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CNN Live Saturday

Blair Supports Bush on Question of Regime Change in Iraq

Aired September 07, 2002 - 18:15   ET

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

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush does have an ally in his quest to convince international leaders that some kind of action is needed against Iraq. British Prime Minister Tony Blair is meeting with the president today. And Senior White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joins us with more on the meeting.
How'd it go, Suzanne?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, actually, Carol, it just started. They'll begin the meeting, for about three hours at Camp David. Before the session began they both began and they said that they have suspicious evidence to prove that Saddam Hussein is a threat to the world and that he must be removed from power.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX (voice-over): President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair shared in their resolve to overthrow Saddam Hussein, emerged from their Camp David meeting predictably speaking with one voice.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This man is a man who said was going to get rid of weapons of mass destruction. And for 11 long years, he has not fulfilled his promise.

TONY BLAIR, PRIME MINISTER OF BRITAIN: The threat from Saddam Hussein and weapons of mass destruction, chemical, biological, potentially nuclear weapons capability, that threat is real.

MALVEAUX: But Britain is the only country, except Israel, to support ousting Hussein, using military force if necessary. Now, both Bush and Blair are engaged in an international campaign to win over allies, both recently making calls to Russia and France.

President Bush will make his case in person this week, in one-on- one meetings with the leaders of Portugal, Canada, Japan, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. White House aides say the president's most significant effort to garner international support will come Thursday, when he addresses the United Nations General Assembly.

The 30-minute speech, written by a team of advisers, with input from both Secretaries Rumsfeld and Powell, is in its final draft. White House aides say, in it, the president will give Saddam Hussein an ultimatum to comply with weapons inspections or face the consequences, to urge the U.N. to take immediate action to hold Hussein accountable for broken U.N. agreements, suggest that without international help the U.S. will be forced to go it alone.

The Bush administration is strongly considering crafting a U.N. Security Council resolution that would be acceptable to permanent members. It would set a deadline for Iraq to open its weapons sites and comply with U.N. inspections, or be confronted with some form of punishment.

But an Iraqi spokesman dismissed the efficacy of weapons inspections all together.

MOHAMMAD SAEED SAHAF, IRAQI INFORMATION MINISTER: The Americans, themselves, they emphasize more than once, that would that the inspectors return to Baghdad or not, they are going to continue to launch a campaign, a war, aggression against Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Now President Bush will set the stage for making his case to the American people on September 11, when he addresses the nation at ground zero -- Carol.

LIN: Suzanne, after -- or in the body of the president's speech to the United Nations, did he say specifically what the consequences for Iraq would be if they would not allow inspections.

MALVEAUX: That's a very good point. And it's really a sticky issue. We don't know exactly what the consequences, what that language is going to be, but we have been told by White House aides, it's going to be language that is going to be broad enough, that it's acceptable to the other United Nations Security Council members. That it may not say directly that there will be military action, but it will be some sort of punitive action, opening the doors possibly for U.S. troops or international troops to go in to enforce those inspections. But a very good point, it is going to be very vague, hoping that they can really wrap the other allies around this, to get their support behind this resolution.

LIN: All right. Thank you very much, Suzanne Malveaux, live from the White House.

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