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Soldiers Surround Government House, Order Police to Lay Down Arms in Bangkok; President Bush Addresses United Nations

Aired September 19, 2006 - 12:00   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: We are looking at brand new video coming in to us at this very moment from Bangkok. It is dark there, as you see. A little bit tough to figure out what we're looking at, but we are looking at, as best we can tell, are tanks and soldiers who have now surrounded the government headquarters there in Bangkok, ordering police to lay down their arms.
The prime minister, who is in New York at the U.N., has ordered a "severe state of emergency," trying to figure out exactly what is taking place in his homeland while he is away. Certainly, there are rumors of a coup going on while he is away. And we've been hearing from our Dan Rivers what he is seeing in with his own eyes, which is this: tanks everywhere and soldiers beginning to surround the government headquarters.

We will continue to watch the situation in Bangkok for you as we look at the video here, and await the president, who will address the United Nations General Assembly at any moment.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: So, as we take a look at this video, let's see if we can get a better idea of the whereabouts of Thailand's prime minister.

Let's bring in Richard Roth, who is following the story for us from the United Nations.

And Richard, the last time we spoke, you mentioned to us that the prime minister would normally be in his seat listening to the opening remarks from the secretary-general, Kofi Anna, but that he was not there.

Can you give us an update on his whereabouts?

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: We don't know exactly where he is right now. We're told that the U.N. was notified last night that the Thai prime minister would not be speaking "tomorrow," when he was originally scheduled to address the General Assembly.

His remarks will now be made tonight New York Time. And maybe around 7:00. Don't know if that's before or after the president of Iran. It's a definite interesting lineup this evening inside the General Assembly.

Outside the U.N., of course, the Thai flag is certainly flying. Not effected by developments out there. But inside, the General Assembly -- Kofi Annan's remarks were made without the Thai prime minister being there. He is no doubt working the phones, cables, communicating with the leaders back home.

The country of Thailand was already going to have elections on October 14th. For the Thai leader to address the General Assembly while his country may be in somewhat of a difficult situation in Bangkok and elsewhere, certainly a very embarrassing, uncomfortable situation.

Events have been unfolding there in the last few days. And thus, the reason for the change in schedule already made last night to United Nations officials.

Kofi Annan has not commented yet. He is inside the hall. President Bush is going to address the General Assembly shortly -- Tony.

HARRIS: OK. And Richard, give us a sense of just how far off -- obviously at least a half-hour off in the schedule so far. When are we expecting the president now to offer his speech?

ROTH: Well, Brazil, by tradition, goes first. They have since the founding of the U.N. And each leaders talks for about 20 minutes to a half-hour. I think Brazil has been speaking for at least 15 minutes. So I think somewhere in the next 10 to 15 minutes, if not sooner.

President Bush will be addressing the General Assembly, and he will be speaking about themes regarding more democracy in the world, having the U.N. live up to its ideals, for the Security Council to enforce its resolution -- hint, hint, Iran. There's a resolution on the books regarding potential action, like sanctions.

But the Europeans are very interested and still continuing the dialogue with Tehran over its nuclear enrichment program. And so is Washington. Because options are rather limited, there isn't a lot of support for getting tougher with Iran while Iran is floating signals that it might temporarily freeze its program for two months. But that has not been officially announced.

There's a lot of chess games going on here. And the Thailand situation certainly gives a bit more of an urgency to today's session. There are not as many heads of state as there were last year during the 60th anniversary, so there is more of a buzz now. Many thought it in the press corps things were a little quieter here.

But we're -- we don't know where the Thai leader is right now. But most likely, the first time we'll see him will be inside the General Assembly hall later this evening, New York time, for what could be a very difficult speech, should he choose to address the topic of what's happening back home.

HARRIS: OK. Our U.N. correspondent, Richard Roth for us, following just a number of developments from the U.N. today.

Richard, appreciate it. Thank you.

COLLINS: We want to take a minute now to get back to Governor Bill Richardson, who is standing by, the governor of New Mexico and former U.S. ambassador to the U.N.

I wonder, Governor Richardson, if you've been able to hear anything that we've been covering with the situation in Bangkok, Thailand, and if you might offer any sort of thought to what may be happening here as we get information coming in of a possible coup attempt?

GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D), NEW MEXICO: Well, it would be a huge blow to a stability in Asia, because Thailand is -- it's a democracy. It's a huge economy in Asia.

It sounds like it is a coup, because the best time to do a coup is when the chief of state is out of town. So it looks like the military there is taking over. And it's going to be a big setback, I believe, for democracy in Thailand, especially since they have elections coming up in October.

And I believe it's also going to affect a potential candidate for U.N. secretary-general that is either the prime minister or the vice minister or the foreign minister, I can't recall. But it's usually the replacement for Kofi Annan is going to be an Asian, by tradition. And the Thai has been a very strong candidate.

