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CNN Live Saturday

Vote on U.S.-Backed U.N. Resolution Expected Early Next Week

Aired March 08, 2003 - 14:08   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.


RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: U.N. Security Council is heading toward decision day. The vote on the U.S.-backed resolution that sets a March 17 deadline for Iraq to disarm is expected early in the week. For the latest on that, we turn now to CNN's senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth -- Richard.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Renay. It's getting a little exciting around here at the United Nations. It's closed for the weekend, and there are no diplomats running around. The work is being done by telephone in capitals around the world. President Bush telephoning the president of Chile, Chile one of the undecided six countries on the Security Council. The resolution introduced a few weeks ago by the U.S., U.K. and Spain now has been changed so that it has a deadline of March 17. Iraq has to turn over all weapons of mass destruction by then, or else.

Secretary of State Colin Powell shakes hands with the Russian foreign minister, but that's about all they can agree on. Russia has said it does not want to accept the second resolution. Russia, France, Germany, the opponents on the Security Council, China there also, the Chinese foreign minister. They say, why the rush to war? This new deadline is just a pretext for war. The British ambassador, Sir Jeremy Greenstock, notified reporters after last evening's consultations, also was just more of the same disagreement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SR. JEREMY GREENSTOCK, BRITISH AMB. TO U.N.: Nobody is going to give their full position without going back for instructions. Several delegations want to consult with their capitals. The ministers are in the air (ph). What we used the session for was to tease out some of the things that have come out of the inspectors today, including the clusters (ph) document. And so a lot of it was questions for the inspectors. A lot -- some of it was going around the same circles of argument as with our ministers today. So not hugely well used time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: The reports of the weapons inspectors are not really taken with that much weight now by the U.S. Powell and Hans Blix at lunch yesterday. But the U.S. has kind of already made up its mind. It always believes now that the weapons inspectors, whether it's the nuclear inspector Dr. ElBaradei or Dr. Blix in the chemical weapons field, are going to present a balanced report here and there, but they're going to give the benefit of the doubt, they believe, to the Iraqis, because, they say that with just a few more months they may be able to finish their work.

So Washington is giving this firm deadline and they're saying they're doing it also to help Britain. Tony Blair needs some political help at home. A second resolution gives more time. However, Chile believes there is not enough time. And whether there will be another compromise that will placate the French, Russians and Germans -- that will only come true in the next few days, but the U.S. seems intent on forcing a vote even if it means a veto. President Bush saying the cards must be shown in the air by those representatives there at lunch. And Tuesday could be the first day that the U.S. would indeed call for a vote.

Right now diplomats seem to indicate they don't have the votes. They're certainly working hard to round them up -- Renay.

SAN MIGUEL: And I understand also that the opponents of this latest resolution are also working the phones as well, trying to sway the ministers to their side. But while all of these phone bills are being racked up, if you will, this weekend, are we expecting anything Monday from Iraq regarding possible biological or chemical weapons? Some kind of a report to the U.N. there?

ROTH: Well, there's no firm deadline on that. There are inspectors working in Iraq on VX and biological weapons and chemical weapons. And there is no real hype here about that report. In fact, the Blix/ElBaradei presentation on Friday in the Security Council may have been the last report, though ElBaradei today told me he doesn't rule out another trip back to Baghdad. They may decide to turn over a lot more in a desperate bid to avoid a military attack.

SAN MIGUEL: Richard Roth at the U.N., thank you very much for that.

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




Week>


Aired March 8, 2003 - 14:08   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: U.N. Security Council is heading toward decision day. The vote on the U.S.-backed resolution that sets a March 17 deadline for Iraq to disarm is expected early in the week. For the latest on that, we turn now to CNN's senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth -- Richard.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Renay. It's getting a little exciting around here at the United Nations. It's closed for the weekend, and there are no diplomats running around. The work is being done by telephone in capitals around the world. President Bush telephoning the president of Chile, Chile one of the undecided six countries on the Security Council. The resolution introduced a few weeks ago by the U.S., U.K. and Spain now has been changed so that it has a deadline of March 17. Iraq has to turn over all weapons of mass destruction by then, or else.

Secretary of State Colin Powell shakes hands with the Russian foreign minister, but that's about all they can agree on. Russia has said it does not want to accept the second resolution. Russia, France, Germany, the opponents on the Security Council, China there also, the Chinese foreign minister. They say, why the rush to war? This new deadline is just a pretext for war. The British ambassador, Sir Jeremy Greenstock, notified reporters after last evening's consultations, also was just more of the same disagreement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SR. JEREMY GREENSTOCK, BRITISH AMB. TO U.N.: Nobody is going to give their full position without going back for instructions. Several delegations want to consult with their capitals. The ministers are in the air (ph). What we used the session for was to tease out some of the things that have come out of the inspectors today, including the clusters (ph) document. And so a lot of it was questions for the inspectors. A lot -- some of it was going around the same circles of argument as with our ministers today. So not hugely well used time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: The reports of the weapons inspectors are not really taken with that much weight now by the U.S. Powell and Hans Blix at lunch yesterday. But the U.S. has kind of already made up its mind. It always believes now that the weapons inspectors, whether it's the nuclear inspector Dr. ElBaradei or Dr. Blix in the chemical weapons field, are going to present a balanced report here and there, but they're going to give the benefit of the doubt, they believe, to the Iraqis, because, they say that with just a few more months they may be able to finish their work.

So Washington is giving this firm deadline and they're saying they're doing it also to help Britain. Tony Blair needs some political help at home. A second resolution gives more time. However, Chile believes there is not enough time. And whether there will be another compromise that will placate the French, Russians and Germans -- that will only come true in the next few days, but the U.S. seems intent on forcing a vote even if it means a veto. President Bush saying the cards must be shown in the air by those representatives there at lunch. And Tuesday could be the first day that the U.S. would indeed call for a vote.

Right now diplomats seem to indicate they don't have the votes. They're certainly working hard to round them up -- Renay.

SAN MIGUEL: And I understand also that the opponents of this latest resolution are also working the phones as well, trying to sway the ministers to their side. But while all of these phone bills are being racked up, if you will, this weekend, are we expecting anything Monday from Iraq regarding possible biological or chemical weapons? Some kind of a report to the U.N. there?

ROTH: Well, there's no firm deadline on that. There are inspectors working in Iraq on VX and biological weapons and chemical weapons. And there is no real hype here about that report. In fact, the Blix/ElBaradei presentation on Friday in the Security Council may have been the last report, though ElBaradei today told me he doesn't rule out another trip back to Baghdad. They may decide to turn over a lot more in a desperate bid to avoid a military attack.

SAN MIGUEL: Richard Roth at the U.N., thank you very much for that.

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




Week>