan have ended two of the most violent and dangerous regimes on earth, liberating over 50 million people.
The president, we're told by Scott McClellan, the White House spokesman, will also emphasize the international nature of the war on terror, making the point that there are many different missions in the global war on terror and that a lot of different countries are helping in a lot of different ways. Of course, with the recent attacks in Spain, the president will make mention of those, saying that it's a grim reminder that the civilized world is at war. The president will also likely mention the recent bombing in Baghdad and put all this into context, describing it as a time of testing, that terrorists are trying to shake the will of the United States and our allies, but terrorists are finding out, the president will say, that they cannot shake our will or our resolve.
We're also told by officials here that the president will link the conflict in Iraq to successes in limiting the spread of weapons of mass destruction, things like continuing progress in talks with North Korea, Libya's abandonment of its nuclear weapons program, Iran's decision to allow back in international inspectors into the country. So the president will point to those as some clear successes that have occurred, in part, because of the U.S. action in Iraq.
And the president will also make some mention of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, using some of the same terms that we've heard in his recent speeches, arguing that both the administration, Congress, the Clinton administration and the United Nations looked at the best intelligence available at the time on Iraq and saw a threat and had to act.
COSTELLO: All right.
KOCH: Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, we'll be listening.
Kathleen Koch reporting live from Washington by phone this morning.
The civilian administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, is supposedly going to conduct a news conference along with Secretary of State Colin Powell in Baghdad. You can see, well, maybe you can't see. The room is set up. The reporters are assembled. Once the two begin speaking, of course, we'll take you back live to Baghdad and we'll let you listen to what they have to say.
Let's move on now with other news.
A disturbing story involving children in a small Montana town tops our look at Stories Across America. This is Forsyth Elementary School, where three boys have been arrested in an alleged plot to shoot a third grade classmate. Authorities say the boys -- two are eight, the other 11 -- buried a loaded handgun in a sandbox. The sheriff says the boys planned the alleged assault because the female classmate had teased two of them. Another classmate alerted school officials.
The FCC is fining Infinity Broadcasting $27,500 for a 2001 Howard Stern broadcast about sex. The agency also says the use of the "F" word can bring a maximum fine in the future. It's never said that before, that using that word violated FCC rules. It does now, though. And you might recall there's a move in Congress to make the maximum fine for indecency $500,000.
DAYBREAK will be right -- actually, DAYBREAK will go on right now.
The government has a message -- make that an order -- for the pilots of international flights over the United States -- keep those cockpit doors locked. The Transportation Security Administration issued the order as part of the effort to prevent another 9/11 type event.
Let's head to the forecast center now to check in with Chad for a look at the travel forecast this morning.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: And I'm kind of scared to hear.
MYERS: Travel is going to be a little slow. And you're not going to New York City today, Carol, I don't think.
COSTELLO: I am, actually.
MYERS: You are?
COSTELLO: I'm supposed to.
MYERS: Well, then you're going to have to wait maybe till later on this afternoon.
COSTELLO: OK.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MYERS: Carol, do you have something for me there?
COSTELLO: Do I have something for you?
MYERS: Do you have to go to Mr. Paul Bremer here pretty soon?
COSTELLO: No, they're not talking yet. They were supposed to begin at 6:25 Eastern, but they're a little late.
MYERS: All right.
COSTELLO: Unfortunately we can't control their timing. I wish we could.
Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, if Osama bin Laden's number two man is captured alive, what would happen next? We'll examine the legal proceedings that could take place against a high profile terror suspect.
Could new laws since September 11 drive up America's gas prices?
Plus, making profits off the words no one wants to hear, Donald Trump's latest money making idea.
That's next on DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: And we're taking another live picture for you out of Baghdad. We're expecting the U.S. civilian administrator, Paul Bremer, to begin speaking along with Secretary of State Colin Powell, who paid a surprise visit to Baghdad this morning. We can probably guess what they'll be talking about, but we won't give it away. Reporters are assembled. They're expected to start talking, oh, in about one minute. So until they do, let's talk about this. If al Qaeda's number two man, Ayman al-Zawahri, is brought back alive, what will happen to him?
Our legal eagle is in Miami this morning, Kendall Coffey.
Time for some Coffey Talk. He is live from Miami on the phone -- good morning, Kendall.
KENDALL COFFEY, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Hey, good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: So what will happen to him, do you think, if they catch him?