This is obviously going to affect that candidacy. I'm not sure it's the prime minister. But somebody very high up is a very viable candidate.

But mainly, you know, Thailand is a nation that is -- is contributing substantially to the United Nations in terms of peacekeeping, foreign assistance. It's a vital ally to the United States on issues relating to narcotics, sexual trafficking. They've been cooperative.

Their economy has generally been good. But I guess there's some corruption issues.

But it looks like it is a coup. This is when you do a coup, when your head of state is out of town.

So I don't anticipate the head of state to even address the General Assembly. I would think he'll either try to go back or he may be forced into exile. I hope that's not the case. But that's what I unfortunately see happening.

COLLINS: Yes. Already, as we have heard from our Richard Roth at the U.N., that that speaking schedule has changed to allow the Thai prime minister to address the General Assembly later tonight because of these events. I'm sorry -- earlier.

HARRIS: That's right. That's right.

COLLINS: He was supposed to speak tomorrow. They are considering letting him speak tonight because of the events that happened there.

We are working to get more information as we look at the new video coming into us with the soldiers surrounding the government headquarters, the government House. And a severe state of emergency been declared by the prime minister in Thailand.

HARRIS: And Governor Richardson, if we could, let's -- let's -- if we can press ahead just a little bit as we continue to monitor the situation in Thailand, let's talk about the upcoming speech from the president. We know that on big occasions like this, these occasions present an opportunity.

Give us a sense of what you expect to hear, but also what you'd like to hear from the president in his 15-minute speech.

RICHARDSON: Well, what I expect to hear is obviously a push to build international support for sanctions against Iran. I expect him to talk about the fragile democracies in Lebanon, in Iraq, plead for international assistance for them, get some more peacekeeping troops for Lebanon. Although, there are 5,000, and the French have basically stepped up with more troops, and that's good.

But he faces a lot of skepticism because several years ago he came to the U.N. and said, on Iraq, you're either with us or not. And we went unilaterally, and that has cost us a lot of, I believe, support and prestige.

So now I think it's up to the president to be conciliatory, to be positive, to work with the Europeans on the Iran issue. It looks like there's a potential breakthrough, and that is if Iran agrees to freeze its uranium enrichment for a couple of months. Maybe it avoids sanctions and negotiations continue.

My hope is that he steps up and says on Syria that he's ready to talk to Syria. Because Syria is a key play for we are going to disarm Hezbollah.

What is good -- what I'm hearing early on is that he will appoint a special envoy to Darfur, to the Sudan. I was just there a week ago, got an American journalist out, and I met with the president, al- Bashir, who doesn't want U.N. peacekeepers.

He wants a Sudanese force, he wants the African Union basically to stay. That's not good, because you want international peacekeepers there to stop what is a very dreadful situation of 200,000 deaths, two million displaced.

So, if he shows some strong push there, he'll get a lot of support because Africa is very concerned about the situation in the Sudan, as are Middle Eastern countries.

So, the president has some tough sledding, but if he appears positive, conciliatory, let's work together, he'll pick up a lot of points.

HARRIS: I have to ask you, when you cut to the chase on this, it seems, particularly with the Iranians, this comes down to an issue of trust. And do you think there is any real opportunity here to do some trust-building here? The president is not going to speak to the Iranian president.

Does there need to be some kind of an interlocutor here to begin to work through this issue of trust on both sides?

RICHARDSON: Well, yes. I and many others, Republicans and Democrats, have urged that we start a dialogue with Iran. It doesn't have to be the president, but possibly the secretary of state, who is skillful.

Look, Iran holds the key to Middle East oil prices. It holds the key to instability in Iraq. They want to build nuclear weapons. They are a major power in the Middle East now that Iraq has kind of fallen apart.

So you can't ignore them. And they are out, Iran is, to build a case for their position, which is to enrich their uranium and possibly nuclear weapons.

So, it makes sense to engage, not to try to isolate. And this is a little frustrating with some of the Bush administration.

They seem not to want to talk directly to the countries that we have the most problems with -- North Korea, which I think directly talking to them would help. Iran, which I believe talking to them directly, although I think they've handled that relatively well with the European Union being interlocutors.

Syria to try to squeeze Hezbollah. Try to bring a Middle East peace envoy to the Middle East. Try to get Hamas and the Palestinian state...

HARRIS: Yes.

RICHARDSON: ... to work together to moderate Hamas, which is totally a terrorist state.

HARRIS: Right.

RICHARDSON: So, dialogue is something that you do at the U.N. And my hope is the president uses this occasion to talk about it.

HARRIS: OK. So, the Iranian president is obviously going to take the stage tonight. And he is going to offer his speech.

