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CNN Live Saturday
Bush Hosts Australian Prime Minister
Aired May 03, 2003 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR, CNN SATURDAY: Saying it is just a matter of time, President Bush is voicing confidence weapons of mass destruction will be found in Iraq. He says Saddam Hussein has had decades to hide them, so finding them will not be easy.
Mr. Bush is hosting one of the coalition partners at his Texas ranch this weekend. For more we go to CNN's Chris Burns.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's not often when President Bush invites heads of state to his ranch. And this was the first since the Iraq war, to thank one of his allies in the conflict, Australia's John Howard.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The prime minister is a man of courage.
BURNS: Mr. Howard congratulated the president on his leadership. He also pushed for an Israeli/Palestinian peace agreement as a first step.
JOHN HOWARD, PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA: We see progress on this issue as being very important to consolidating what has been achieved in Iraq.
BURNS: Even though Mr. Bush has declared major combat operations over, the White House is dogged by the failure, so far, to find the chief reason for going to war, weapons of mass destruction.
BUSH: Iraq is the size of the state of California, it has tunnels, caves, all kinds of complexes, we'll find them.
BURNS: Hampering that effort U.S. officials say is the reluctance of some former Iraqi officials in the deck of most wanted, to talk.
BUSH: You know we've captured 18 of the 55, I think you said? And we're still looking for Baghdad Bob, I want you to know. Anyway, what are we learning? Well, we're learning that for example Tariq Aziz still doesn't know how to tell the truth.
BURNS: Officials say they've been skeptical about the former Iraqi deputy prime minister's information on what happened to Saddam Hussein. BUSH: It may not be the Aces, Kings, Queens and Jacks that do the talking. It may be those who were doing -- carrying the water for the Aces, Kings, Queens and Jacks.
BURNS: Beyond tracking down Saddam and WMDs, is the wider effort of stabilizing Iraq. A task for which Washington is seeking troops from different countries to allow the U.S. to pull out most of it's forces by fall.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BURNS: In contrast with his hospitality here, for Mr. Howard, President Bush is giving a cold shoulder to one of the most outspoken opponents of the war in Iraq. His planned visit to see Canada's Prime Minister Jean Chretien, Monday, is being replaced with a trip to Arkansas to talk up his tax cut -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right, Chris Burns, thanks very much.
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 May 3, 2003 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR, CNN SATURDAY: Saying it is just a matter of time, President Bush is voicing confidence weapons of mass destruction will be found in Iraq. He says Saddam Hussein has had decades to hide them, so finding them will not be easy.
Mr. Bush is hosting one of the coalition partners at his Texas ranch this weekend. For more we go to CNN's Chris Burns.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's not often when President Bush invites heads of state to his ranch. And this was the first since the Iraq war, to thank one of his allies in the conflict, Australia's John Howard.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The prime minister is a man of courage.
BURNS: Mr. Howard congratulated the president on his leadership. He also pushed for an Israeli/Palestinian peace agreement as a first step.
JOHN HOWARD, PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA: We see progress on this issue as being very important to consolidating what has been achieved in Iraq.
BURNS: Even though Mr. Bush has declared major combat operations over, the White House is dogged by the failure, so far, to find the chief reason for going to war, weapons of mass destruction.
BUSH: Iraq is the size of the state of California, it has tunnels, caves, all kinds of complexes, we'll find them.
BURNS: Hampering that effort U.S. officials say is the reluctance of some former Iraqi officials in the deck of most wanted, to talk.
BUSH: You know we've captured 18 of the 55, I think you said? And we're still looking for Baghdad Bob, I want you to know. Anyway, what are we learning? Well, we're learning that for example Tariq Aziz still doesn't know how to tell the truth.
BURNS: Officials say they've been skeptical about the former Iraqi deputy prime minister's information on what happened to Saddam Hussein. BUSH: It may not be the Aces, Kings, Queens and Jacks that do the talking. It may be those who were doing -- carrying the water for the Aces, Kings, Queens and Jacks.
BURNS: Beyond tracking down Saddam and WMDs, is the wider effort of stabilizing Iraq. A task for which Washington is seeking troops from different countries to allow the U.S. to pull out most of it's forces by fall.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BURNS: In contrast with his hospitality here, for Mr. Howard, President Bush is giving a cold shoulder to one of the most outspoken opponents of the war in Iraq. His planned visit to see Canada's Prime Minister Jean Chretien, Monday, is being replaced with a trip to Arkansas to talk up his tax cut -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right, Chris Burns, thanks very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