COFFEY: Well, he won't be brought to a U.S. courtroom any time soon. To the contrary. They're all -- the focus now is the critical and urgent need to get information about other al Qaeda operatives, about any further plans for future atrocities. So he'll be held isolated, incommunicado. And to use the phrase that was applied when they captured the number three guy from al Qaeda, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, they will be applying all appropriate pressure to get this guy to break and tell them the truth about what's going on.
COSTELLO: Well, and we all suspect what that term pressure means, as you are using it this morning.
How accessible -- oh, I'm sorry to interrupt you, Kendall.
Secretary of State Colin Powell coming to the podium in Baghdad. He's to talk with the civilian administrator, Paul Bremer. He's been meeting with him all morning long. Let's pause and listen to what he has to say.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A minute of silence in memory of the two martyrs, Ali al-Khatib and Ali Abdelaziz. The name of god most merciful, a quotation from the Koran. After the security situation in Iraq has become tragic, where it is impossible to live with and where there were too many innocent victims from among the Iraqi people who, without any reason, because of the American measures, which has proved its failure in eliminating terrorism and the creation of a secure environment.
After a year of occupation, the occupation of Iraq, we, representatives of the media, of the Iraqi media and Arab media and foreign media working in Iraq, we declare our condemnation of the incident which led to the killing of the two journalists, martyr Ali al-Khatib and martyr Ali Abdelaziz from the Arabiya satellite station, who were killed at the hands of the American forces the evening of Thursday, the 18th of March.
We ask for an investigation, an open investigation before all of the media with the entity that committed this murder of the journalists and we also ask the providing of security and guarantees for the press in Iraq, which are facing dangers with their lives. And we declare our abandonment or boycott of the conference because of the martyrs.
Thank you.
COSTELLO: Just to explain to you a little bit of what's going on -- and we're only guessing here -- there were two journalists from Al- Arabiya apparently killed by U.S. troops. And as you heard, the person speaking called it murder. And, of course, we don't know exactly what happened. It could have well been accidental.
We think that Secretary of State Colin Powell will address that, but we're not really sure. We're trying to find out who that voice was that was speaking before this news conference is to begin.
Let's listen in again to see if Secretary Powell is speaking.
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: ... rights and privileges of the journalists who just left to express their feelings. This is something that could never have happened at an earlier time in the history of Iraq, and certainly not in the last 30 years.
I also regret the loss of life, the two journalists that they commemorated here by their action. I regret any loss of life, whether it is journalists, coalition soldiers, non-governmental organization workers, missionaries, average Iraqi citizens just going about their daily life.
But let's be clear who is responsible for this -- terrorists, those individuals left over from the old regime who do not want to see the Iraqi people live in peace, who do not want to see democracy take root, who would return this nation to a nation under the thumb of a dictator, a dictator who filled mass graves, who ran rape rooms, who suppressed his people, who wasted the resources and the talents of the Iraqi people on terrorism, on weapons of mass destruction, on threatening neighbors.
Those days are gone. This is the first anniversary of the beginning of the conflict that ended his brutal regime and put Iraq onto a new path to a brighter future.
Yes, there will be difficult days ahead. Yes, we will have challenges with the security situation. Coalition forces will continue to go after these individuals who are responsible for these acts. Increasingly, Iraqi security forces will take on more and more of the responsibility for dealing with these individuals.
But we must not let anyone believe that we won't prevail. We will prevail because we owe it to the Iraqi people. The Iraqi people deserve it. And guess what? The Iraqi people want it. They want to live in a democracy. They reflected that in the recent actions of the Governing Council to put in place an administrative law on the way to a full constitution, an administrative law that grants freedoms to Iraqis of a kind that they have never enjoyed before, as you just saw exercised a few moments ago. A bill of rights, rights for women, an independent judiciary, a military that is under civilian control, representative government, free elections, all of the things that are appreciated by individuals around the world. And now the people of Iraq will enjoy these rights -- not privileges, but rights, as a result of our efforts a year ago and what we have been doing for the last year and what we will continue to do in the future.
With this administrative law, we are now on track to put in place an interim government on the first of July, at which time the Coalition Provisional Authority will end and the American embassy will take its place, representing American presence here. Iraqis will govern themselves, with our assistance, the assistance of the United Nations and coalition partners, and, of course, with the continuing presence of an American military force to provide the stability that will be needed during this time of transition.
So much is happening that is good. Town councils are being formed. Schools are being rebuilt. School books are being distributed to children. The hospital system is being repaired. The sanitary system is being repaired. The water system is being repaired. The oil system is being repaired in order to generate funds that will not go to suppress people, but will go to benefit people. The electrical system is being repaired. Iraq is becoming a respected nation once again, as your foreign minister, who I just met with a little while ago, Mr. Zebari, carries your message to the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Conferences and to the U.N. and other places around the world, to say that a free and democratic Iraq that wants to be a responsible partner in the international community is on its way back.