A couple of quick questions.

In your view, does Iran have the right to develop nuclear technology as a signatory to the nonproliferation treaty?

RICHARDSON: Well, if they develop civilian nuclear technology, nuclear energy potential, that's fine. But to build weapons, enrich uranium, I believe that's a question for the international community to reject, because we don't want more instability and a nuclear state in Iran.

So, you have to persuade them. And I believe that with a carrot and stick approach, which the United States and the European Union are basically using -- they are saying, OK, you can have some nuclear power, we'll give you some trade benefits, we'll assure you of the fuel cycle, but you can't build nuclear weapons.

That should be our objective. And the lever we have is sanctions.

Iran doesn't want sanctions because it's a major oil exporter. That would affect their balance of payments, their revenues.

HARRIS: Sure.

RICHARDSON: So, there's potential to bargain there. And we just have to keep pursuing it.

My hope is that the president is not beating them up too much. He should state his case. And we don't want Iran building nuclear weapons. But this is an opportunity to use a little diplomacy, dialogue, negotiation.

COLLINS: And quickly, Governor Richardson, I want to get back to the situation on the other side of the screen that we are broadcasting with you, Bangkok, Thailand, and the latest video that we are getting in.

We also want to show you this. This is a message in Thai that CNN has now confirmed to say from the army that they are now in control of the government.

Let me look one more time for exactly what that translation is that we have uncovered here at CNN. But we understand that that is what that says, that the army is now in control.

We want to take you straight to the U.N. and President Bush.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Mr. Secretary General, Madam President, distinguished delegates, and ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank you for the privilege of speaking to this General Assembly.

Last week America and the world marked the fifth anniversary of the attacks that filled another September morning with death and suffering. On that terrible day, extremists killed nearly 3,000 innocent people, including citizens of dozens of nations represented right here in this chamber.

Since then, the enemies of humanity have continued their campaign of murder. al Qaeda and those inspired by its extremist ideology have attacked more than two dozen nations. And recently a different group of extremists deliberately provoked a terrible conflict in Lebanon.

At the start of the 21st century, it is clear that the world is engaged in a great ideological struggle between extremists who use terror as a weapon to create fear and moderate people who work for peace. Five years ago I stood at this podium and called on the community of nations to defend civilization and build a more hopeful future. This is still the great challenge of our time. It is the calling of our generation.

This morning I want to speak about the more hopeful world that is within our reach, a world beyond terror, where ordinary men and women are free to determine their own destiny, where the voices of moderation are empowered, and where the extremists are marginalized by the peaceful majority. This world can be ours, if we seek it and if we work together.

The principles of this world beyond terror can be found in the very first sentence of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This document declares that, "The equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom and justice and peace in the world."

One of the authors of this document was a Lebanese diplomat named Charles Malik, who would go on to become president of this assembly. Mr. Malik insisted that these principles applied equally to all people, of all regions, of all religions, including the men and women of the Arab world that was his home.

In the nearly six decades since that document was approved, we have seen the forces of freedom and moderation transform entire continents. Sixty years after a terrible war, Europe is now whole, free and at peace, and Asia has seen freedom progress and hundreds of millions of people lifted out of desperate poverty.

The words of the Universal Declaration are as true today as they were when they were written.

As liberty flourishes, nations grow in tolerance and hope and peace. And we're seeing that bright future begin to take root in the broader Middle East.

Some of the changes in the Middle East have been dramatic, and we see the results in this chamber.

Five years ago, Afghanistan was ruled by the brutal Taliban regime, and its seat in this body was contested. Now this seat is held by the freely elected government of Afghanistan, which is represented today by President Karzai.

Five years ago, Iraq's seat in this body was held by a dictator who killed his citizens, invaded his neighbors and showed his contempt for the world by defying more than a dozen U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Now Iraq's seat is held by a democratic government that embodies the aspirations of the Iraq people. It is represented today by President Talabani. With these changes, more than 50 million people have been give an voice in this chamber for the first time in decades.

Some of the changes in the Middle East are happening gradually, but they are real.

Algeria has held its first competitive presidential election, and the military remained neutral.

The United Arab Emirates recently announced that half of its seats in the Federal National Council will be chosen by elections.

Kuwait held elections in which women were allowed to vote and run for office for the first time.

Citizens have voted in municipal elections in Saudi Arabia and parliamentary elections in Jordan and Bahrain and in multiparty presidential elections in Yemen and Egypt.

These are important steps, and the governments should continue to move forward with other reforms that show they trust their people.

Every nation that travels the road to freedom moves at a different pace and the democracies they build will reflect their own culture and traditions. But the destination is the same: a free society where people live at peace with each other and at peace with the world.

