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Port Protection
Aired June 12, 2003 - 13:26 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: Moving on now, protecting nation's ports. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge expected to announce a new plan to help guard America's seaports. Ridge is scheduled to outline details of that plan about 20 minutes from now. Earlier, he spoke with CNN homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve, who was with the secretary onboard a plane bound for Port Elizabeth, New Jersey, and she joins us now live.
Hello to you, Jeanne.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi.
You know, millions of containers come into the United States every year, and a weapon of mass destruction could be hidden on any one of them. Critics have said that the administration has not spent enough time and resources addressing this problem.
So Secretary Ridge here today to Port Elizabeth, New Jersey today to try and counter that criticism. He took a tour this morning, looking at some of the latest technology that the Customs Service employs to try to find contraband. He'll be giving a speech here, in which he will announce that all of the money that Congress has appropriated for port security will indeed be spent on port security. He'll announce the dispersal of about $200 million in grants today.
He is also going to talk about the Container Security Initiative. Under this initiative, U.S. Customs inspectors are placed at foreign ports. And there, they inspect cargo that is bound for the U.S. before it is put on ships. The idea is this pushes the borders of the U.S. outward.
Now, Secretary Ridge told me that 19 of the top 20 ports have signed up for this initiative. The emphasis now will be going for smaller ports, some of them strategic ports, in the Arab world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY SECY.: I think it's very important for us to think not only in terms of tonnage and volume in shipping, but strategically, where terrorists might be more inclined because of access to either put terrorists or terrorist weapons in some of these container ships.
So, again, volume and tonnage, but now, we're also looking more strategically, as where terrorists might have access to ports.
(END VIDEO CLIP) MESERVE: Most experts applaud the container security initiative as a good step, but they say it has problems. For one thing, the U.S. is reliant on foreign governments who may not be as trustworthy and reliable as we would like. Also, there's a possibility that documents about the cargo could be falsified. Third, they ask whether the government, again, is going to put the resources and personnel into the people and technology that's needed to make this successful. It's not fail-safe, but they say a good first step to try to ensure that those tens of thousands of containers that come into the ports like this every day are safe.
Heidi, back to you.
COLLINS: All right, Jeanne Meserve, like for us today from Port Elizabeth, New Jersey. Thanks so much, Jeanne.
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 June 12, 2003 - 13:26 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Moving on now, protecting nation's ports. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge expected to announce a new plan to help guard America's seaports. Ridge is scheduled to outline details of that plan about 20 minutes from now. Earlier, he spoke with CNN homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve, who was with the secretary onboard a plane bound for Port Elizabeth, New Jersey, and she joins us now live.
Hello to you, Jeanne.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi.
You know, millions of containers come into the United States every year, and a weapon of mass destruction could be hidden on any one of them. Critics have said that the administration has not spent enough time and resources addressing this problem.
So Secretary Ridge here today to Port Elizabeth, New Jersey today to try and counter that criticism. He took a tour this morning, looking at some of the latest technology that the Customs Service employs to try to find contraband. He'll be giving a speech here, in which he will announce that all of the money that Congress has appropriated for port security will indeed be spent on port security. He'll announce the dispersal of about $200 million in grants today.
He is also going to talk about the Container Security Initiative. Under this initiative, U.S. Customs inspectors are placed at foreign ports. And there, they inspect cargo that is bound for the U.S. before it is put on ships. The idea is this pushes the borders of the U.S. outward.
Now, Secretary Ridge told me that 19 of the top 20 ports have signed up for this initiative. The emphasis now will be going for smaller ports, some of them strategic ports, in the Arab world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY SECY.: I think it's very important for us to think not only in terms of tonnage and volume in shipping, but strategically, where terrorists might be more inclined because of access to either put terrorists or terrorist weapons in some of these container ships.
So, again, volume and tonnage, but now, we're also looking more strategically, as where terrorists might have access to ports.
(END VIDEO CLIP) MESERVE: Most experts applaud the container security initiative as a good step, but they say it has problems. For one thing, the U.S. is reliant on foreign governments who may not be as trustworthy and reliable as we would like. Also, there's a possibility that documents about the cargo could be falsified. Third, they ask whether the government, again, is going to put the resources and personnel into the people and technology that's needed to make this successful. It's not fail-safe, but they say a good first step to try to ensure that those tens of thousands of containers that come into the ports like this every day are safe.
Heidi, back to you.
COLLINS: All right, Jeanne Meserve, like for us today from Port Elizabeth, New Jersey. Thanks so much, Jeanne.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