And so I'm pleased to be here to demonstrate American commitment and American support to this effort and to thank all (AUDIO GAP) for their commitment to this effort, for their understanding of what we are trying to achieve. What we were trying to achieve, in simple words, is to give Iraqis a country they can be proud of that is based on democracy, freedom, the individual rights of men and women, a free market system, an Iraq that will live in peace with its neighbors and with the world community. That is our goal. It is a goal that we intend to achieve as a partnership between the coalition, the Iraqi people, the Iraqi ministers, the new interim government, the United Nations and so many other international organizations that are committed to this effort.
And the United States will not shrink from this task. And President Bush has made it clear that the United States and its coalition partners will show the staying power necessary to accomplish our goal.
With that, I'd be delighted to take any questions that you might have.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Gedda?
GEORGE GEDDA, ASSOCIATED PRESS: Mr. Secretary, George Gedda of A.P.
Did you hear anything today that gives you confidence that the security forces will be able to turn a corner with respect to controlling the serious security situation that this country is still suffering?
POWELL: I had good discussions with Ambassador Bremer and his staff and with the military commanders. They have a good sense of who's responsible for these attacks. The intelligence system, I think, is getting more and more insight into what's happening. But I don't want to underestimate the seriousness of the challenge. And we have to shift as the enemy shifts. They've moved from harder targets to softer targets, so we'll have to adapt tactics likewise.
One of the key things that the coalition is working hard on now is to raise the number of functioning police, Iraqi police, make sure they're well equipped, make sure that the civil defense paramilitary units are out doing their job and are well equipped and to increase the rate at which we can bring military units up to -- into existence and up to a standard that will allow them to contribute to the security of the country; increasing the number of border patrolmen to keep terrorists from getting into the country with ease.
And so many things have to be done. The intelligence system has to change as the enemy changes shape and tactics. The military will respond accordingly with their changes in tactics. And most significantly and most importantly, increasing the size of Iraqi security forces, because they are, frankly, at the end of the day, they should be and I expect they will be, better able to get the intelligence needed to deal with these kinds of threats.
And so there has been a spike in attacks on coalition forces and soft targets. We have seen these spikes before. I hope it does not stay at this level and we'll work hard to get it down as fast as possible.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Salaima Abdel Hassan (ph)?
SALAIMA ABDEL HASSAN (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Mr. Colin Powell, welcome, first.
You mentioned that through the rebuilding there will be hospitals. We did not notice this building schools and hospitals. They're just simply painting the walls and the curbs. This is in contradiction to what you said.
Thank you.
POWELL: Well, certainly if a building is there and it needs repair and that will make it a functioning institution again, then let's do that. But as the full impact of the $18 billion that the United States Congress has appropriated to this task, as that money starts to flow out -- and contracts are being signed now -- I think you will see a great deal of new construction of the kind of institutions that this country very vitally needs -- in education, in health care, sanitary systems, clean water, all of the infrastructure systems that we are committed to.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Steve Weissman?
STEVE WEISSMAN, "NEW YORK TIMES": Thank you. Steve Weissman with the "New York Times."
Mr. Secretary -- here I am. There seems to be no sign of progress in resolving the impasse over what sort of government will take over Iraq on June 30th. Now that you've met with members of the Iraqi Governing Council and Foreign Minister Zebari, can you say as specifically as possible whether you've been able to make progress in getting a consensus or a solution on that issue or is the process basically frozen until the arrival of the U.N. envoy?
POWELL: I wouldn't say we're at an impasse or that anything is frozen. We are in a continuing process of moving toward an interim government. We have not yet resolved with the Iraqis or the Governing Council or with the U.N. its shape. But we have a number of ideas that are under consideration and we have time between now and then to come to decisions and to put in place that government.
Our concentration for the last month or two has been on the administrative law, the TAL. And now that that is in place -- and we have to make, create some annexes and amendments to it -- that will describe what the interim government will look like. In my conversations today with the Governing Council, we discussed various models and a number of ideas were put out on the table for consideration. We hope that the U.N. representative will be here in the not too distant future to participate in this dialogue.
So we're not frozen and we're not at an impasse. We are hard at work on this and in consultation with the U.N. and with the Governing Council.
COSTELLO: And as DAYBREAK wraps up and AMERICAN MORNING begins, I'm Carol Costello.
I say good-bye to you and we continue our live coverage of Colin Powell in Baghdad.
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