Some have argued that the democratic changes we're seeing in the Middle East are destabilizing the region. This argument rests on a false assumption: that the Middle East was stable to begin with.

The reality is that the stability we thought we saw in the Middle East was a mirage. For decades, millions of men and women in the region had been trapped in oppression and hopelessness. And these conditions left a generation disillusioned and made this region a breeding ground for extremism.

Imagine what it's like to be a young person living in a country that is not moving toward reform. You're 21 years old, and while your peers in other parts of the world are casting their ballots for the first time, you are powerless to change the course of your government.

While your peers in other parts of the world have received educations that prepare them for the opportunities of a global economy, you have been fed propaganda and conspiracy theories that blame others for your country's shortcomings.

And everywhere you turn, you hear extremists who tell you that you can escape your misery and regain your dignity through violence and terror and martyrdom.

For many across the broader Middle East this is the dismal choice presented every day.

Every civilized nation, including those in the Muslim world, must support those in the region who are offering a more hopeful alternative.

We know that when people have a voice in their future, they are less likely to blow themselves up in suicide attacks. We know that when leaders are accountable to their people, they are more likely to seek national greatness in the achievements of their citizens, rather than in terror and conquest.

So we must stand with democratic leaders and moderate reformers across the broader Middle East. We must give them voice to the hopes of decent men and women who want for their children the same thing we want for ours.

We must seek stability through a free and just Middle East, where the extremists are marginalized by millions of citizens in control of their own destinies.

Today I'd like to speak directly to the people across the broader Middle East.

My country desires peace. Extremists in your midst spread propaganda claiming that the West is engaged in a war against Islam.

This propaganda is false and its purpose is to confuse you and justify acts of terror.

We respect Islam, but we will protect our people from those who pervert Islam to sow death and destruction.

Our goal is to help you build a more tolerant and hopeful society that honors people of all faiths and promotes the peace.

To the people of Iraq, nearly 12 million of you braved the car bombers and assassins last December to vote in free elections.

The world saw you hold up purple-ink-stained fingers. And your courage filled us with admiration.

You stood firm in the face of horrendous acts of terror and sectarian violence. And we will not abandon you and your struggle to build a free nation.

America and our coalition partners will continue to stand with the democratic government you elected. We will continue to help you secure the international assistance and investment you need to create jobs and opportunity, working with the United Nations and through the international compact with Iraq endorsed here in New York yesterday.

We will continue to train those of you who step forward to fight the enemies of freedom. We will not yield the future of your country to terrorists and extremists.

In return, your leaders must rise to the challenges your country is facing and make difficult choices to bring security and prosperity.

Working together, we will help your democracy succeed so it can become a beacon of hope for millions in the Muslim world.

To the people of Afghanistan, together we overthrew the Taliban regime that brought misery into your lives and harbored terrorists who brought death to the citizens of many nations. Since then, we have watched you choose your leaders in free elections and build a democratic government. You can be proud of these achievements.

We respect your courage and determination to live in peace and freedom. We will continue to stand with you to defend your democratic gains.

Today, forces from more than 40 countries, including members of the NATO alliance, are bravely serving side by side with you against the extremists who want to bring down the free government you've established. We'll help you defeat these enemies and build a free Afghanistan that will never again oppress you or be a safe haven for terrorists.

To the people of Lebanon, last year you inspired the world when you came out into the streets to demand your independence from Syrian dominance. You drove Syrian forces from your country and you reestablished democracy.

Since then, you have been tested by the fighting that began with Hezbollah's unprovoked attacks on Israel. Many of you have seen your homes and your communities caught in crossfire.

We see your suffering and the world is helping you to rebuild your country and helping you deal with the armed extremists who are undermining your democracy by acting as a state within a state.

The United Nations has passed a good resolution that has authorized an international force, led by France and Italy, to help you restore Lebanese sovereignty over Lebanese soil.

For many years, Lebanon was a model of democracy and pluralism and openness in the region. And it will be again.

To the people of Iran, the United States respects you. We respect your country. We admire your rich history, your vibrant culture and your many contributions to civilization.

You deserve an opportunity to determine your own future, an economy that rewards your intelligence and your talents, and a society that allows you to fulfill your tremendous potential.

The greatest obstacle to this future is that your rulers have chosen to deny you liberty and to use your nation's resources to fund terrorism and fuel extremism and pursue nuclear weapons.

The United Nations has passed a clear resolution requiring that the regime in Tehran meet its international obligations. Iran must abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions.

Despite what the regime tells you, we have no objection to Iran's pursuit of a truly peaceful nuclear power program.

We're working toward a diplomatic solution to this crisis. And as we do, we look to the day when you can live in freedom, and America and Iran can be good friends and close partners in the cause of peace.

