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U.S. May Call For Vote on New Resolution Despite Veto Threats

Aired March 05, 2003 - 14:28   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.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: All right.
We have been listening for the past 40 minutes or so to Secretary of State Colin Powell at the CSIS, which is the Center for Strategic and International Studies, talking about the situation with Iraq and basically making the case, once again, that the time is now for Iraq to disarm.

I want to go ahead and bring in two CNN correspondents. We have Andrea Koppel standing by at the State Department and David Ensor as well in Washington, D.C. -- our bureau there.

Andrea, let's go ahead and start with you. What do you make of this? Was this more of the same as far as what we have heard in the past?

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Pretty much so, Heidi.

This is yet another example -- Secretary of -- what Secretary Powell and President Bush have done so many times in recent months. That is, laying out what they say is Iraq's long history of deception and deceit and how they believe -- the U.S. believes -- Iraq has no intention of disarming, and also making the case as to why the U.S., Spain and the U.K. have this second resolution that they want the Security Council to support, because they believe that the only way Saddam Hussein can be disarmed at this late date is to, in their eyes, use military force.

But remember, Secretary Powell is speaking to a whole variety of different audiences. He's speaking in some ways to the American public, undecided people out there. He's speaking both to Security Council members and to their constituencies back in their capitals. There is a huge movement against the war in many countries -- many cities and countries and around the world. And he's also speaking to the Arab world, directly, specifically.

You heard him mention President Bush's recent announcement again that he intends he to work towards both an Israeli and a Palestinian state side by side. All of this, Heidi, taking place against the backdrop of what may very well be a vote at the U.N. Security Council.

There is a play for votes right now. The U.S., in recent days, is expressing some degree of confidence that it has the nine votes out of 15 that would be necessary to pass the second resolution. But on the other side of this deeply divided Security Council, you have France, Russia and Germany, just today, standing shoulder-to-shoulder in Paris repeating -- in fact, threatening, both France and Russia, the only two that have the veto of the three -- but threatening to use the veto if the U.S. introduces this resolution.

As things stand right now, the Bush administration has made fairly clear that unless it believes it has those nine votes necessary it is willing to dare those permanent members of the Security Council, China among them, to use that veto. This is an extremely contentious period for the United States and many of its closest allies around the world, Heidi.

COLLINS: Indeed it is. All right, Andrea, 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




Threats>


Aired March 5, 2003 - 14:28   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: All right.
We have been listening for the past 40 minutes or so to Secretary of State Colin Powell at the CSIS, which is the Center for Strategic and International Studies, talking about the situation with Iraq and basically making the case, once again, that the time is now for Iraq to disarm.

I want to go ahead and bring in two CNN correspondents. We have Andrea Koppel standing by at the State Department and David Ensor as well in Washington, D.C. -- our bureau there.

Andrea, let's go ahead and start with you. What do you make of this? Was this more of the same as far as what we have heard in the past?

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Pretty much so, Heidi.

This is yet another example -- Secretary of -- what Secretary Powell and President Bush have done so many times in recent months. That is, laying out what they say is Iraq's long history of deception and deceit and how they believe -- the U.S. believes -- Iraq has no intention of disarming, and also making the case as to why the U.S., Spain and the U.K. have this second resolution that they want the Security Council to support, because they believe that the only way Saddam Hussein can be disarmed at this late date is to, in their eyes, use military force.

But remember, Secretary Powell is speaking to a whole variety of different audiences. He's speaking in some ways to the American public, undecided people out there. He's speaking both to Security Council members and to their constituencies back in their capitals. There is a huge movement against the war in many countries -- many cities and countries and around the world. And he's also speaking to the Arab world, directly, specifically.

You heard him mention President Bush's recent announcement again that he intends he to work towards both an Israeli and a Palestinian state side by side. All of this, Heidi, taking place against the backdrop of what may very well be a vote at the U.N. Security Council.

There is a play for votes right now. The U.S., in recent days, is expressing some degree of confidence that it has the nine votes out of 15 that would be necessary to pass the second resolution. But on the other side of this deeply divided Security Council, you have France, Russia and Germany, just today, standing shoulder-to-shoulder in Paris repeating -- in fact, threatening, both France and Russia, the only two that have the veto of the three -- but threatening to use the veto if the U.S. introduces this resolution.

As things stand right now, the Bush administration has made fairly clear that unless it believes it has those nine votes necessary it is willing to dare those permanent members of the Security Council, China among them, to use that veto. This is an extremely contentious period for the United States and many of its closest allies around the world, Heidi.

COLLINS: Indeed it is. All right, Andrea, 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




Threats>