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CNN Live At Daybreak

Bush Looks to Persuade NATO Allies on Missile Defense

Aired June 13, 2001 - 07:05   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.
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR: Mr. Bush also has a big job ahead of him today: selling Washington's reluctant NATO partners on a U.S. missile defense system.

And CNN's Major Garrett joins us now from Brussels, where NATO is headquartered -- Major.

MAJOR GARRETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Colleen, the -- President Bush arrived here at Brussels at NATO headquarters, meeting for the first time with all NATO leaders -- all 19 NATO leaders, exchanging handshakes with the Italian prime minister -- new Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi, Spain's President Aznar, also seeing British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the German chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder.

His mission here in NATO, in part, is to persuade NATO allies that, with the end of the Cold War, NATO needs to come up with a new security arrangement dealing with possible threats, not from Russia, but from rogue states, terrorists states who might lob or threaten to lob a nuclear device at Europe or Russia or the United States. And to fend against that, the president said it's time for all of NATO to think about new threats, new dangers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We must strengthen our alliance, modernize our forces and prepare for new threats. We must expand cooperation with our partners, including Russia and the Ukraine. And we must extend our hands and open our hearts to new members to build security for all of Europe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GARRETT: Now, the president, in those opening remarks the top of a meeting with NATO leaders, tiptoed a bit over the entire idea of a ballistic missile defense system for Europe, for the United States and possibly even for Russia. He was much stronger yesterday in Madrid, Spain, saying that it was time to end NATO's attachment to the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, calling that a relic of the Cold War.

He was a bit more gentle in his comments this morning. U.S. officials say that's because he wants to meet with NATO allies face- to-face, explain to them person-to-person why he believes this is such an important shift that NATO must make -- Colleen. MCEDWARDS: Major, can we turn back to the Middle East, please, just for a moment? CNN's Jerrold Kessel just raised the point that's being -- the question that's being asked out of the Middle East this morning whether or not the U.S. would stay involved in the process now that there seems to have been some agreement on a -- on a blueprint for stopping the violence. What has Mr. Bush had to say about that?

GARRETT: Well, as Jerrold Kessel just reported, President Bush telephoned CIA director George Tenet -- and the fact that the White House released that. And there was a direct quote from the president in his conversation with Mr. Tenet saying -- quote -- "The U.S. is looking for progress and so is the world."

That is a symbolic representation, at least right now, of President Bush's confidence that this blueprint for a cease-fire is a valuable step forward, something that he encourages and wanted -- felt it necessary to congratulate his CIA director on -- and at least a signal, preliminarily, that the U.S. will maintain its involvement at this stage of the Middle East peace process -- Colleen.

MCEDWARDS: All right, understood. CNN's Major Garrett, thanks very much.

Now, President Bush holds a news conference from NATO headquarters. That's in 2 1/2 hours from now, 9:35 Eastern. CNN will bring it to you live.

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