To the people of Syria, your land is home to a great people with a proud tradition of learning and commerce. Today, your rulers have allowed your country to become a crossroad for terrorism.

In your midst, Hamas and Hezbollah are working to destabilize the region, and your government is turning your country into a tool of Iran. This is increasing your country's isolation from the world.

Your government must choose a better way forward by ending its support for terror and living at peace with your neighbors, and opening the way to a better life for you and your families.

To the people of Darfur, you have suffered unspeakable violence. And my nation has called these atrocities what they are: genocide.

For the last two years, America joined with the international community to provide emergency food aid and support for an African Union peacekeeping force. Yet your suffering continues.

The world must step forward to provide additional humanitarian aid. And we must strengthen the African Union force that has done good work, but is not strong enough to protect you.

The Security Council has approved a resolution that would transform the African Union force into a blue-helmeted force that is larger and more robust. To increase its strength and effectiveness, NATO nations should provide logistics and other support.

The regime in Khartoum is stopping the deployment of this force. If the Sudanese government does not approve this peacekeeping force quickly, the United Nations must act. Your lives and the credibility of the United Nations is at stake.

So today I'm announcing that I'm naming a presidential special envoy, former USAID Administrator Andrew Natsios, to lead America's efforts to resolve the outstanding disputes and help bring peace to your land.

The world must also stand up for peace in the Holy Land. I'm committed to two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security. I'm committed to a Palestinian state that has territorial integrity and will live peacefully with the Jewish state of Israel.

This is the vision set forth in the road map, and helping the parties reach this goal is one of the great objectives of my presidency.

The Palestinian people have suffered from decades of corruption and violence and the daily humiliation of occupation. Israeli citizens have endured brutal acts of terrorism and constant fear of attack since the birth of their nation.

Many brave men and women have made the commitment to peace, yet extremists in the region are stirring up hatred and trying to prevent these moderate voices from prevailing.

The struggle is unfolding in the Palestinian territories.

Earlier this year, the Palestinian people voted in a free election. The leaders of Hamas campaigned on a platform of ending corruption and improving the lives of the Palestinian people, and they prevailed.

The world is waiting to see whether the Hamas government will follow through on its promises or pursue an extremist agenda. The world has sent a clear message to the leaders of Hamas: Serve the interests of the Palestinian people, abandon terror, recognize Israel's right to exist, honor agreements that work for peace.

President Abbas is committed to peace and to his people's aspirations for a state of their own.

Prime Minister Olmert is committed to peace and has said he intends to meet with President Abbas to make real progress on the outstanding issues between them.

I believe peace can be achieved and that a democratic Palestinian state is possible. I hear from leaders in the region who want to help.

I directed Secretary of State Rice to lead a diplomatic effort to engage moderate leaders across the region to help the Palestinians reform their security services and support Israeli and Palestinian leaders in their efforts to come together to resolve their differences.

Prime Minister Blair has indicated that his country will work with partners in Europe to help strengthen the governing institutions of the Palestinian administration. We welcome his initiative.

Countries like Saudi Arabia and Jordan and Egypt have made clear they're willing to contribute the diplomatic and financial assistance necessary to help these efforts succeed.

I'm optimistic that, by supporting the forces of democracy and moderation, we can help Israelis and Palestinians build a more hopeful future and achieve the peace in the Holy Land we all want.

Freedom, by its nature, cannot be imposed. It must be chosen.

From Beirut to Baghdad, people are making the choice for freedom. And the nations gathered in this chamber must make a choice as well. Will we support the moderates and reformers who are working for change across the Middle East, or will we yield the future to the terrorists and extremists?

America has made its choice. We will stand with the moderates and reformers.

Recently, a courageous group of Arab and Muslim intellectuals wrote me a letter. In it, they said this: "The shore of reform is the only one on which any lights appear, even though the journey demands courage and patience and perseverance."

The United Nations was created to make that journey possible. Together, we must support the dreams of good and decent people who are working to transform a troubled region. And by doing so, we will advance the high ideals on which this institution was founded.

Thank you for your time. God bless.

HARRIS: There you have it. The president of the United States, George Bush addressing the 61st General Assembly, meeting in New York City. You see Condoleezza Rice, U.N. Ambassador Bolton. The president -- oh, just ticking off, Heidi, just a laundry list of issues.

And as you were listening to him, you were reminded of the issues facing the United Nations. The problems, some of the successes, but above all, the challenges facing the United Nations. The president pointed to Afghanistan as a success, Iraq as a success, with its democratically elected government. The president promising again to rebuild Iraq and to defend Afghanistan.

COLLINS: As we watch the president -- there's Condoleezza Rice, trying to find the door out. As we watch the president clear the room there, one of the things that stood out to me, the reality is the stability we thought we saw in the Middle East was the mirage, the president said.

