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White House Calls Iraqi Prime Minister's Speech 'Failure'
Aired September 19, 2002 - 14:01 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Now at the White House today, President Bush repeated his vow to make Iraq comply with prior commitments if the U.N. -- quote -- "doesn't deal with the problem." To that end, Mr. Bush sent Congress a draft resolution authorizing all means that he determines to be appropriate in disarming Iraq and toppling Saddam Hussein. CNN's John King is live at the White House with the latest -- John.
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, that request of the Congress for a broad mandate to use military force against Iraq is meant not only as a message to Baghdad, but also to the United Nations. The president still wants a tough resolution out of the United Nations Security Council, Russia and France among those objecting, so Mr. Bush making clear today at the White House that he would seek Congressional approval and that the United States, perhaps with the help of Great Britain, would proceed with military action on their own, if the U.N. Security Council did not meet the administration's challenge.
Now, the White House believes in the past hour or so, its case, perhaps, has been strengthened at the United Nations. Why? A speech to the general assembly by the Iraqi foreign minister, in which he said Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction, no chemical, nuclear, or biological programs and was trying to cooperate with the world community. One senior administration official called that speech -- quote -- "a fairy tale."
Ari Fleischer, the White House press secretary moments ago, a bit more diplomatic but making clear the White House dismissal of that speech.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: In this speech Iraq failed to accept the truth and engaged in additional deceptions and showed no willingness to change attitude, or behavior. Sadly, this speech presented nothing new and was more of the same. It was a disappointing failure in every respect. The speech is an attempt to lure the world down the same dead end road that the world has traveled before.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Now Mr. Bush talked Iraq early this morning, an Oval Office meeting with Vice President Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell, the president again calling on the U.N. Security Council to act, also saying that he would ask the U.S. Congress for broad authority to use force, if he deems it necessary, and Mr. Bush saying and this again, a blunt warning to United Nations, that it is Iraq who has failed to comply with its resolutions to United Nations, and there should be no negotiations at all. . (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATE: There are no negotiations to be held with Iraq. They have nothing to negotiate. They're the people who said that they would not have weapons of mass destruction. The negotiations are over. It is up to U.N. Security Council to lay out resolutions that confirms what Iraq has already agreed to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: U.S. and British diplomats working on a new resolution, a proposal to the Security Council, so as the president pushes for Congress to give him broad powers to act, the administration will also make another run at getting another U.N. Security Council resolution, most likely very early next week -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: John King at the White House, thank you
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 September 19, 2002 - 14:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Now at the White House today, President Bush repeated his vow to make Iraq comply with prior commitments if the U.N. -- quote -- "doesn't deal with the problem." To that end, Mr. Bush sent Congress a draft resolution authorizing all means that he determines to be appropriate in disarming Iraq and toppling Saddam Hussein. CNN's John King is live at the White House with the latest -- John.
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, that request of the Congress for a broad mandate to use military force against Iraq is meant not only as a message to Baghdad, but also to the United Nations. The president still wants a tough resolution out of the United Nations Security Council, Russia and France among those objecting, so Mr. Bush making clear today at the White House that he would seek Congressional approval and that the United States, perhaps with the help of Great Britain, would proceed with military action on their own, if the U.N. Security Council did not meet the administration's challenge.
Now, the White House believes in the past hour or so, its case, perhaps, has been strengthened at the United Nations. Why? A speech to the general assembly by the Iraqi foreign minister, in which he said Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction, no chemical, nuclear, or biological programs and was trying to cooperate with the world community. One senior administration official called that speech -- quote -- "a fairy tale."
Ari Fleischer, the White House press secretary moments ago, a bit more diplomatic but making clear the White House dismissal of that speech.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: In this speech Iraq failed to accept the truth and engaged in additional deceptions and showed no willingness to change attitude, or behavior. Sadly, this speech presented nothing new and was more of the same. It was a disappointing failure in every respect. The speech is an attempt to lure the world down the same dead end road that the world has traveled before.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Now Mr. Bush talked Iraq early this morning, an Oval Office meeting with Vice President Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell, the president again calling on the U.N. Security Council to act, also saying that he would ask the U.S. Congress for broad authority to use force, if he deems it necessary, and Mr. Bush saying and this again, a blunt warning to United Nations, that it is Iraq who has failed to comply with its resolutions to United Nations, and there should be no negotiations at all. . (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATE: There are no negotiations to be held with Iraq. They have nothing to negotiate. They're the people who said that they would not have weapons of mass destruction. The negotiations are over. It is up to U.N. Security Council to lay out resolutions that confirms what Iraq has already agreed to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: U.S. and British diplomats working on a new resolution, a proposal to the Security Council, so as the president pushes for Congress to give him broad powers to act, the administration will also make another run at getting another U.N. Security Council resolution, most likely very early next week -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: John King at the White House, thank you
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
