Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Bush, Scheffer Deliver Joint Statement at NATO Headquarters

Aired February 22, 2005 - 08:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A powerful earth quick hits Iran, leaving at least 270 people dead. Officials say the 6.4 quake hit the central part of the country, injuring nearly 1,000 people and flattening dozens of villages. More than a year ago, a devastating earthquake in the same region killed more than 30,000 people.
The U.S. Supreme Court will take up a property-rights case this morning. That could have major implications around the country. The court will consider whether governments have the right to seize private homes for private economic development, under the practice of eminent domain. The case involves seven home owners in New London, Connecticut being forced out by the city. A ruling is expected by late June on that.

Supermarket chain Winn-Dixie announcing it is filing for bankruptcy. The company reorganization coming less than two weeks after the chain reported a year of big losses. The firm says it plans to target financial and operational problems that hurt its performance. Winn-Dixie runs more than 900 stores and has some 80,000 workers in the Southeastern U.S. and the Bahamas. Just in case you didn't know about grocery stores in the Bahamas.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, what a terrible lost. And obviously some people there will be losing their jobs. Something that Andy Serwer predicted last week as well, saying what tough times they were having.

Heidi, thanks a lot.

CNN has just received word that Iraq's main Shiite alliance has named interim Vice President Ibrahim Al Jaafari as the nominee for prime minister. CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson in Baghdad with the very latest.

Nic, good morning.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

The man who had to step down to make that possible, Ahmed Chalabi, not particularly popular in Iraq. He is also the man who gave the United States so much of the information and reasons to go to war in Iraq, information about weapons of mass destruction, the notion that U.S. troops could arrive here and be met with Iraqis holding flowers, waiting to see them, that man was Ahmed Chalabi. He has decided apparently to step down from running for prime minister so that -- to keep unity in the party. But of course this is really only one step in the stage here. The United Iraqi Alliance, the Shia religious party, the party who has garnered most of the seats in the new -- the majority of the seats in the new national assembly, they are making Ibrahim Al Jaafari, seen as a moderate, the current vice president, the man who while in exile under Saddam Hussein's rule unified all the disparate groups in exile under Saddam Hussein's rule, unified all the disparate groups who were in exile against Saddam, who say seen as somebody who can really bring the Iraqis together. He has not been nominated by this party.

But before he can become prime minister, this will have to be ratified by the Kurds in Iraq, and they have said that they are looking for a lot of conditions before they would back this particular candidate -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Nic Robertson for us this morning. Nice, thank you for that update -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: More rain is expected today in Southern California. Days of storms have already caused massive flooding, mudslides and sinkholes. At least three deaths blamed on the weather. And as Ted Rowlands reports, emergency crews are working overtime.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Northbound 605 to the city.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Los Angeles County Fire Urban Search and Rescue team gets a call that a mud slide into a home has trapped at least one victim.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're about less than 10 out.

ROWLANDS: They arrive to find mud and debris from floor to ceiling inside a condominium.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, bring a chainsaw.

ROWLANDS: A woman is trapped against a bathroom wall.

CAPT. DON ROY, LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT: We had a whole mountain of mud from the hill that had come through the house.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don, can you pull that?

ROWLANDS: Using saws, crowbars and sledgehammers, firefighters cut through a dining room wall to get to the bathroom.

ROY: This is what they call a fluid. It's not a static. But what I mean by fluid, it's constantly moving and if we had actually water flowing underneath that mud pile, which is a big concern for us, because once you get the mud flowing down and it's static, now we've got water actually filtering underneath it into the house, into the spot where she was at, was the path of that mud. And that is bad.

ROWLANDS: A human chain is used to move debris. Eventually, they get to the woman. She is in pain, but able to talk.

LEO IBARA, LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT: The concern is with what's called a crushed syndrome. When we have this pressure built up against our body parts, over a period of time, lactic acid begins to build up in our system. And then once that pressure is released, all that acid goes to the major organs in our body.

So the concern is, is that even though she's talking to us now, once we alleviate that pressure, she could what we would call bottom out. Then she would go into full arrest.

ROWLANDS: The victim tells firefighters she can't feel the lower half of her body. Eventually, they're able to get her onto a stretcher --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can move her if she's strapped. We can go.

ROWLANDS: ... and into an ambulance. The victim is then taken by chopper to a local hospital.

(on camera): According to firefighters, the woman was taken to USC Medical Center. There is real concern tonight about this hillside and other hillsides around this region, as the rain continues to pelt southern California.

Ted Rowlands, CNN, Hacienda Heights, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: That's quite a tale. Firefighters tell us the woman was taken to USC Medical Center. Mudslides and flooding have chased dozens of people from their homes in the L.a. area, as we've been telling you all morning -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: What a mess there. And then of course that's after the other slides they had not that long ago.

M. O'BRIEN: It just keeps coming, no relief in sight. And we wish them well.

S. O'BRIEN: Terrible.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: Any moment now, the president is expected to issue a statement alongside the secretary-general of NATO. He's running a little bit late. The normally punctual president, perhaps on European time today. We'll go live to Brussels as soon as it all begins.

S. O'BRIEN: Also, there's a new study out. It says that exercise is good medicine when it comes to treating depression. But does that mean it's time to throw away the pills? We are paging Dr. Gupta, up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) S. O'BRIEN: Millions of Americans suffer from some form of depression. Now research that a dose of exercise might just be what the doctor orders when it comes to treating clinical depression.

We're "Paging Dr. Sanjay Gupta" for details on this. Hey, Sanjay, good morning.

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad. Really interesting. You know, for a long time, people have known that when you exercise you make some of the good sort of hormones in the body called endorphins. These hormones can make you feel good, may be even able to treat depression. But people have been very careful about actually saying there's a cause and effect relationship.

Now some researchers down at University of Texas actually looking into that a little bit more closely. Some specifically tailored exercise programs and trying to figure out just how much of an impact does it have on depression. Some pretty bold statements here. Exercise is as effective as antidepressants in treating clinical depression. That was a conclusion, again, University of Texas, Southwestern specifically, in terms of how much an impact do you get, depression and exercise.

Depressive symptoms were reduced by 50 percent in people who exercised 30 minutes a day, three to five days a week. Now, this isn't just casual exercise, obviously. This is more moderate -- intense, is what they call it, in terms of aerobic exercise. But if you did that, if you received a quote, "prescription for this sort of exercise," you may have a significant impact in terms of treating depression, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, Sanjay, of course, the big problem, if you're depressed is you have no energy or interest in getting off the couch and going to work out. And I'm not being facetious about that. So what do doctors do to advise people to kind of make that first step?

GUPTA: Yes, you know, a couple of points about this. And we can't emphasize this enough, that first of all, you can't substitute right away just exercise for depressive medications. If you're on medications, you shouldn't stop taking those medications. You definitely need to talk to a doctor. Talking to your point specifically, you know, we talked to a lot of trainers around the country about what they thought was the best way to sort of get people off the couch, even if they felt very unmotivated or had symptoms of depression.

Some of the things they came up with, you know, pick an activity that you really like to do. That's something that's more likely going to get you off the couch and into the gym, whatever it might be, swimming versus biking, running, maybe just weightlifting. Again, half an hour, three to five times a week. Start gradually. You don't have to start this right away, even though you want to work up to three to five times a week, 30 minutes a day, start gradually. And finally, bring along a friend. That seems to help as well. S. O'BRIEN: Some very good advice. All right, Sanjay, I got to interrupt you here, because it looks like President Bush is now in front of the microphone at NATO headquarters. Sanjay, thanks.

Let's listen to what the president has to say, as I believe he is being introduced by the secretary general, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer of NATO.

JAAP DE HOOP SCHEFFER, NATO SECRETARY: Good afternoon.

Let me start this press conference by echoing what was said many times around the table this morning, and that is to thank President Bush that he is here and showing the continued commitment to NATO so shortly after his inauguration.

I mean, I would be unfaithful to the discussion if I didn't sound like this, so let me say once again on my own behalf, Mr. President, thank you for being here, thank you for coming.

What did we discuss? What have I heard today?

I have heard strong support for the Atlantic alliance. I have heard strong support for the common values that bind us in the past, in the present and in the future.

I have heard strong support for NATO's operations and missions, strong support for what we are doing in Afghanistan and our further ambitions, strong support for the training mission in Iraq, where we have further ambitions in setting up the training academy and where we have now fully manned and financed what we committed to do; and you know it's the Iraqi government's first priority, training the Iraqi security forces so that their dependence on others and be less than it is at the moment.

I've heard strong support for our continued presence in Kosovo and stability in the Balkans. I've heard discussion on the importance of a strong NATO/E.U. partnership.