We want to go ahead and get back to Richard Roth, our senior U.N. correspond to give us sort of the lowdown on what you heard and what you saw -- Richard.

ROTH: Well Heidi, this was a shorter Bush speech, I believe, a little bit more compact. No new giant initiatives. You heard him say that he wants Iran to be pursuing peaceful ideals of the nuclear energy, but not happy if it goes any further than that.

Harshest words maybe for Syria, saying it's helping Hezbollah, becoming a tool of Iran. And the Syrian ministry has representatives in the room.

The Iranian president, let's say right now, the Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, after all the build-up, did not show up. At least he was not there in the hall to listen to President Bush. So we can't say the two men were in the same room at the same time. This was him arriving last night in New York City.

So there will be a leader's lunch where President Bush will toast Kofi Annan and the U.N. We don't expect the Iranian leader show there because they serve alcohol. The Muslim nation of Iran, that is why the president of Iran is not going to appear there. He will speak to the General Assembly hall hours from now.

You heard President Bush again, the themes on the Middle East. We want to pursue democracy. We want moderates. We don't want radicals. We are not going to yield to the terrorists calling on countries in the region to do just that. And he also talked pointedly about Sudan. Genocide, once again, President Bush repeating the U.S. line, but very forcefully here on the stage of the General Assembly that what's going on in Darfur, Sudan, where an estimate 200,000 to 400,000 people have been killed and nearly 2 million people displaced is a genocide.

And he demanded that the nation of Sudan allow U.N. peacekeepers to come into the country to help the people come and to help observe and stop fighting there. The Security Council has authorized up to 20,000 Blue Helmet peacekeepers come in. But the government has not allowed it and the U.N. is not willing to test that initiative.

So the speeches go on here. President Bush has meetings, he had one earlier today with French President Jacques Chirac, where he said the time will come for sanctions if Iran doesn't cooperate. But the U.S. is still pursuing diplomacy with Teheran through the European channel.

Incentives that have been refused. They want to get a clearer idea maybe the president of Iran's speech tonight. How serious is Iran about cooperating and freezing its uranium enrichment program? If they do enough verbally, and what they tell people on the ground here, that maybe the U.S. will support more negotiations. If not, Washington says it will get tough and push for sanctions -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. So maybe a little bit of a surprise that the president of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad not there for this address. Certainly not a surprise that President Bush doesn't plan to attend his speech later on tonight, we believe around 7:00 Eastern.

We want to go ahead and take a moment to listen to just a small chunk of President Bush as he addressed the U.N. General Assembly about the vision of the Middle East.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: In their future they are less likely to blow themselves up in suicide attacks. We know that when leaders are accountable to their people they are more likely to seek national greatness in the achievements of their citizens, rather than in terror and conquest.

So we must stand with Democratic leaders and moderate reformers across the broader Middle East. We must give them voice to the hopes of decent men and women who want for their children the same things we want for ours. We must seek stability through a free and just Middle East, where the extremists are marginalized by millions of citizens in control of their own destinies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: And right now, let's bring in New Mexico's governor, Bill Richardson, former U.S. ambassador to the U.N.

And Governor Richardson, let me just of open it up to your general impressions of the speech. RICHARDSON: Well, my general impressions, my concern is that is that it's a hard-line speech. It basically says to the U.N., this is our position. We hope you support our position. I wish it had been more of, I need your help. I need your help on Iraq. I need your help in Afghanistan to get more troops there. I need the U.N. to help more with peacekeeping in the Sudan, in Darfur, in the Middle East, in -- I need sort of that cooperative spirit. So no new diplomatic ground was broken.

On the hopeful side, I thought the rhetoric towards Iran was quite good, appealing to the democratic instincts of the Iranian people. Sure he condemned, and I think rightfully so, Iran's position on nuclear weapons. But I saw a little opening there that basically says we're going to resolve this through diplomacy. We respect the Islamic world.

I also like what he said about Israel and Palestine. But what I wanted to see there, is, well, now I'm appointing a Middle East peace envoy to the Middle East just as I have to the Sudan. Secretary Rice is secretary of state. We've so many crises, so many problems, she can't possibly handle it herself.

So generally I would say the speech was -- although it was a conciliatory tone, it was a hardline speech, reiterating our hardline policies.

COLLINS: But, governor, let me ask you this. You have been there. You have served this role as the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Seems to be a little bit like there should be some responsibility taken by these countries who attend the U.N. meetings, who serve that role, to decide for themselves what they are going to do as far as policy like this goes. Is it always incumbent upon the president of the United States to ask for help?

RICHARDSON: No, but the reality is that we need the help of the international community. The United Nations is an imperfect institution, there's no question about it. It's got financial problems, management problems, but it's the world forum, where at the Security Council we can deal with major issues effecting America's security. So I believe it's cost us,this head-long rush into Iraq without getting full international support.

