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CNN Live Saturday
President Bush Aggressively Courting U.N. Support In Iraq This Week
Aired September 27, 2003 - 12:12 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.
JUDY FORTIN, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush plotted diplomatically on Iraq, this week, trying to attract international help while keeping his team in the driver's seat. He spent two days at the U.N. giving a major speech Tuesday and going eyeball to eyeball with world leaders on Wednesday, and he pressured the point -- or pressed the point further with the Russian president today at Camp David.
Let's talk right now, with Nile Gardiner in Washington; he's a Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, and in New York James Paul, executive director at the Global Policy Forum.
Gentlemen, welcome. Let's go back a couple days. And, I'd like to ask you to grade or reassess the U.N. speech. Did the president accomplish what he needed to accomplish?
Nile, we'll start with you.
NILE GARDINER, HERITAGE FOUNDATION: Well, I thought it was a terrific speech, actually. A very powerful defense of the U.S.- British record on Iraq and also at the same time the clarion call for the United Nations to address the emerging dangers posed by rogue regimes, weapons of mass destruction, international terrorist networks. It was a speech which projected, I think, clarity, vision, a clearer sense of direction for a U.N. organization, which has really lost its way. So, I thought -- yes, it was certainly a very effective speech and a clarion call for the U.N. to take action.
FORTIN: James, do you agree?
JAMES PAUL, GLOBAL POLICY FORUM: I certainly don't. The "Washington Post" called it a failed address and I would agree. The president really didn't offer anything new. He had to win over allies and he didn't succeed in that and he basically alienated a lot of the people that he needed to bring on board for a new U.S. policy.
FORTIN: James, what would you have liked to have heard the president say on Tuesday?
PAUL: Well, the president had to come forward with new ideas. Clearly the situation in Iraq is a mess, the international community is unhappy about it, and the president should have done three things. He should have offered a timetable for withdraw of the United States, he should have offered a timetable for the turning over to the Iraqis of sovereign authority, and he should have offered an international oversight of the political process. FORTIN: Nile, do you think that president and U.S. came away with additional support for help in Iraq? Do you think the president accomplished what he set out to do?
GARDINER: Well, I think it was very strong speech, actually, and I think that it placed the United States in a position of real strength in terms of negotiations with, for example, France and Germany, and I think that the negotiations this week with Vladimir Putin of Russia and Gerhard Schroeder of Germany have been very, very successful. This demonstrates, I think, the success of the speech and I think it will reap dividends in terms of bringing on further help in post-war Iraq.
FORTIN: Where does the diplomatic push go now, though? What does the bush administration need to do to win over its critics?
Nile, why don't we talk to you about that?
GARDINER: Well, I think the United States does need to secure increasing levels of European support, I think we will see that although, unfortunately, the European Union, itself, is offering a poultry $230 million euros or dollars for postwar reconstruction. But, I think that the Germans, the Russians in particular, will start to push for a bigger European role working together with the United States in postwar Iraq. At the same time, of course, our traditional U.S. allies, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, will also be spearheading efforts in Europe to increase European participation. But, at the same time the United States must maintain political and military control on the ground for the U.S.-British coalition, that is of paramount importance.
FORTIN: James, with the ongoing violence in Iraq that we're reporting on daily, is that helping or hurting the Bush administration's case with its critics?
PAUL: It's hurting the Bush administration's case. The critics, in fact, have a sense that is what they predicted. And they feel that there needs to be a change of course, a -- quite a radical change of course, in order that the chaos in Iraq be ended. They don't see any way forward with the present U.S. policy, and that's the point.
I think that the other guest is exaggerating and saying that Europeans are coming around to support this thing. I don't see any sign that the Europeans are ready to put troops on the ground, I don't see any signs that the -- from Europe there's going to be any substantial money, and the European governments are very -- that supported the United States like Spain, for example, are very worried that since they acted against the majority of their own population, that they're going to be swept out in upcoming elections like the Spanish election coming up in March.
FORTIN: Well, you mention elections. The U.S. election is now about a year away. Nile, do you expect that this issue is going play big in the United States homeland? How is the Bush administration going to reconcile its lack of help from abroad in Iraq when it comes to convincing voters, here in the U.S. GARDINER: Well, certainly Iraq will be a major issue in the next election, but I would argue that the United States does have broad international support for the U.S.-British administration of Iraq. It's important to remember, of course, that the U.S. and the U.K. liberated the Iraqi people with the support of 45 members of the coalition of the willing, one of the biggest coalitions ever assembled to remove a dictatorship from power. So, it's simply not true to say that the U.S. is isolated. The U.S. is continuing to build broad international base support.
FORTIN: Nile Gardiner with the Heritage Foundation, James Paul with the Global Policy Forum, thank you so much for your time, today. Nice talking with on CNN.