At length, government leaders, heads of state, discussed the stronger political role of NATO. And there was a lot of support for what I have been saying over the past eight, nine months, that this political role is important. NATO is a political military alliance, and that we should not shy away from discussing political subjects of relevance.

Many remarks and interventions were made on the Middle East: the importance of NATO's Mediterranean dialogue, which is being strengthened, the importance of the Istanbul cooperation initiative for the activities of NATO in this very pivotal region, where security and stability is not only important for the region, but far beyond.

Of course, the hopes for progress in the Israeli/Palestinian question were discussed. And I think it's important that by outreaching into the region, NATO follows this process, although it does not play a primary role. Of course, let me come back to Ukraine this morning. There is strong support, strong support, first of all, for NATO's bottom line, which is NATO has an open door for those European democracies who fulfill the obligations; strong support for giving President Yushchenko in his challenging endeavor to bring Ukraine closer to Euro-Atlantic integration, to support him in that respect.

In other words, because I want to be brief, it was an excellent summit. It was an excellent summit. It was an excellent idea of the president to come here to have this summit here and now, because there is a daunting and challenging task and a daunting and challenging agenda waiting for NATO. And we'll go for that agenda, and I'll make proposals in the not so distant future on this political role for NATO.

And the atmosphere was excellent and that was the way it should be, because what binds us are the values. We'll discuss them. We'll have difference of opinion, yes, from time to time. But there is a lot more we agree upon, and that is the bottom line. And that's the basis for this great alliance, and that's the way, I, in my responsibility, having this privilege of being secretary general, I will run the alliance.

Mr. President?

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you, sir. It's good to be back here at the NATO headquarters.

This is my first trip overseas of my second term and I'm proud to make the home of NATO my first stop. And I appreciate the invitation.

And you've done a fine job of running the meetings. You're doing a fine job of being the secretary general, I want you to know.

And I appreciate all our friends who were around the table today for their strong commitment to NATO.

BUSH: It was a healthy dialogue.

That strong commitment's important, you know. After all, NATO is the most successful alliance in the history of the world. Think about that: The most successful alliance in the history of the world.

Because of NATO, Europe is whole and united and at peace. And that's a milestone in the history of liberty.

NATO is the home for nine former members of the Warsaw Pact. You know, the leaders of those countries, when they sit around the table, bring such vitality to the discussions that we have. See, it's still fresh in their memories what it meant to live in a society that wasn't free.

I said in my remarks today that, you know, sometimes you can take a relationship for granted, and it was very important for us not to take the NATO relationship for granted. One thing's for certain: The newly admitted countries don't take NATO for granted. As a matter of fact, they add a vitality to the discussions that I find refreshing and hopeful.

And NATO's an important organization, and the United States of America strongly supports it.

I appreciate so very much the transformation of NATO that's taking place. In order for NATO to be vital, it's got to be relevant. And if it stays stuck in the past, it's slowly but surely going to fade into oblivion.

But it's not staying stuck in the past. We've created a NATO response force -- and I want to thank you for your leadership on that, Jaap -- and the chemical and biological and radiological and nuclear battalion.

The NATO command structure is streamlined.

NATO is involved in the Middle East, a part of the world desperate for freedom.

And I want to thank you for your leadership on that.

We spent a lot of time talking about the NATO contribution to Afghanistan.

BUSH: And it is real and it is important and it is substantial. And more countries are committed to providing help for the PRTs, as well as the upcoming elections, and I'm most grateful.

And then we discussed the NATO contribution in Iraq.

First, many member countries have sent troops into Iraq as a part of the liberation of Iraq, and I thank them there.

And I reminded them that, you know, every life is precious and we appreciate the sacrifices being made by their citizens.

But 26 nations sat around the table saying, you know, "Let's get the past behind us and now let's focus on helping this -- the world's newest democracy succeed," and I appreciate the contributions.

And the NATO training mission is an important mission, because after all, the success of Iraq depends upon the capacity and the willingness of the Iraqis to defend their own selves against terrorists.

So the discussions were fruitful.

The Ukraine -- the meeting with President Yushchenko was, I thought, historic. I thought it was really interesting, you know, to be sitting next to a person -- the secretary general put me right next to President Yushchenko -- who had just led a revolution; a peaceful revolution based upon the same values that we hold dear.

And it was a remarkable moment, I thought.

And we -- at least in my intervention and other interventions, we welcomed President Yushchenko and reminded him that NATO is a performance-based organization and that the door is open, but it's up to President Yushchenko and his government and the people of the Ukraine to adapt the institutions of a democratic state.

And NATO wants to help.

BUSH: And we pledge to help.

I pledged my own government's help to a fund that will help them get rid of MANPADS and certain different types of weapons. In other words, the country's got work to do, but we want to help them achieve that work.

It was a remarkable moment and I appreciate you inviting him, Jaap, to come.

We also look forward to working with Albania, Croatia and Macedonia as these states participate in NATO's membership action plan.

All in all, the meeting was really important. I am really glad I came. It gave me a chance to say that the relationship between the United States and Europe is a vital relationship, a necessary relationship, an important relationship. And our relationship within NATO is the cornerstone of that relationship.

And so, Jaap, thank you for your hospitality. Glad to be here.

QUESTION: Mr. President, European countries are talking about lifting their 15-year arms embargo on China. What would be the consequences of that and could it be done in a way that would satisfy your concerns?

BUSH: Well, I talked about this issue with President Chirac last night, and Prime Minister Blair and I intend to talk about it here in a couple hours at the European Union meeting.

We didn't discuss the issue at NATO, by the way.

Here's what I explained. I said there is deep concern in our country that a transfer of weapons would be a transfer of technology to China, which would change the balance of relations between China and Taiwan. And that's of concern.

BUSH: And they, to a person, said, well, they think they can develop a protocol that, you know, isn't -- that shouldn't concern the United States. And I said, "I'm looking forward to seeing it." And that they need to make sure that if they do so, that they sell it to the United States Congress; that the Congress will be making the decisions as to whether or not -- you know, as to how to react to a -- what will be perceived by some, perhaps, as a technology transfer to China.

But it was an important dialogue. It was a very open dialogue. There's no -- very constructive.

And so they will -- as I understand it, and I don't want to put words in people's mouths, but I am told that they've heard the concerns of the United States, they're listening to the concerns of the administration as first articulated by Secretary of State Rice, and they know the Congress is concerned.

And so they'll try to develop a plan that will ease concerns.

Now, whether they can or not, we'll see.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

BUSH: Pardon me?

I don't know. It's all speculation at this point.

The purpose of this trip has been to articulate concerns that are being expressed throughout the government, both in the executive branch and legislative branch, about the decision, or the potential decision. And I've been listening.

And you might call this a listening tour: that people have got things on their mind and they want me to hear it, and part of what they've got on their mind is the dialogue that's taken place with China and the European Union.

QUESTION: Mr. President, about a week ago, in Munich, we have had the old and the new Rumsfeld.

QUESTION: But the thing is...

(LAUGHTER)

BUSH: Same old Bush.

(LAUGHTER)

QUESTION: But the new Rumsfeld is still saying, "The mission determines the coalition."

What does that mean exactly, Mr. President? Does that mean that for you, this alliance, NATO, is just one tool in the American toolbox to face crisis?

BUSH: No, I think, you know, you're going to have to ask Secretary Rumsfeld what he meant by that when he said it.

I'll tell you what I think, and since I'm his boss, it's probably pretty relevant.

(LAUGHTER)

I think it is the vital relationship for the United States when it comes to security. And it is a relationship that has worked in the past and is adjusting so that it works in the future. It's a relationship and a organization that needs to make sure that its capabilities meet the threats of the 21st century. And so, this is a vital relationship.

And as the secretary general mentioned, that there needs to be a political component, a place for us to come and have a strategic dialogue.

He has raised that issue. Chancellor Schroeder raised the issue. And everybody heard Chancellor Schroeder loud and clear. Everybody heard the secretary general loud and clear.

And that is, is that in order for NATO to be relevant, it has to be a place where people feel comfortable about talking about strategic issues. And we do talk about strategic issues. And what Jaap has just said, and he's -- you're welcome to clarify what you just said if you feel like it.

But he said he's going to come back with an action plan to make sure that NATO's relevance is strong, not only to have the capabilities necessary to defend our respective securities, but as a place for us to have meaningful dialogue.

Isn't that what you said?

DE HOOP SCHEFFER: I could start by adding, of course, it's young Bush and young de Hoop Scheffer who are talking here. That goes without saying.

(LAUGHTER)

To come back to your question, it is indeed, as President Bush has said, it is NATO is a political military organization and when we want in the areas where we operate, be it Afghanistan, be it Kosovo, in Iraq, if NATO wants to go on keeping the public parliamentary support for its operations and for its missions, we really need to discuss the key political questions surrounding those operations and missions.