But at the same time, yes, you have to remind the United Nations the universal declaration of human rights. Many of them don't practice strong human rights policies. But you know, at the same time, we're dealing with Guantanamo detainees. Our record is kind of suspect too.

Nonetheless, I do think that for the major issues effecting American security, the need for stability in the Middle East, Israel, Palestine, the need to prevent weapons of mass destruction or nuclear weapons by Iran, to bring stability to Iraq, to bring those peacekeepers that will patrol Lebanon that will allow Israel to live in peace. I think you need the U.N.

And when the president calls for democracy, that's a noble cause. But democracy has brought us Hamas and Hezbollah in elections. And so I think you've got to engage at the same time with diplomatic initiatives as you're preaching democracy. And I just wish the president -- on Syria, those words are deserved. Syria deserves that condemnation. That doesn't mean you don't talk to them. You don't dialogue with them. You don't have to give much in by a negotiation with Syria that controls Hezbollah. He mentioned the penetration of Iran with Hezbollah. He's absolutely right. So let's accompany these strong Democratic principals with some hard-lined diplomacy, which I wish he would have shown more.

HARRIS: Governor Richardson, let's end our time together with a quick notion. The president talked about 50-plus million people plus given a voice in the U.N. by new presidents, new democratically- elected presidents, was there an opportunity for the president to sort of take this speech above sort of the laundry list of issues and concerns facing the U.N. and challenges for everyone in the civilized world to address, and to maybe show some of the pictures, or to, in a more illustrative way demonstrate, some of the success individually of some of these people who have been taken from a situation where their lives were desperate and dire and have been given freedom?

RICHARDSON: Well, yes, he had a chance to give an uplifting speech, basically saying here are some Democratic examples that we should all abide by. And then at the same time, said, we're all in this together. There's a crisis in the Sudan. There's world poverty. There's the threat of nuclear proliferation. There's a threat of international terrorism that affects us all. Let's work together.

In some cases, let's use the United Nations. Let's recognize that the continents of Asia, Africa and Latin America don't have a voice and that their only voice is at the U.N. I wish he'd talked about Latin America. I wish he'd talked about Africa and democracy there, and malnutrition in Africa.

But, again, you can only have 15 minutes. But everybody watches. The U.S. is a preeminent power. Even though we're -- they're skeptical. Even though there's resentment towards us, even though we have to win them over, we're the big player on the block. So it's a major event and the United States, I believe, needs to use the United Nations and international support more.

HARRIS: Governor Richardson, thanks for your time. We appreciate it. Thank you for being with us.

RICHARDSON: Thank you.

COLLINS: And it only happens once a year, so that delicate dance is very delicate and an important one indeed.

I also want to remind everybody, President Bush will be sitting down one on one with our Wolf Blitzer. That will happens tomorrow night on "THE SITUATION ROOM," 7:00 Eastern. So you can watch for that as well.

For now, though, we are going to take a quick break. We'll be back in just a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Certainly an awful lot going on today. Our heads are kind of spinning, but we are covering it all. Right now, we want to make sure that we update you on the situation in Thailand, Bangkok, Thailand. There is the map. You can see we are learning more and more as the minutes go by about a possible coup attempt, military coup attempt. The Thai prime minister is currently at the United Nations, at the General Assembly, that we have also been covering.

We have Aneesh Raman, who is our expert on this. He's standing outside the U.N. in New York, to give us sort of a play by play and picture of exactly what this could mean 15 years after the successful coup that happened in Thailand all those years ago.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Heidi, this could have a dramatic effect, not only in the psyche of the Thai people, but broader, in terms of that region, Southeast Asia, that has been ripe with uncertainty in its governments with coup attempts before.

Let's take you back to last year. February 2005, I was in Bangkok covering the Thai elections. The prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, his controversial party Thai Rak Thai, won a landslide reelection, some 400 out of the 500 seats in parliament. He had been facing criticism at that point that then mounted out onto the streets in protests this year that he has been using his office to increase his family's fortune. There was a $1.9 billion sale that was made tax free by his family. That is what really started to rev up the opposition, if you will.

And then this is what we saw was the Thai prime minister call for a snap election. In that election, the opposition boycotted it, so of course his party won. They then called for the constitutional court to deem that election illegitimate, which it did. And now there's another election supposed to take place in November.

Now, in a broader sense, why this is important. Thailand, as you mentioned, has faced coup attempts before. And Thaksin Shinawatra's government, which just won reelection last year, was seen as a critical force bringing about stability to Thailand. And that was seen -- Thailand as the first country in that region of Vietnam, of Myanmar, that still has a regime of dictatorial, tyrannical power in place. The broader region as being the first place where a true democracy was taking hold.

