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Bush Pleased at Security Council Vote
Aired November 08, 2002 - 14:04 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.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Between the midterm elections and the vote this morning, it has been a red letter week for the White House and above all the president. CNN's John King is there at the White House, and I imagine the president feels pretty good.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Marty, the president thinks he is having a pretty good week. You mentioned the politics, the elections earlier this week; now what the administration is casting as a major diplomatic triumph for the president. Remember all the criticism around the world, many leaders thinking Mr. Bush was running off on his own, unilaterally, into a military contribution with Saddam Hussein. The president coming into the Rose Garden just minutes after that vote in New York earlier today; Secretary of State Powell at his side. Mr. Bush saying the world now stands solidly together in telling Saddam Hussein he must disarm.
Mr. Bush, though, also voiced his skepticism. He said for more than 11 years, Saddam Hussein has been cheating and lying to the world. Still, Mr. Bush said this resolution passed today gives the Iraqi leader one more chance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The resolution approved today presents the Iraqi regime with a test, a final test. Iraq must now, without delay or negotiations, fully disarm, welcome full inspections, and fundamentally change the approach it has taken for more than a decade.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Mr. Bush said he would have no patience for any interference at all by the Iraqi government. He said even what some might consider a minor violation of the agreement would be a major violation to the United States. Mr. Bush also saying the administration will fully cooperate with the inspections teams. We are told by senior administration officials that includes sensitive U.S. intelligence on suspected Iraqi weapons sites, many of them believed to be deep underground near those so-called presidential palaces in Iraq. The U.S. military buildup in the region will continue to send a powerful message as the diplomacy unwinds.
And Marty, we are told unprecedented diplomacy here. More than 150 phone calls from Colin Powell, the secretary of state, over the past seven weeks. One senior administration official saying one of those key calls came just moments before the secretary was to walk his daughter down the aisle last weekend at her wedding.
SAVIDGE: John, I got a question for you before you go. And I get a feeling that there's going to be a rub here between the U.N. and the White House if there is a problem with the weapons inspections. The U.N., I believe, thinks there is going to be more talk about, well, what do we do next. What does the White House see will happen?
KING: That is certainly the potential rub, as you put it, that lies ahead. The administration's position is that it will not launch any military action until the inspectors reported an Iraqi violation back to the Security Council. At that point, the administration will seek a new authorization of force from the Security Council, but the administration's position is that it does not need one. And the administration's position is if it sees that debate dragging on for weeks or longer, that the administration would then say, the resolution said Iraq would be in material breach if it did not comply; it has not complied; we have every right to launch military action. The administration will not wait if this gets bogged down in the United Nations for another vote in the Security Council.
SAVIDGE: Thanks for the clarification. John King at the White House, thank you.
Well, now that the resolution has been passed, the question is, will Saddam Hussein comply? CNN Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf has been gauging reaction from inside Iraq. Good evening to you, Jane. Is there a formal, official reaction?
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: There isn't. Those things take a long time to filter down when a case like this, basically a case of life and death, as it were. But we would expect reaction sometime over the next few days.
Now, this is a really tough one for the Iraqi leadership. They have said that they want the weapons inspectors in, but in the best case, what this resolution does is promise lifting of sanctions; in the worst case, it will lead to war. Now, just hours before the vote, Iraq's trade minister called the resolution a pretext, an international cover for U.S. plans to destroy Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MUHAMMAD MAHDI SALEH, IRAQI TRADE MINISTER: There is no need for any new resolution. Iraq has presented the world of Iraq and the international community by accepting the return of inspectors.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARRAF: Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that Iraq is going to reject it. In fact, it has been sending signals that it probably will accept, but with very strong protest and reservations.
Now, the U.S., the envoy at the U.N. was trying to make clear to people in this region that the United States was not at war with the Arabs, but it is a very different message here. In the mosques on Friday, the first Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, the main sermon, which was televised on Iraqi TV, told Muslims that they should rise up, that, in fact, the United States was the enemy of all of Islam.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHEIKH BAKR ABDUL-RAZZAQ, MOTHER OF ALL BATTLES MOSQUE (through translator): They think that these bombs, planes, missiles and sophisticated technology intimidate us. No, by God, you are really the terrorists, but we terrorize you with the force of God. Who are you to threaten Muhammad whose (ph) mosque there is God? Who are you, Bush, you little dwarf who threatens Muhammad and his sons?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARRAF: Now, we have to make clear, Martin, this isn't the feeling of a lot of Iraqis here, but it's definitely the line that the Iraqi government wants to send out, that this isn't a war against Iraq, if it comes to war, that this is against the Arab world and against Muslims -- Martin.
SAVIDGE: Jane, have the Iraqi people been told of the passage of the U.N. resolution?
ARRAF: They haven't been told by their own media, but certainly they rely on other things. A lot of people here listen to foreign radio, and they're very well informed, because really, for them, it is a matter of life and death, what happens at the U.N. Security Council and everything else regarding Iraq. So a lot of them know and a lot of them have been expecting this.
Now, they're expecting the weapon inspectors to come back. The government has been preparing them for that. It's quite a turnaround for the Iraqi government to say that the inspectors are welcome back in. So it has been laying the groundwork for quite some time.
What it hasn't made completely clear is that it will accept this specific resolution. The people on the ground basically feel it will. They don't, though, think that will be the end of the problems that they're facing -- Martin.
