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CNN Live At Daybreak

Powell Faces Tough Questions From International Youth

Aired February 15, 2002 - 06:07   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.
CAROL COSTELLO: Well the Bush administration is trying to ensure the world that America is not trigger happy and ready to overthrow the government of Iraq. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice says President Bush will deal with Saddam Hussein in a prudent manner.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We are not in a position where the president is trying to make an imminent decision about how to deal with Iraq. He has made very clear that the world has a problem with Iraq and that the status quo is not acceptable, but we are pursuing a range of policy options including, for instance, trying to change the nature of the sanctions with Iraq, but there's no doubt this is a very dangerous regime, and the president is going to reserve his options.

COSTELLO: And President Bush, as you know, made some world leaders nervous when he called Iraq, Iran, and North Korea an "axis of evil" during his State of the Union speech.

Secretary of State Colin Powell takes his case to a tough global audience of MTV viewers. Our State Department correspondent, Andrea Koppel has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) from Moscow.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

AMANDA KIBEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For more than an hour, the MTV generation in seven capitals around the world got their chance to grill the U.S. secretary of state. They were not shy, and their questions ranging from Kashmir to the war on terrorism were not easy. This Afghan teen, now in New Delhi, said his mother was killed by the Taliban.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why before the September attack, the American government didn't pay attention towards Afghanistan?

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We were slow getting off the mark, recognizing the nature of that regime. That regime is now gone, and there is now a new hope in Afghanistan for better future for all the people of Afghanistan.

KOPPEL: This young woman in London pulled no punches. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How do you feel about representing a country commonly perceived as the Satan of contemporary politics?

POWELL: Well I reject the characterization, quite the contrary.

KOPPEL: If you're wondering why a man used to hobnobbing with world leaders decided to hang out with Gen-X (ph), the answer is in the numbers. MTV is seen in 164 countries.

POWELL: The United States has to do a better job of presenting our case of who we are, what we are, what our value system is to the Islamic world and to nations around the world.

KOPPEL: Even for MTV, which prides itself on cutting-edge programming, this global forum was a first. And the reason why...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's always important that young people have a dialogue with their leaders, but after September 11, it became even more so.

POWELL: That is a vision I have.

KOPPEL: So how did he do?

MASSOUDA FAFIQU, PALESTINIAN AMERICAN: I don't think like the people that were from different countries would really understand what he's saying. And some of the words that he was saying was kind of, you know, high, so, I didn't understand that much.

KOPPEL: Then again these kids are used to the fast-paced world of MTV where lyrics in songs are sometimes tough to catch. The challenge is always getting them to want to listen.

Andrea Koppel, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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