So this will have a disturbing effect on the psyche of Thais to see tanks out on the streets, to hear of a coup attempt. What will be interesting and critical now will be for the Thai prime minister to detail exactly what information he had on a coup attempt. Because of this subject being so sensitive, you can't just sort of it throw it out there. The Thai people expect some legitimacy in terms of his reaction.

He was supposed to speak right behind me, the U.N. General Assembly, tomorrow. Instead he will be speaking tonight, incidentally in the slot that Iran's president was to spoke. And we don't know when we'll hear from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad now because of this shift -- Heidi.

HARRIS: Well, Aneesh, this is Tony with Heidi. Just was curious, what has been -- maybe you can help us get a bit more of the back story on this -- what has been the relationship -- how would you describe it between the prime minister and the army initially where we weren't sure what was going on? There was some thought that this might be a coup attempt led by the opposition party.

RAMAN: Well, in some sense the two have always been somewhat separate. The king of Thailand is really seen as the ultimate figure. It's a constitutional monarch. But he has the undying allegiance of the Thai people, and he has seen and has been in critical periods of unrest in Thailand. Really the force that has kept things together. So Thaksin Shinawatra, when he came into power, was of course by virtue of that heading up the country.

The relationship, though, between him and the military obviously seems to have soured. We don't know what precipitated it. But really, you have to keep in mind, underneath all of this was growing unrest, growing disdain by the Thai people against their prime minister. Thaksin Shinawatra really had support within the capital, within Bangkok, within the more modern, affluent parts of the Thai population. Instead, his basis of support existed out in the impoverished provinces where he would go and promise economic reforms that many suggested weren't in the long term interests of Thailand. He would get money on the ground as quickly as possible and that is how he got support.

But the anger against him in the capital has really hit a brink point, has spread beyond. And so the Thai people might be caught between. At one level, they don't really like Thaksin Shinawatra, they don't think he's a legitimate leader. He stepped down in April only to come back in May as the country's prime minister. So in the back of their minds, some people might think it was time for change. But, of course, no one in Thailand would want uncertainty, would want another coup. That would spell disaster for the democracy that is there. And so in terms of the relationship, it really will be interesting to see what they say has exactly happened -- Tony.

COLLINS: Aneesh, we want to go ahead and go straight to Bangkok, Thailand now. Dan Rivers is there for us, where it is midnight Tuesday night.

Dan, tell us what you see around you.

RIVERS: Well I'm standing in front of the prime minister's office in the heart of Bangkok here. There are two tanks parked just out of view just down the road. The army won't let us go any closer than where we are now. There are a number of soldiers surrounding the royal palace just down the road, and we've seen major intersections, armored personnel carriers, tanks and soldiers on the streets.

We understand that the coup that has been formally announced here, that it's being claimed by something called the party of democratic reform, not something I've heard of before. They say they are loyal to the king, that they have the support of all of the armed forces and they now have control of the capital Bangkok.

COLLINS: So let me reiterate quickly what I heard you say, is that a coup has been formally announced there, apparently by the Party of Democratic Reform, loyal to the king. Have control of the army, which is also something we saw being broadcast on television there in Thai, that said the army is in control of Bangkok. Want to make sure we make that clear to the viewers. A coup has been formally announced here in Bangkok, Thailand.

Something else that we are watching, as we cover all of it today, NASA and the shuttle. We understand that there is an issue with some debris falling off. NASA's going to be holding a news conference to tell us know...

(CROSSTALK)

COLLINS: ... what is happening there. Are we going to have the ability to listen into that? Let's go ahead and do that. This is from the shuttle manager, just moments ago talking about the debris that was coming off of the shuttle.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But there is a very small object on that picture which we've highlighted here, and it is clearly co-orbital with the space shuttle. And we took a look at it and there frankly is not enough resolution in this camera shot or in these television cameras, which are focused in infinity to look at the ground, to tell what that is. But it did get everybody's attention.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: OK, and once again, we're just getting information as to, well, the folks at NASA are even diagnosing the situation, trying to figure out what exactly what this unidentified piece of debris might be.

COLLINS: Highlighted there.

HARRIS: You can see it -- exactly, highlighted right there. What we do know is that the return of the shuttle has been put off by at least a day. The scheduled landing was for tomorrow morning, but now that's been put off until at least Thursday to investigate this situation. And also there's some weather concerns, too, at the landing site. So this is a situation we will continue to follow. And more details coming up in the NEWSROOM this afternoon at the top of the hour.

COLLINS: That's right, which is just a few minutes away. Kyra Phillips and her team are working the story.

In the meantime, we appreciate you watching, everybody. Have a great day. I'm Heidi Collins.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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