DE HOOP SCHEFFER: And you cannot deny that when NATO is reinforcing its Mediterranean dialogue, when NATO is reaching out into the broader Middle East -- and you know that the reactions have been very positive up till now -- it is relevant for the NATO alliance to discuss these issues in the broader sense. You can't do the one without the other.

And as President Bush was saying, this is the path I'll try to lead, because a vital alliance means that this alliance is a vital political military organization. That is the object of the exercise to say on this.

QUESTION: Some of the contributions on Iraq involve only a few people, modest amounts of money. Is this going to be enough or is it largely symbolic?

BUSH: First of all, when you look around the table -- that you see countries that have made enormous contributions -- and the biggest contribution of all is when they've sent a person into combat and that person lost their life. That is a significant contribution.

And the United States of America is grateful for those contributions, and we honor every life.

The key is to make sure that those lives that were lost don't go down in vain, that a free and democratic and peaceful country emerges.

Every contribution matters. Twenty-six nations sitting around that table said it's important for NATO to be involved in Iraq. That's a strong statement.

And NATO is involved in Iraq and NATO is doing a vital mission, which is to help an officer corps emerge.

The truth of the matter is, in order for Iraq to be a secure country, there has to be a chain of command that's effective and works so that commands go from a political body to a military, and the military commands goes down so that people enact the orders in order to keep the people safe. That is what has to happen. And NATO is providing an officer training mission which is vital.

Every contribution matters. And every country ought to be proud of the fact that they're contributing to the world's newest democracy.

This organization is an organization that's based upon values, values that have stood the test of time, values that are universal, and values that are necessary for the world to be peaceful.

BUSH: And the contributions made into Iraq are based upon those values, and I am grateful.

QUESTION: I have two questions, one for the president and one for the secretary general.

BUSH: Finally he got a question.

(LAUGHTER)

QUESTION: Well, I'll put my question first to you, Mr. President.

The wider European audience -- it won't be a surprise for you -- is still skeptical about the policies of your administration, often being considered as being dictating or unilateral. Now, on this trip you have launched a, sort of, major charm offensive, at least the Europeans will see it that way.

BUSH: Thank you. I appreciate it. First time I've been called charming in a while.

(LAUGHTER)

QUESTION: But the question is what are you going to do really differently in your second term to improve trans-Atlantic relations?

And for the secretary general, the question is what should the Europeans do to improve trans-Atlantic relations?

BUSH: Well, our bilateral relations are very strong with many countries, like your country. We've had four years of great relations.

And as a matter of fact, last night my dinner with President Chirac reminded me that, except for, you know, one major issue, that being Iraq, we've done a lot together in my first four years.

If you think about it, we've participated in Afghanistan together, we participated in Haiti. We're working on the global fund to battle AIDS. I mean, there's a lot we have done together.

The major issue that irritated a lot of Europeans was Iraq. I understand that. I mean, you know, I can figure it out.

And the key now is to put that behind us and to focus on helping the new democracy succeed. It's in our interests. It's in your country's interests, it's in my country's interests that democracy take hold in the greater Middle East.

The policy in the past used to be, "Let's just accept tyranny for the sake of cheap oil or whatever it might be," and just hope everything would be OK.

Well, that changed on September 11th for our nation. Everything wasn't OK. What appeared to be a placid surface lurked an ideology based upon history. And the way to defeat that ideology is to spread freedom and democracy.

That's what NATO understands. NATO is one of the reasons why Europe is whole and free and at peace, because democracies defeat hatred and suspicion.

And so, I will explain -- continue to explain as best I can to skeptical people about my policy that it's based on this concept that we all share, no matter your views on Iraq or not, and that is every human being deserves to be free and that human dignity is vital and that free societies are peaceful societies.

BUSH: And I will make a commitment again to you, just like I made yesterday and will continue to make, that I'll take those values into the Middle Eastern peace process.

As I said in my State of the Union, peace is within reach -- that's right about here -- and we've got to work together to achieve that.

And so my message is, is that the past is -- you know, I made some hard decisions -- as did other leaders, by the way, in Europe -- about how to enforce 17 different United Nations resolutions on Iraq: not one resolution, but 17 different resolutions.

And we liberated Iraq. And that decision has been made, it's over with and now it is time to unify for the sake of peace. And I believe that message -- forget the charm part. I believe that message is a message that people can understand. And they're beginning to see that the strategy is working.

Millions of people voted in Afghanistan. I doubt many of you here were writing articles about, "Oh, gosh, the elections in Afghanistan are going to be incredibly successful." It didn't seem like it was possible, did it?

But yet there's something in everybody's soul, in my judgment, that desires to be free, and the people of Afghanistan showed that by the millions -- not by the handfuls but by the millions when given the chance to vote.

Same in Iraq.

When there was an election in Ukraine and -- two elections in Ukraine.

BUSH: And then there was the election in the Palestinian territory.

Freedom is on the march is the way I like to put it. And the world's better off for it.

And I look forward to continue to articulate how we can work together to keep freedom on the march.

Thank you all very much. Appreciate it. Thank you.

Let me -- oh, I'm sorry. He gave me a hand signal.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: What you're seeing is a moment where President Bush has finished his remarks. He's briefing reporters, European reporters and American reporters who are traveling with him, at NATO headquarters. But as you can see, he finished saying what he had to say, but then the secretary-general of NATO said, "No, no, no. I want to continue to answer that question."

So as the secretary-general continues to make his remarks, we'll just wrap up a little bit of what President Bush had to say. Very much stating his position for the press there in Europe, and the American press that's traveling with the president.

The first thing he said right off the bat was that NATO is the most successful alliance in the history of the world. And then he repeated it and emphasized it. Also, he said -- pointed out really NATO's contributions to Afghanistan, praised the success of Iraq, and also praised the meetings that had taken place with Ukrainian President Yushchenko also.

Let's listen in for another moment to the secretary-general of NATO.

JAAP DE HOOP SCHEFFER, NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL: That's why I want this wide NATO agenda that's relevant. European integration is a great process. And I always say I'm an Atlanticist and I'm European. But here is the -- here is the point.

Where we are now standing in NATO headquarters, where we see the primary forum for transatlantic security cooperation -- and we'll do that at 26. Another 24 plus two or 25 plus one.

Thank you very much.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now we're finished.

S. O'BRIEN: As the president just said, now we're done, meaning that finally the secretary-general of NATO got a chance to wrap up the comments there.

Again, President Bush saying that he was impressed by NATO's role in some of the issues that it's had before, including Afghanistan, also praising some success in Iraq and in the meetings with President Yushchenko. The President said, "I'm really glad I came. The relationship between the United States and Europe is vital and necessary," and that NATO is, in fact, the cornerstone of that relationship.

Before President Bush left for Europe, he launched what some have called the charm offensive. In fact, we heard the president refer to that in some of his remarks there.

He made a little bit, though, of an unusual remark at the end of an interview he gave to a Belgian reporter on Friday. The reporter is Greta Kaiser. She covers Washington for Belgium's BRT. She's in Brussels this morning.

Nice to see you. Thank you very much for being with us.

We'll get to that little moment in just a moment. First, let me get a sense from you about what you thought about the president's remarks in front of the press in Europe right now.

GREET DE KEYZER, BELGIAN TELEVISION REPORTER: Well, what he said was it reflects the openness, it reflects the signs of goodwill that he receives here and that was sent earlier on from the other side of the ocean, from Washington to Europe. So he seems to be very happy with the way it is going.

And I have the impression if I see the press comments today, that in the press you see headlines as "Friends Again," and then the subtitle could be "Will it Last, That Friendship?" But it has started in a very positive atmosphere.

S. O'BRIEN: You asked him a question I know on Friday that you felt he didn't fully answer. And your question was about how to restore European confidence. Do you feel having heard his remarks now that he's gone a long way in restoring confidence of the Europeans?

DE KEYZER: Oh, yes. He has a lot of damage to restore, of course. The past four years were years of struggle, of fighting between Washington and Europe. So -- and the war in Iraq was really the big bang here in the -- in Europe.

So what everybody is wondering right now, the politicians here in Europe, they are really open for the signs of goodwill from Washington, but they are all suspicious. And you could notice that by the questions that a couple of reporters just asked in that press conference at NATO headquarters. But their suspicious on is this only a different tune, or will this mean also different actions from Washington?

S. O'BRIEN: Of course. Now, the president mentioned unity several times over the last several days. He's also mentioned peace in the Middle East, he's mentioned Iran, Syria, he's mentioned Russia as well.

If you had to pick one area where you think that unity with the Europeans can be found, what would you pick?