Well, the rest and relaxation homecomings have focused national attention on U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq, but some soldiers will not return to the hugs of family and friends. A tribute now, to some of those killed in Iraq.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
This Week>
Aired September 27, 2003 - 12:12 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY FORTIN, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush plotted diplomatically on Iraq, this week, trying to attract international help while keeping his team in the driver's seat. He spent two days at the U.N. giving a major speech Tuesday and going eyeball to eyeball with world leaders on Wednesday, and he pressured the point -- or pressed the point further with the Russian president today at Camp David.
Let's talk right now, with Nile Gardiner in Washington; he's a Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, and in New York James Paul, executive director at the Global Policy Forum.
Gentlemen, welcome. Let's go back a couple days. And, I'd like to ask you to grade or reassess the U.N. speech. Did the president accomplish what he needed to accomplish?
Nile, we'll start with you.
NILE GARDINER, HERITAGE FOUNDATION: Well, I thought it was a terrific speech, actually. A very powerful defense of the U.S.- British record on Iraq and also at the same time the clarion call for the United Nations to address the emerging dangers posed by rogue regimes, weapons of mass destruction, international terrorist networks. It was a speech which projected, I think, clarity, vision, a clearer sense of direction for a U.N. organization, which has really lost its way. So, I thought -- yes, it was certainly a very effective speech and a clarion call for the U.N. to take action.
FORTIN: James, do you agree?
JAMES PAUL, GLOBAL POLICY FORUM: I certainly don't. The "Washington Post" called it a failed address and I would agree. The president really didn't offer anything new. He had to win over allies and he didn't succeed in that and he basically alienated a lot of the people that he needed to bring on board for a new U.S. policy.
FORTIN: James, what would you have liked to have heard the president say on Tuesday?
PAUL: Well, the president had to come forward with new ideas. Clearly the situation in Iraq is a mess, the international community is unhappy about it, and the president should have done three things. He should have offered a timetable for withdraw of the United States, he should have offered a timetable for the turning over to the Iraqis of sovereign authority, and he should have offered an international oversight of the political process. FORTIN: Nile, do you think that president and U.S. came away with additional support for help in Iraq? Do you think the president accomplished what he set out to do?
GARDINER: Well, I think it was very strong speech, actually, and I think that it placed the United States in a position of real strength in terms of negotiations with, for example, France and Germany, and I think that the negotiations this week with Vladimir Putin of Russia and Gerhard Schroeder of Germany have been very, very successful. This demonstrates, I think, the success of the speech and I think it will reap dividends in terms of bringing on further help in post-war Iraq.
FORTIN: Where does the diplomatic push go now, though? What does the bush administration need to do to win over its critics?
Nile, why don't we talk to you about that?
GARDINER: Well, I think the United States does need to secure increasing levels of European support, I think we will see that although, unfortunately, the European Union, itself, is offering a poultry $230 million euros or dollars for postwar reconstruction. But, I think that the Germans, the Russians in particular, will start to push for a bigger European role working together with the United States in postwar Iraq. At the same time, of course, our traditional U.S. allies, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, will also be spearheading efforts in Europe to increase European participation. But, at the same time the United States must maintain political and military control on the ground for the U.S.-British coalition, that is of paramount importance.
FORTIN: James, with the ongoing violence in Iraq that we're reporting on daily, is that helping or hurting the Bush administration's case with its critics?
PAUL: It's hurting the Bush administration's case. The critics, in fact, have a sense that is what they predicted. And they feel that there needs to be a change of course, a -- quite a radical change of course, in order that the chaos in Iraq be ended. They don't see any way forward with the present U.S. policy, and that's the point.
I think that the other guest is exaggerating and saying that Europeans are coming around to support this thing. I don't see any sign that the Europeans are ready to put troops on the ground, I don't see any signs that the -- from Europe there's going to be any substantial money, and the European governments are very -- that supported the United States like Spain, for example, are very worried that since they acted against the majority of their own population, that they're going to be swept out in upcoming elections like the Spanish election coming up in March.
FORTIN: Well, you mention elections. The U.S. election is now about a year away. Nile, do you expect that this issue is going play big in the United States homeland? How is the Bush administration going to reconcile its lack of help from abroad in Iraq when it comes to convincing voters, here in the U.S. GARDINER: Well, certainly Iraq will be a major issue in the next election, but I would argue that the United States does have broad international support for the U.S.-British administration of Iraq. It's important to remember, of course, that the U.S. and the U.K. liberated the Iraqi people with the support of 45 members of the coalition of the willing, one of the biggest coalitions ever assembled to remove a dictatorship from power. So, it's simply not true to say that the U.S. is isolated. The U.S. is continuing to build broad international base support.
FORTIN: Nile Gardiner with the Heritage Foundation, James Paul with the Global Policy Forum, thank you so much for your time, today. Nice talking with on CNN.
Well, the rest and relaxation homecomings have focused national attention on U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq, but some soldiers will not return to the hugs of family and friends. A tribute now, to some of those killed in Iraq.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
This Week>