SAVIDGE: Jane Arraf, joining us live from Baghdad. We thank you 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 November 8, 2002 - 14:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Between the midterm elections and the vote this morning, it has been a red letter week for the White House and above all the president. CNN's John King is there at the White House, and I imagine the president feels pretty good.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Marty, the president thinks he is having a pretty good week. You mentioned the politics, the elections earlier this week; now what the administration is casting as a major diplomatic triumph for the president. Remember all the criticism around the world, many leaders thinking Mr. Bush was running off on his own, unilaterally, into a military contribution with Saddam Hussein. The president coming into the Rose Garden just minutes after that vote in New York earlier today; Secretary of State Powell at his side. Mr. Bush saying the world now stands solidly together in telling Saddam Hussein he must disarm.
Mr. Bush, though, also voiced his skepticism. He said for more than 11 years, Saddam Hussein has been cheating and lying to the world. Still, Mr. Bush said this resolution passed today gives the Iraqi leader one more chance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The resolution approved today presents the Iraqi regime with a test, a final test. Iraq must now, without delay or negotiations, fully disarm, welcome full inspections, and fundamentally change the approach it has taken for more than a decade.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Mr. Bush said he would have no patience for any interference at all by the Iraqi government. He said even what some might consider a minor violation of the agreement would be a major violation to the United States. Mr. Bush also saying the administration will fully cooperate with the inspections teams. We are told by senior administration officials that includes sensitive U.S. intelligence on suspected Iraqi weapons sites, many of them believed to be deep underground near those so-called presidential palaces in Iraq. The U.S. military buildup in the region will continue to send a powerful message as the diplomacy unwinds.
And Marty, we are told unprecedented diplomacy here. More than 150 phone calls from Colin Powell, the secretary of state, over the past seven weeks. One senior administration official saying one of those key calls came just moments before the secretary was to walk his daughter down the aisle last weekend at her wedding.
SAVIDGE: John, I got a question for you before you go. And I get a feeling that there's going to be a rub here between the U.N. and the White House if there is a problem with the weapons inspections. The U.N., I believe, thinks there is going to be more talk about, well, what do we do next. What does the White House see will happen?
KING: That is certainly the potential rub, as you put it, that lies ahead. The administration's position is that it will not launch any military action until the inspectors reported an Iraqi violation back to the Security Council. At that point, the administration will seek a new authorization of force from the Security Council, but the administration's position is that it does not need one. And the administration's position is if it sees that debate dragging on for weeks or longer, that the administration would then say, the resolution said Iraq would be in material breach if it did not comply; it has not complied; we have every right to launch military action. The administration will not wait if this gets bogged down in the United Nations for another vote in the Security Council.
SAVIDGE: Thanks for the clarification. John King at the White House, thank you.
Well, now that the resolution has been passed, the question is, will Saddam Hussein comply? CNN Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf has been gauging reaction from inside Iraq. Good evening to you, Jane. Is there a formal, official reaction?
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: There isn't. Those things take a long time to filter down when a case like this, basically a case of life and death, as it were. But we would expect reaction sometime over the next few days.
Now, this is a really tough one for the Iraqi leadership. They have said that they want the weapons inspectors in, but in the best case, what this resolution does is promise lifting of sanctions; in the worst case, it will lead to war. Now, just hours before the vote, Iraq's trade minister called the resolution a pretext, an international cover for U.S. plans to destroy Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MUHAMMAD MAHDI SALEH, IRAQI TRADE MINISTER: There is no need for any new resolution. Iraq has presented the world of Iraq and the international community by accepting the return of inspectors.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARRAF: Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that Iraq is going to reject it. In fact, it has been sending signals that it probably will accept, but with very strong protest and reservations.
Now, the U.S., the envoy at the U.N. was trying to make clear to people in this region that the United States was not at war with the Arabs, but it is a very different message here. In the mosques on Friday, the first Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, the main sermon, which was televised on Iraqi TV, told Muslims that they should rise up, that, in fact, the United States was the enemy of all of Islam.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHEIKH BAKR ABDUL-RAZZAQ, MOTHER OF ALL BATTLES MOSQUE (through translator): They think that these bombs, planes, missiles and sophisticated technology intimidate us. No, by God, you are really the terrorists, but we terrorize you with the force of God. Who are you to threaten Muhammad whose (ph) mosque there is God? Who are you, Bush, you little dwarf who threatens Muhammad and his sons?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARRAF: Now, we have to make clear, Martin, this isn't the feeling of a lot of Iraqis here, but it's definitely the line that the Iraqi government wants to send out, that this isn't a war against Iraq, if it comes to war, that this is against the Arab world and against Muslims -- Martin.
SAVIDGE: Jane, have the Iraqi people been told of the passage of the U.N. resolution?
ARRAF: They haven't been told by their own media, but certainly they rely on other things. A lot of people here listen to foreign radio, and they're very well informed, because really, for them, it is a matter of life and death, what happens at the U.N. Security Council and everything else regarding Iraq. So a lot of them know and a lot of them have been expecting this.
Now, they're expecting the weapon inspectors to come back. The government has been preparing them for that. It's quite a turnaround for the Iraqi government to say that the inspectors are welcome back in. So it has been laying the groundwork for quite some time.
What it hasn't made completely clear is that it will accept this specific resolution. The people on the ground basically feel it will. They don't, though, think that will be the end of the problems that they're facing -- Martin.
SAVIDGE: Jane Arraf, joining us live from Baghdad. We thank you 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