DE KEYZER: Well, where unity can be found, Ukraine was a perfect example where unity could be found and where a solution was brought by that unity. The elections in Ukraine gave perfect, free democratic elections after the problems they had during the first run of those elections.

But there's a lot of problems to be solved, and one of the worst problems that could arise in the future is Iran. And there is the European Union, countries that are taking the lead. And they're hoping that the Bush administration and the president himself will follow them in their diplomatic efforts to solve the crisis.

S. O'BRIEN: We started a little bit by talking about a comment that the president made to you at the end of an interview that you did with him. A very issues-oriented interview, I might add. Let's play a little chunk of what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DE KEYZER: Thank you so much, Mr. President, for these kind words. Thank you.

BUSH: Thank you very much. You've got great eyes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: And he said, "You have great eyes," which is a very nice compliment. Give me more of a sense of if you thought that was just more of a charm offensive on behalf of the president or if you thought it was anything other than that?

DE KEYZER: You know, the whole interview was -- was like a charm offensive. But, you know, with content, I think that the president also meant what he was saying.

And by -- the big message was, of course, charming the politicians here in Europe, making sure that the message was in Europe before the president arrived here. And, of course, diplomats did that in the last couple of weeks, because a meeting on this level is always organized and thought through by diplomats. So, but, you know, he was charming the politicians, charming the press, and just charming me, yes.

S. O'BRIEN: Greet De Keyzer, nice to chat with you and get your analysis. Thank you very much for talking with us this morning. Appreciate it.

DE KEYZER: Pleasure.

S. O'BRIEN: Thanks -- Miles.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: She does have nice eyes, by the way.

S. O'BRIEN: Absolutely. I think -- and she also said for the record...

M. O'BRIEN: For the record. I mean, if that's OK. Can I say that?

S. O'BRIEN: You can.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Is that OK?

S. O'BRIEN: And for the record, she said he also told her colleague, "And you have nice shoes."

M. O'BRIEN: Interesting.

S. O'BRIEN: It sounds like a hard-core charm offensive.

M. O'BRIEN: A rather expansive president at the moment.

All right. A close call in Tennessee to tell you about.

Ouch. Out of nowhere and out of control. Find out what police think was behind this highway crash caught on tape.

S. O'BRIEN: Also, from bitter rivals to buddies. How did former presidents Bush and Clinton end up as pals? We'll take a look.

M. O'BRIEN: And a major new development in the case of a missing pregnant woman and her 7-year-old son. We'll have details on that coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(ALREADY IN PROGRESS)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: .... just completely collapsed, took everything with it, deck chairs, the grill. Even an entire swimming pool ended up at the bottom of the hill.

And that's not the end of it. I know this is hard to visualize, but imagine if your neighbor's entire swimming pool, all the water in the swimming pool was literally just dumped into your home. Well, that's exactly what happened to this area in Bel Aire.

When that swimming pool came crashing down the hill, all the water spilled out of it. It added about 20,000 gallons of water to the mudslide. All of that just punched through a neighbor's home at the bottom of the hill.

But we're not just talking about areas being affected being residential areas. It is also the freeways.

This is the Hollywood freeway. It's one of the busiest roads in Los Angeles. It cuts right through the heart of the city.

And it was shut down for most of the night. And you can see why. I mean, look at those floodwaters.

The waters rose so quickly and so high, it trapped cars, trucks, even a big rig. Now, no one was actually hurt in that, but several of those people had to be rescued.

And a lot of the firefighters say, you know, they can tend to forget. As you look live now, some of the work crews out here trying to clear that mud out. They say it's easy to forget because they live in sunny southern California.

You know, it's easy to forget that sometimes the rain will come. But they have never seen weather as bad as this.

So far, about 14 homes have been evacuated just here in Glendale alone. But the way that this storm comes in waves, the firefighters say it is hard to predict whether they'll have to order more evacuations, or if people in this neighborhood will be able to stay -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Chris Lawrence in Glendale. Thanks very much -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: What a mess there.

In Texas, they arrested a man on capital murder charges in the disappearance of a pregnant Texas woman and her 7-year-old son. Lisa Underwood and her son Jayden reported missing Saturday after Underwood failed to show up at her own baby shower.

Later, blood was found at her home. Underwood's SUV was found yesterday in a creek bed north of Dallas. Then, early this morning, 37-year-old Stephen Barbee was taken into custody. He's expected to be arraigned this morning on charges of murder.

Police had gathered evidence at Underwood's home, including a carpet which was taken out of the house. Underwood and her son remain missing. And, of course, at this time we have no idea of any link between the suspect and those two -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Watching that one closely. Some dramatic video now of an extremely close call for a Tennessee police officer and an accident victim that he was interviewing. Ouch.

The officer and victim talking by the side of an interstate. Suddenly, out of nowhere, as you saw, another car spins out of control, slamming into the cruiser. Fortunately, no one was hurt. As you can see the date on this was February 14. The driver of the SUV is charged with possession of marijuana.

Close call.

S. O'BRIEN: Wow, coming backwards practically.

M. O'BRIEN: You know, the most dangerous thing police do is highway stops of any variety. And that -- you know, for any number of reasons. And that's a case in point right there.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, it says it all. All right.

Well, a powerful earthquake struck central Iran overnight. The 6.4 quake leveled seven villages in Kerman Province; 270 people reported dead, nearly 1,000 injured.

Rain and cold now slowing rescuers, also decreasing any chances of survival. This quake is in the same province as the Bam earthquake that killed 30,000 people two years ago.

David Applegate of the U.S. Geological Survey explained to me earlier this morning why this quake was less deadly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID APPLEGATE, U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY: One of the key differences is this -- Bam was about -- it started about six miles below the surface. This one was a bit deeper. It was more like 26 miles below the surface.

That means that the strongest shaking is somewhat removed from -- from where people are going to be. In other words, the energy has dissipated as it moves up through the crust. So that's -- that's something in this one's favor.

They both struck around the same time, early morning. I think this one was about 5:25 a.m. local time. That's -- that always is a problem. People are often in their homes. If homes collapse, you're going to see increased casualties.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: That's David Applegate of the U.S. Geological Survey -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, they were bitter rivals, but former presidents Bush and Clinton look like running mates now. Some sort of weird buddy... S. O'BRIEN: How did that happen?

M. O'BRIEN: I don't know. Hey, they went on a trip, and look what happened.

Well, it's a political odd couple, to say the least. We'll take a look and tell you how much is real and how much is for the cameras ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Let's get right to Jack. He's got "The File."

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Iraq's insurgents are targeting Baghdad's barber shops. The "Los Angeles Times" reports extremists are warning Iraqi hair salons not to violate strict Islamic teachings by trimming or removing men's beards.

No shaved beards, no sideburns, no American-style haircuts. Do any of this and die.

Since the threats began a little more than a month ago, eight barbers have been killed. A dozen barber shops have been bombed. The insurgents' threats are often delivered on a piece of paper or written on the back of a 250 dinar bill, which is the cost of a single bullet.

Another poll reinforces what people think of politicians -- not much. Fifty-seven percent of Americans don't want their son or daughter to someday become president of the United States. According to a new Gallup poll, mothers particularly opposed to putting their kids in the Oval Office.

Wonder if that had anything to do with Monica Lewinsky. Probably not.

Sixty-seven percent oppose the idea. This is the first time Gallup has conducted a poll on this subject, so there's nothing to compare it to.

Celebrity experts predicted that Brad and Jennifer, the breakup, wouldn't be easy. Hundreds of millions of dollars, homes in Los Angeles, London, all those bank accounts.

Now a sculpture in Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. Sculptures at Madame Tussaud's have broken apart a wax work figure of Blad and Jen embracing.

This was the original. She had one hand on his chest and the other one on his tuchis.

The procedure, which involved remolding their arms, cost $19,000. The separated figures are now back on display, standing with their backs to each other.

(LAUGHTER) CAFFERTY: Jen and Brad were installed only seven months ago at the museum after they had determined there that they were a safe celebrity couple.

S. O'BRIEN: Kind of like being on the cover of "Sports Illustrated," you know?

(CROSSTALK)

CAFFERTY: Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: Waxing eloquent, as usual.

S. O'BRIEN: That's amazing. How much money did it cost to take them apart?

CAFFERTY: Almost $20,000.

S. O'BRIEN: Wow.

M. O'BRIEN: Just to -- just to move the arms? I would have done it for cheaper than that.

CAFFERTY: Well, you know.

M. O'BRIEN: A little blow torch to melt it down, and off you go.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes. That's not how it works.

M. O'BRIEN: That's not how it works?

S. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Jack. Appreciate it.

CAFFERTY: You're welcome.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, President Bush takes the charm offensive to NATO headquarters. How is it playing with the Europeans? We'll take you live to Brussels up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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 22, 2005 - 08:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A powerful earth quick hits Iran, leaving at least 270 people dead. Officials say the 6.4 quake hit the central part of the country, injuring nearly 1,000 people and flattening dozens of villages. More than a year ago, a devastating earthquake in the same region killed more than 30,000 people.
The U.S. Supreme Court will take up a property-rights case this morning. That could have major implications around the country. The court will consider whether governments have the right to seize private homes for private economic development, under the practice of eminent domain. The case involves seven home owners in New London, Connecticut being forced out by the city. A ruling is expected by late June on that.

Supermarket chain Winn-Dixie announcing it is filing for bankruptcy. The company reorganization coming less than two weeks after the chain reported a year of big losses. The firm says it plans to target financial and operational problems that hurt its performance. Winn-Dixie runs more than 900 stores and has some 80,000 workers in the Southeastern U.S. and the Bahamas. Just in case you didn't know about grocery stores in the Bahamas.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, what a terrible lost. And obviously some people there will be losing their jobs. Something that Andy Serwer predicted last week as well, saying what tough times they were having.

Heidi, thanks a lot.

CNN has just received word that Iraq's main Shiite alliance has named interim Vice President Ibrahim Al Jaafari as the nominee for prime minister. CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson in Baghdad with the very latest.

Nic, good morning.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

The man who had to step down to make that possible, Ahmed Chalabi, not particularly popular in Iraq. He is also the man who gave the United States so much of the information and reasons to go to war in Iraq, information about weapons of mass destruction, the notion that U.S. troops could arrive here and be met with Iraqis holding flowers, waiting to see them, that man was Ahmed Chalabi. He has decided apparently to step down from running for prime minister so that -- to keep unity in the party. But of course this is really only one step in the stage here. The United Iraqi Alliance, the Shia religious party, the party who has garnered most of the seats in the new -- the majority of the seats in the new national assembly, they are making Ibrahim Al Jaafari, seen as a moderate, the current vice president, the man who while in exile under Saddam Hussein's rule unified all the disparate groups in exile under Saddam Hussein's rule, unified all the disparate groups who were in exile against Saddam, who say seen as somebody who can really bring the Iraqis together. He has not been nominated by this party.

But before he can become prime minister, this will have to be ratified by the Kurds in Iraq, and they have said that they are looking for a lot of conditions before they would back this particular candidate -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Nic Robertson for us this morning. Nice, thank you for that update -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: More rain is expected today in Southern California. Days of storms have already caused massive flooding, mudslides and sinkholes. At least three deaths blamed on the weather. And as Ted Rowlands reports, emergency crews are working overtime.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Northbound 605 to the city.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Los Angeles County Fire Urban Search and Rescue team gets a call that a mud slide into a home has trapped at least one victim.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're about less than 10 out.

ROWLANDS: They arrive to find mud and debris from floor to ceiling inside a condominium.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, bring a chainsaw.

ROWLANDS: A woman is trapped against a bathroom wall.

CAPT. DON ROY, LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT: We had a whole mountain of mud from the hill that had come through the house.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don, can you pull that?

ROWLANDS: Using saws, crowbars and sledgehammers, firefighters cut through a dining room wall to get to the bathroom.

ROY: This is what they call a fluid. It's not a static. But what I mean by fluid, it's constantly moving and if we had actually water flowing underneath that mud pile, which is a big concern for us, because once you get the mud flowing down and it's static, now we've got water actually filtering underneath it into the house, into the spot where she was at, was the path of that mud. And that is bad.

ROWLANDS: A human chain is used to move debris. Eventually, they get to the woman. She is in pain, but able to talk.

LEO IBARA, LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT: The concern is with what's called a crushed syndrome. When we have this pressure built up against our body parts, over a period of time, lactic acid begins to build up in our system. And then once that pressure is released, all that acid goes to the major organs in our body.

So the concern is, is that even though she's talking to us now, once we alleviate that pressure, she could what we would call bottom out. Then she would go into full arrest.

ROWLANDS: The victim tells firefighters she can't feel the lower half of her body. Eventually, they're able to get her onto a stretcher --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can move her if she's strapped. We can go.

ROWLANDS: ... and into an ambulance. The victim is then taken by chopper to a local hospital.

(on camera): According to firefighters, the woman was taken to USC Medical Center. There is real concern tonight about this hillside and other hillsides around this region, as the rain continues to pelt southern California.

Ted Rowlands, CNN, Hacienda Heights, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: That's quite a tale. Firefighters tell us the woman was taken to USC Medical Center. Mudslides and flooding have chased dozens of people from their homes in the L.a. area, as we've been telling you all morning -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: What a mess there. And then of course that's after the other slides they had not that long ago.

M. O'BRIEN: It just keeps coming, no relief in sight. And we wish them well.

S. O'BRIEN: Terrible.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: Any moment now, the president is expected to issue a statement alongside the secretary-general of NATO. He's running a little bit late. The normally punctual president, perhaps on European time today. We'll go live to Brussels as soon as it all begins.

S. O'BRIEN: Also, there's a new study out. It says that exercise is good medicine when it comes to treating depression. But does that mean it's time to throw away the pills? We are paging Dr. Gupta, up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) S. O'BRIEN: Millions of Americans suffer from some form of depression. Now research that a dose of exercise might just be what the doctor orders when it comes to treating clinical depression.

We're "Paging Dr. Sanjay Gupta" for details on this. Hey, Sanjay, good morning.

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad. Really interesting. You know, for a long time, people have known that when you exercise you make some of the good sort of hormones in the body called endorphins. These hormones can make you feel good, may be even able to treat depression. But people have been very careful about actually saying there's a cause and effect relationship.

Now some researchers down at University of Texas actually looking into that a little bit more closely. Some specifically tailored exercise programs and trying to figure out just how much of an impact does it have on depression. Some pretty bold statements here. Exercise is as effective as antidepressants in treating clinical depression. That was a conclusion, again, University of Texas, Southwestern specifically, in terms of how much an impact do you get, depression and exercise.

Depressive symptoms were reduced by 50 percent in people who exercised 30 minutes a day, three to five days a week. Now, this isn't just casual exercise, obviously. This is more moderate -- intense, is what they call it, in terms of aerobic exercise. But if you did that, if you received a quote, "prescription for this sort of exercise," you may have a significant impact in terms of treating depression, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, Sanjay, of course, the big problem, if you're depressed is you have no energy or interest in getting off the couch and going to work out. And I'm not being facetious about that. So what do doctors do to advise people to kind of make that first step?

GUPTA: Yes, you know, a couple of points about this. And we can't emphasize this enough, that first of all, you can't substitute right away just exercise for depressive medications. If you're on medications, you shouldn't stop taking those medications. You definitely need to talk to a doctor. Talking to your point specifically, you know, we talked to a lot of trainers around the country about what they thought was the best way to sort of get people off the couch, even if they felt very unmotivated or had symptoms of depression.

Some of the things they came up with, you know, pick an activity that you really like to do. That's something that's more likely going to get you off the couch and into the gym, whatever it might be, swimming versus biking, running, maybe just weightlifting. Again, half an hour, three to five times a week. Start gradually. You don't have to start this right away, even though you want to work up to three to five times a week, 30 minutes a day, start gradually. And finally, bring along a friend. That seems to help as well. S. O'BRIEN: Some very good advice. All right, Sanjay, I got to interrupt you here, because it looks like President Bush is now in front of the microphone at NATO headquarters. Sanjay, thanks.

Let's listen to what the president has to say, as I believe he is being introduced by the secretary general, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer of NATO.

JAAP DE HOOP SCHEFFER, NATO SECRETARY: Good afternoon.

Let me start this press conference by echoing what was said many times around the table this morning, and that is to thank President Bush that he is here and showing the continued commitment to NATO so shortly after his inauguration.

I mean, I would be unfaithful to the discussion if I didn't sound like this, so let me say once again on my own behalf, Mr. President, thank you for being here, thank you for coming.

What did we discuss? What have I heard today?

I have heard strong support for the Atlantic alliance. I have heard strong support for the common values that bind us in the past, in the present and in the future.

I have heard strong support for NATO's operations and missions, strong support for what we are doing in Afghanistan and our further ambitions, strong support for the training mission in Iraq, where we have further ambitions in setting up the training academy and where we have now fully manned and financed what we committed to do; and you know it's the Iraqi government's first priority, training the Iraqi security forces so that their dependence on others and be less than it is at the moment.

I've heard strong support for our continued presence in Kosovo and stability in the Balkans. I've heard discussion on the importance of a strong NATO/E.U. partnership.

At length, government leaders, heads of state, discussed the stronger political role of NATO. And there was a lot of support for what I have been saying over the past eight, nine months, that this political role is important. NATO is a political military alliance, and that we should not shy away from discussing political subjects of relevance.

Many remarks and interventions were made on the Middle East: the importance of NATO's Mediterranean dialogue, which is being strengthened, the importance of the Istanbul cooperation initiative for the activities of NATO in this very pivotal region, where security and stability is not only important for the region, but far beyond.

Of course, the hopes for progress in the Israeli/Palestinian question were discussed. And I think it's important that by outreaching into the region, NATO follows this process, although it does not play a primary role. Of course, let me come back to Ukraine this morning. There is strong support, strong support, first of all, for NATO's bottom line, which is NATO has an open door for those European democracies who fulfill the obligations; strong support for giving President Yushchenko in his challenging endeavor to bring Ukraine closer to Euro-Atlantic integration, to support him in that respect.

In other words, because I want to be brief, it was an excellent summit. It was an excellent summit. It was an excellent idea of the president to come here to have this summit here and now, because there is a daunting and challenging task and a daunting and challenging agenda waiting for NATO. And we'll go for that agenda, and I'll make proposals in the not so distant future on this political role for NATO.

And the atmosphere was excellent and that was the way it should be, because what binds us are the values. We'll discuss them. We'll have difference of opinion, yes, from time to time. But there is a lot more we agree upon, and that is the bottom line. And that's the basis for this great alliance, and that's the way, I, in my responsibility, having this privilege of being secretary general, I will run the alliance.

Mr. President?

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you, sir. It's good to be back here at the NATO headquarters.

This is my first trip overseas of my second term and I'm proud to make the home of NATO my first stop. And I appreciate the invitation.

And you've done a fine job of running the meetings. You're doing a fine job of being the secretary general, I want you to know.

And I appreciate all our friends who were around the table today for their strong commitment to NATO.

BUSH: It was a healthy dialogue.

That strong commitment's important, you know. After all, NATO is the most successful alliance in the history of the world. Think about that: The most successful alliance in the history of the world.

Because of NATO, Europe is whole and united and at peace. And that's a milestone in the history of liberty.

NATO is the home for nine former members of the Warsaw Pact. You know, the leaders of those countries, when they sit around the table, bring such vitality to the discussions that we have. See, it's still fresh in their memories what it meant to live in a society that wasn't free.

I said in my remarks today that, you know, sometimes you can take a relationship for granted, and it was very important for us not to take the NATO relationship for granted. One thing's for certain: The newly admitted countries don't take NATO for granted. As a matter of fact, they add a vitality to the discussions that I find refreshing and hopeful.

And NATO's an important organization, and the United States of America strongly supports it.

I appreciate so very much the transformation of NATO that's taking place. In order for NATO to be vital, it's got to be relevant. And if it stays stuck in the past, it's slowly but surely going to fade into oblivion.

But it's not staying stuck in the past. We've created a NATO response force -- and I want to thank you for your leadership on that, Jaap -- and the chemical and biological and radiological and nuclear battalion.

The NATO command structure is streamlined.

NATO is involved in the Middle East, a part of the world desperate for freedom.

And I want to thank you for your leadership on that.

We spent a lot of time talking about the NATO contribution to Afghanistan.

BUSH: And it is real and it is important and it is substantial. And more countries are committed to providing help for the PRTs, as well as the upcoming elections, and I'm most grateful.

And then we discussed the NATO contribution in Iraq.

First, many member countries have sent troops into Iraq as a part of the liberation of Iraq, and I thank them there.

And I reminded them that, you know, every life is precious and we appreciate the sacrifices being made by their citizens.

But 26 nations sat around the table saying, you know, "Let's get the past behind us and now let's focus on helping this -- the world's newest democracy succeed," and I appreciate the contributions.

And the NATO training mission is an important mission, because after all, the success of Iraq depends upon the capacity and the willingness of the Iraqis to defend their own selves against terrorists.

So the discussions were fruitful.

The Ukraine -- the meeting with President Yushchenko was, I thought, historic. I thought it was really interesting, you know, to be sitting next to a person -- the secretary general put me right next to President Yushchenko -- who had just led a revolution; a peaceful revolution based upon the same values that we hold dear.

And it was a remarkable moment, I thought.

And we -- at least in my intervention and other interventions, we welcomed President Yushchenko and reminded him that NATO is a performance-based organization and that the door is open, but it's up to President Yushchenko and his government and the people of the Ukraine to adapt the institutions of a democratic state.

And NATO wants to help.

BUSH: And we pledge to help.

I pledged my own government's help to a fund that will help them get rid of MANPADS and certain different types of weapons. In other words, the country's got work to do, but we want to help them achieve that work.

It was a remarkable moment and I appreciate you inviting him, Jaap, to come.

We also look forward to working with Albania, Croatia and Macedonia as these states participate in NATO's membership action plan.

All in all, the meeting was really important. I am really glad I came. It gave me a chance to say that the relationship between the United States and Europe is a vital relationship, a necessary relationship, an important relationship. And our relationship within NATO is the cornerstone of that relationship.

And so, Jaap, thank you for your hospitality. Glad to be here.

QUESTION: Mr. President, European countries are talking about lifting their 15-year arms embargo on China. What would be the consequences of that and could it be done in a way that would satisfy your concerns?

BUSH: Well, I talked about this issue with President Chirac last night, and Prime Minister Blair and I intend to talk about it here in a couple hours at the European Union meeting.

We didn't discuss the issue at NATO, by the way.

Here's what I explained. I said there is deep concern in our country that a transfer of weapons would be a transfer of technology to China, which would change the balance of relations between China and Taiwan. And that's of concern.

BUSH: And they, to a person, said, well, they think they can develop a protocol that, you know, isn't -- that shouldn't concern the United States. And I said, "I'm looking forward to seeing it." And that they need to make sure that if they do so, that they sell it to the United States Congress; that the Congress will be making the decisions as to whether or not -- you know, as to how to react to a -- what will be perceived by some, perhaps, as a technology transfer to China.

But it was an important dialogue. It was a very open dialogue. There's no -- very constructive.

And so they will -- as I understand it, and I don't want to put words in people's mouths, but I am told that they've heard the concerns of the United States, they're listening to the concerns of the administration as first articulated by Secretary of State Rice, and they know the Congress is concerned.

And so they'll try to develop a plan that will ease concerns.

Now, whether they can or not, we'll see.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

BUSH: Pardon me?

I don't know. It's all speculation at this point.

The purpose of this trip has been to articulate concerns that are being expressed throughout the government, both in the executive branch and legislative branch, about the decision, or the potential decision. And I've been listening.

And you might call this a listening tour: that people have got things on their mind and they want me to hear it, and part of what they've got on their mind is the dialogue that's taken place with China and the European Union.

QUESTION: Mr. President, about a week ago, in Munich, we have had the old and the new Rumsfeld.

QUESTION: But the thing is...

(LAUGHTER)

BUSH: Same old Bush.

(LAUGHTER)

QUESTION: But the new Rumsfeld is still saying, "The mission determines the coalition."

What does that mean exactly, Mr. President? Does that mean that for you, this alliance, NATO, is just one tool in the American toolbox to face crisis?

BUSH: No, I think, you know, you're going to have to ask Secretary Rumsfeld what he meant by that when he said it.

I'll tell you what I think, and since I'm his boss, it's probably pretty relevant.

(LAUGHTER)

I think it is the vital relationship for the United States when it comes to security. And it is a relationship that has worked in the past and is adjusting so that it works in the future. It's a relationship and a organization that needs to make sure that its capabilities meet the threats of the 21st century. And so, this is a vital relationship.

And as the secretary general mentioned, that there needs to be a political component, a place for us to come and have a strategic dialogue.

He has raised that issue. Chancellor Schroeder raised the issue. And everybody heard Chancellor Schroeder loud and clear. Everybody heard the secretary general loud and clear.

And that is, is that in order for NATO to be relevant, it has to be a place where people feel comfortable about talking about strategic issues. And we do talk about strategic issues. And what Jaap has just said, and he's -- you're welcome to clarify what you just said if you feel like it.

But he said he's going to come back with an action plan to make sure that NATO's relevance is strong, not only to have the capabilities necessary to defend our respective securities, but as a place for us to have meaningful dialogue.

Isn't that what you said?

DE HOOP SCHEFFER: I could start by adding, of course, it's young Bush and young de Hoop Scheffer who are talking here. That goes without saying.

(LAUGHTER)

To come back to your question, it is indeed, as President Bush has said, it is NATO is a political military organization and when we want in the areas where we operate, be it Afghanistan, be it Kosovo, in Iraq, if NATO wants to go on keeping the public parliamentary support for its operations and for its missions, we really need to discuss the key political questions surrounding those operations and missions.

DE HOOP SCHEFFER: And you cannot deny that when NATO is reinforcing its Mediterranean dialogue, when NATO is reaching out into the broader Middle East -- and you know that the reactions have been very positive up till now -- it is relevant for the NATO alliance to discuss these issues in the broader sense. You can't do the one without the other.

And as President Bush was saying, this is the path I'll try to lead, because a vital alliance means that this alliance is a vital political military organization. That is the object of the exercise to say on this.

QUESTION: Some of the contributions on Iraq involve only a few people, modest amounts of money. Is this going to be enough or is it largely symbolic?

BUSH: First of all, when you look around the table -- that you see countries that have made enormous contributions -- and the biggest contribution of all is when they've sent a person into combat and that person lost their life. That is a significant contribution.

And the United States of America is grateful for those contributions, and we honor every life.

The key is to make sure that those lives that were lost don't go down in vain, that a free and democratic and peaceful country emerges.

Every contribution matters. Twenty-six nations sitting around that table said it's important for NATO to be involved in Iraq. That's a strong statement.

And NATO is involved in Iraq and NATO is doing a vital mission, which is to help an officer corps emerge.

The truth of the matter is, in order for Iraq to be a secure country, there has to be a chain of command that's effective and works so that commands go from a political body to a military, and the military commands goes down so that people enact the orders in order to keep the people safe. That is what has to happen. And NATO is providing an officer training mission which is vital.

Every contribution matters. And every country ought to be proud of the fact that they're contributing to the world's newest democracy.

This organization is an organization that's based upon values, values that have stood the test of time, values that are universal, and values that are necessary for the world to be peaceful.

BUSH: And the contributions made into Iraq are based upon those values, and I am grateful.

QUESTION: I have two questions, one for the president and one for the secretary general.

BUSH: Finally he got a question.

(LAUGHTER)

QUESTION: Well, I'll put my question first to you, Mr. President.

The wider European audience -- it won't be a surprise for you -- is still skeptical about the policies of your administration, often being considered as being dictating or unilateral. Now, on this trip you have launched a, sort of, major charm offensive, at least the Europeans will see it that way.

BUSH: Thank you. I appreciate it. First time I've been called charming in a while.

(LAUGHTER)

QUESTION: But the question is what are you going to do really differently in your second term to improve trans-Atlantic relations?

And for the secretary general, the question is what should the Europeans do to improve trans-Atlantic relations?

BUSH: Well, our bilateral relations are very strong with many countries, like your country. We've had four years of great relations.

And as a matter of fact, last night my dinner with President Chirac reminded me that, except for, you know, one major issue, that being Iraq, we've done a lot together in my first four years.

If you think about it, we've participated in Afghanistan together, we participated in Haiti. We're working on the global fund to battle AIDS. I mean, there's a lot we have done together.

The major issue that irritated a lot of Europeans was Iraq. I understand that. I mean, you know, I can figure it out.

And the key now is to put that behind us and to focus on helping the new democracy succeed. It's in our interests. It's in your country's interests, it's in my country's interests that democracy take hold in the greater Middle East.

The policy in the past used to be, "Let's just accept tyranny for the sake of cheap oil or whatever it might be," and just hope everything would be OK.

Well, that changed on September 11th for our nation. Everything wasn't OK. What appeared to be a placid surface lurked an ideology based upon history. And the way to defeat that ideology is to spread freedom and democracy.

That's what NATO understands. NATO is one of the reasons why Europe is whole and free and at peace, because democracies defeat hatred and suspicion.

And so, I will explain -- continue to explain as best I can to skeptical people about my policy that it's based on this concept that we all share, no matter your views on Iraq or not, and that is every human being deserves to be free and that human dignity is vital and that free societies are peaceful societies.

BUSH: And I will make a commitment again to you, just like I made yesterday and will continue to make, that I'll take those values into the Middle Eastern peace process.

As I said in my State of the Union, peace is within reach -- that's right about here -- and we've got to work together to achieve that.

And so my message is, is that the past is -- you know, I made some hard decisions -- as did other leaders, by the way, in Europe -- about how to enforce 17 different United Nations resolutions on Iraq: not one resolution, but 17 different resolutions.

And we liberated Iraq. And that decision has been made, it's over with and now it is time to unify for the sake of peace. And I believe that message -- forget the charm part. I believe that message is a message that people can understand. And they're beginning to see that the strategy is working.

Millions of people voted in Afghanistan. I doubt many of you here were writing articles about, "Oh, gosh, the elections in Afghanistan are going to be incredibly successful." It didn't seem like it was possible, did it?

But yet there's something in everybody's soul, in my judgment, that desires to be free, and the people of Afghanistan showed that by the millions -- not by the handfuls but by the millions when given the chance to vote.

Same in Iraq.

When there was an election in Ukraine and -- two elections in Ukraine.

BUSH: And then there was the election in the Palestinian territory.

Freedom is on the march is the way I like to put it. And the world's better off for it.

And I look forward to continue to articulate how we can work together to keep freedom on the march.

Thank you all very much. Appreciate it. Thank you.

Let me -- oh, I'm sorry. He gave me a hand signal.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: What you're seeing is a moment where President Bush has finished his remarks. He's briefing reporters, European reporters and American reporters who are traveling with him, at NATO headquarters. But as you can see, he finished saying what he had to say, but then the secretary-general of NATO said, "No, no, no. I want to continue to answer that question."

So as the secretary-general continues to make his remarks, we'll just wrap up a little bit of what President Bush had to say. Very much stating his position for the press there in Europe, and the American press that's traveling with the president.

The first thing he said right off the bat was that NATO is the most successful alliance in the history of the world. And then he repeated it and emphasized it. Also, he said -- pointed out really NATO's contributions to Afghanistan, praised the success of Iraq, and also praised the meetings that had taken place with Ukrainian President Yushchenko also.

Let's listen in for another moment to the secretary-general of NATO.

JAAP DE HOOP SCHEFFER, NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL: That's why I want this wide NATO agenda that's relevant. European integration is a great process. And I always say I'm an Atlanticist and I'm European. But here is the -- here is the point.

Where we are now standing in NATO headquarters, where we see the primary forum for transatlantic security cooperation -- and we'll do that at 26. Another 24 plus two or 25 plus one.

Thank you very much.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now we're finished.

S. O'BRIEN: As the president just said, now we're done, meaning that finally the secretary-general of NATO got a chance to wrap up the comments there.

Again, President Bush saying that he was impressed by NATO's role in some of the issues that it's had before, including Afghanistan, also praising some success in Iraq and in the meetings with President Yushchenko. The President said, "I'm really glad I came. The relationship between the United States and Europe is vital and necessary," and that NATO is, in fact, the cornerstone of that relationship.

Before President Bush left for Europe, he launched what some have called the charm offensive. In fact, we heard the president refer to that in some of his remarks there.

He made a little bit, though, of an unusual remark at the end of an interview he gave to a Belgian reporter on Friday. The reporter is Greta Kaiser. She covers Washington for Belgium's BRT. She's in Brussels this morning.

Nice to see you. Thank you very much for being with us.

We'll get to that little moment in just a moment. First, let me get a sense from you about what you thought about the president's remarks in front of the press in Europe right now.

GREET DE KEYZER, BELGIAN TELEVISION REPORTER: Well, what he said was it reflects the openness, it reflects the signs of goodwill that he receives here and that was sent earlier on from the other side of the ocean, from Washington to Europe. So he seems to be very happy with the way it is going.

And I have the impression if I see the press comments today, that in the press you see headlines as "Friends Again," and then the subtitle could be "Will it Last, That Friendship?" But it has started in a very positive atmosphere.

S. O'BRIEN: You asked him a question I know on Friday that you felt he didn't fully answer. And your question was about how to restore European confidence. Do you feel having heard his remarks now that he's gone a long way in restoring confidence of the Europeans?

DE KEYZER: Oh, yes. He has a lot of damage to restore, of course. The past four years were years of struggle, of fighting between Washington and Europe. So -- and the war in Iraq was really the big bang here in the -- in Europe.

So what everybody is wondering right now, the politicians here in Europe, they are really open for the signs of goodwill from Washington, but they are all suspicious. And you could notice that by the questions that a couple of reporters just asked in that press conference at NATO headquarters. But their suspicious on is this only a different tune, or will this mean also different actions from Washington?

S. O'BRIEN: Of course. Now, the president mentioned unity several times over the last several days. He's also mentioned peace in the Middle East, he's mentioned Iran, Syria, he's mentioned Russia as well.

If you had to pick one area where you think that unity with the Europeans can be found, what would you pick?

DE KEYZER: Well, where unity can be found, Ukraine was a perfect example where unity could be found and where a solution was brought by that unity. The elections in Ukraine gave perfect, free democratic elections after the problems they had during the first run of those elections.

But there's a lot of problems to be solved, and one of the worst problems that could arise in the future is Iran. And there is the European Union, countries that are taking the lead. And they're hoping that the Bush administration and the president himself will follow them in their diplomatic efforts to solve the crisis.

S. O'BRIEN: We started a little bit by talking about a comment that the president made to you at the end of an interview that you did with him. A very issues-oriented interview, I might add. Let's play a little chunk of what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DE KEYZER: Thank you so much, Mr. President, for these kind words. Thank you.

BUSH: Thank you very much. You've got great eyes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: And he said, "You have great eyes," which is a very nice compliment. Give me more of a sense of if you thought that was just more of a charm offensive on behalf of the president or if you thought it was anything other than that?

DE KEYZER: You know, the whole interview was -- was like a charm offensive. But, you know, with content, I think that the president also meant what he was saying.

And by -- the big message was, of course, charming the politicians here in Europe, making sure that the message was in Europe before the president arrived here. And, of course, diplomats did that in the last couple of weeks, because a meeting on this level is always organized and thought through by diplomats. So, but, you know, he was charming the politicians, charming the press, and just charming me, yes.

S. O'BRIEN: Greet De Keyzer, nice to chat with you and get your analysis. Thank you very much for talking with us this morning. Appreciate it.

DE KEYZER: Pleasure.

S. O'BRIEN: Thanks -- Miles.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: She does have nice eyes, by the way.

S. O'BRIEN: Absolutely. I think -- and she also said for the record...

M. O'BRIEN: For the record. I mean, if that's OK. Can I say that?

S. O'BRIEN: You can.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Is that OK?

S. O'BRIEN: And for the record, she said he also told her colleague, "And you have nice shoes."

M. O'BRIEN: Interesting.

S. O'BRIEN: It sounds like a hard-core charm offensive.

M. O'BRIEN: A rather expansive president at the moment.

All right. A close call in Tennessee to tell you about.

Ouch. Out of nowhere and out of control. Find out what police think was behind this highway crash caught on tape.

S. O'BRIEN: Also, from bitter rivals to buddies. How did former presidents Bush and Clinton end up as pals? We'll take a look.

M. O'BRIEN: And a major new development in the case of a missing pregnant woman and her 7-year-old son. We'll have details on that coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(ALREADY IN PROGRESS)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: .... just completely collapsed, took everything with it, deck chairs, the grill. Even an entire swimming pool ended up at the bottom of the hill.

And that's not the end of it. I know this is hard to visualize, but imagine if your neighbor's entire swimming pool, all the water in the swimming pool was literally just dumped into your home. Well, that's exactly what happened to this area in Bel Aire.

When that swimming pool came crashing down the hill, all the water spilled out of it. It added about 20,000 gallons of water to the mudslide. All of that just punched through a neighbor's home at the bottom of the hill.

But we're not just talking about areas being affected being residential areas. It is also the freeways.

This is the Hollywood freeway. It's one of the busiest roads in Los Angeles. It cuts right through the heart of the city.

And it was shut down for most of the night. And you can see why. I mean, look at those floodwaters.

The waters rose so quickly and so high, it trapped cars, trucks, even a big rig. Now, no one was actually hurt in that, but several of those people had to be rescued.

And a lot of the firefighters say, you know, they can tend to forget. As you look live now, some of the work crews out here trying to clear that mud out. They say it's easy to forget because they live in sunny southern California.

You know, it's easy to forget that sometimes the rain will come. But they have never seen weather as bad as this.

So far, about 14 homes have been evacuated just here in Glendale alone. But the way that this storm comes in waves, the firefighters say it is hard to predict whether they'll have to order more evacuations, or if people in this neighborhood will be able to stay -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Chris Lawrence in Glendale. Thanks very much -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: What a mess there.

In Texas, they arrested a man on capital murder charges in the disappearance of a pregnant Texas woman and her 7-year-old son. Lisa Underwood and her son Jayden reported missing Saturday after Underwood failed to show up at her own baby shower.

Later, blood was found at her home. Underwood's SUV was found yesterday in a creek bed north of Dallas. Then, early this morning, 37-year-old Stephen Barbee was taken into custody. He's expected to be arraigned this morning on charges of murder.

Police had gathered evidence at Underwood's home, including a carpet which was taken out of the house. Underwood and her son remain missing. And, of course, at this time we have no idea of any link between the suspect and those two -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Watching that one closely. Some dramatic video now of an extremely close call for a Tennessee police officer and an accident victim that he was interviewing. Ouch.

The officer and victim talking by the side of an interstate. Suddenly, out of nowhere, as you saw, another car spins out of control, slamming into the cruiser. Fortunately, no one was hurt. As you can see the date on this was February 14. The driver of the SUV is charged with possession of marijuana.

Close call.

S. O'BRIEN: Wow, coming backwards practically.

M. O'BRIEN: You know, the most dangerous thing police do is highway stops of any variety. And that -- you know, for any number of reasons. And that's a case in point right there.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, it says it all. All right.

Well, a powerful earthquake struck central Iran overnight. The 6.4 quake leveled seven villages in Kerman Province; 270 people reported dead, nearly 1,000 injured.

Rain and cold now slowing rescuers, also decreasing any chances of survival. This quake is in the same province as the Bam earthquake that killed 30,000 people two years ago.

David Applegate of the U.S. Geological Survey explained to me earlier this morning why this quake was less deadly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID APPLEGATE, U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY: One of the key differences is this -- Bam was about -- it started about six miles below the surface. This one was a bit deeper. It was more like 26 miles below the surface.

That means that the strongest shaking is somewhat removed from -- from where people are going to be. In other words, the energy has dissipated as it moves up through the crust. So that's -- that's something in this one's favor.

They both struck around the same time, early morning. I think this one was about 5:25 a.m. local time. That's -- that always is a problem. People are often in their homes. If homes collapse, you're going to see increased casualties.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: That's David Applegate of the U.S. Geological Survey -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, they were bitter rivals, but former presidents Bush and Clinton look like running mates now. Some sort of weird buddy... S. O'BRIEN: How did that happen?

M. O'BRIEN: I don't know. Hey, they went on a trip, and look what happened.

Well, it's a political odd couple, to say the least. We'll take a look and tell you how much is real and how much is for the cameras ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Let's get right to Jack. He's got "The File."

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Iraq's insurgents are targeting Baghdad's barber shops. The "Los Angeles Times" reports extremists are warning Iraqi hair salons not to violate strict Islamic teachings by trimming or removing men's beards.

No shaved beards, no sideburns, no American-style haircuts. Do any of this and die.

Since the threats began a little more than a month ago, eight barbers have been killed. A dozen barber shops have been bombed. The insurgents' threats are often delivered on a piece of paper or written on the back of a 250 dinar bill, which is the cost of a single bullet.

Another poll reinforces what people think of politicians -- not much. Fifty-seven percent of Americans don't want their son or daughter to someday become president of the United States. According to a new Gallup poll, mothers particularly opposed to putting their kids in the Oval Office.

Wonder if that had anything to do with Monica Lewinsky. Probably not.

Sixty-seven percent oppose the idea. This is the first time Gallup has conducted a poll on this subject, so there's nothing to compare it to.

Celebrity experts predicted that Brad and Jennifer, the breakup, wouldn't be easy. Hundreds of millions of dollars, homes in Los Angeles, London, all those bank accounts.

Now a sculpture in Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. Sculptures at Madame Tussaud's have broken apart a wax work figure of Blad and Jen embracing.

This was the original. She had one hand on his chest and the other one on his tuchis.

The procedure, which involved remolding their arms, cost $19,000. The separated figures are now back on display, standing with their backs to each other.

(LAUGHTER) CAFFERTY: Jen and Brad were installed only seven months ago at the museum after they had determined there that they were a safe celebrity couple.

S. O'BRIEN: Kind of like being on the cover of "Sports Illustrated," you know?

(CROSSTALK)

CAFFERTY: Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: Waxing eloquent, as usual.

S. O'BRIEN: That's amazing. How much money did it cost to take them apart?

CAFFERTY: Almost $20,000.

S. O'BRIEN: Wow.

M. O'BRIEN: Just to -- just to move the arms? I would have done it for cheaper than that.

CAFFERTY: Well, you know.

M. O'BRIEN: A little blow torch to melt it down, and off you go.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes. That's not how it works.

M. O'BRIEN: That's not how it works?

S. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Jack. Appreciate it.

CAFFERTY: You're welcome.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, President Bush takes the charm offensive to NATO headquarters. How is it playing with the Europeans? We'll take you live to Brussels up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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