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More Countries Set to Join Iraq Reconstruction Effort?

Aired August 28, 2003 - 13:59   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: It's not exactly war, not exactly peace, not a solitary effort, but not a partnership either. It's the aftermath of the war that toppled Saddam. And what it is, is dangerous, expensive and unfinished. And that's where Congress and possibly the U.N. Security Council reenter the picture.
We get the picture now from CNN's John King with President Bush in Texas and Chris Plante at the Pentagon.

John, let's start with you.

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra the administration wants more money from Congress and more help from other countries around the world, hopefully, with the blessing of the United Nations.

First, let's start with more money. CNN is told that the administration, within a matter of a week or so, will be ready to ask Congress for $2.5 billion, maybe as much as $3 billion in emergency spending. Most of that would go to the transitional government and reconstruction efforts in Iraq, as the administration prepares a much bigger supplemental budget for some time later in the fall. Look for that to provoke quite a debate in Congress about where the money is going and the administration's policy inside Iraq.

As for perhaps a multinational force, this is a shift, if you will, within the administration. It is now trying to come up with language at the United Nations for a new Security Council resolution that would create a new multinational force to keep the peace in postwar Iraq. That force would have the blessing of the United Nations. But what the Pentagon is adamant about, we are told, is that a U.S. general would have to remain in charge, none of the U.N. blue helmets.

This is difficult diplomacy for the administration. Many nations say why should they come in to help now, when they were either opposed to the war or not consulted by the administration in the run-up to the war. But the administration is hoping, Kyra, it can bring this about, in part to give the coalition forces more international credibility by bringing in more countries, and, also, in part, because, if you bring in troops from other countries, more additional countries, you could get some of those U.S. troops home a little sooner -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: John King live from Crawford, thank you.

Let's go to Chris Plante at the Pentagon.

Chris, does that mean definitely that troops could come home?

CHRIS PLANTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that would certainly be part of the long-term planning here.

Right now, what is being looked at is the possibility of going to the United Nations and looking to them to provide a multilateral force. The Pentagon has been working for some time, however, it should be noted, outside of the umbrella of the United Nations on putting together a multinational force there. In fact, right now, other than the United States, there are 29 countries that have troops there, including Britain. It has about 12,000 troops.

But there are about 12,000 troops from 28 countries other than the United States and Great Britain. I'm told that the Pentagon is now examining a number of models of past U.N. operations to see whether one of the models that has been used in the past might be effective in the situation in Iraq. So, it was Richard Armitage, actually, on Tuesday, who is the No. 2 man at the State Department, that raised the possibility of going to the United Nations and going through that process to try to create a U.N. umbrella to bring troops into Iraq.

As John said, they would insist on having U.S. leadership in there. But it is one of a number of options that they are looking at. And I'm told, at this point, there's not enough there to hang your hat on -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Chris Plante at the Pentagon, thanks, Chris.

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 August 28, 2003 - 13:59   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: It's not exactly war, not exactly peace, not a solitary effort, but not a partnership either. It's the aftermath of the war that toppled Saddam. And what it is, is dangerous, expensive and unfinished. And that's where Congress and possibly the U.N. Security Council reenter the picture.
We get the picture now from CNN's John King with President Bush in Texas and Chris Plante at the Pentagon.

John, let's start with you.

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra the administration wants more money from Congress and more help from other countries around the world, hopefully, with the blessing of the United Nations.

First, let's start with more money. CNN is told that the administration, within a matter of a week or so, will be ready to ask Congress for $2.5 billion, maybe as much as $3 billion in emergency spending. Most of that would go to the transitional government and reconstruction efforts in Iraq, as the administration prepares a much bigger supplemental budget for some time later in the fall. Look for that to provoke quite a debate in Congress about where the money is going and the administration's policy inside Iraq.

As for perhaps a multinational force, this is a shift, if you will, within the administration. It is now trying to come up with language at the United Nations for a new Security Council resolution that would create a new multinational force to keep the peace in postwar Iraq. That force would have the blessing of the United Nations. But what the Pentagon is adamant about, we are told, is that a U.S. general would have to remain in charge, none of the U.N. blue helmets.

This is difficult diplomacy for the administration. Many nations say why should they come in to help now, when they were either opposed to the war or not consulted by the administration in the run-up to the war. But the administration is hoping, Kyra, it can bring this about, in part to give the coalition forces more international credibility by bringing in more countries, and, also, in part, because, if you bring in troops from other countries, more additional countries, you could get some of those U.S. troops home a little sooner -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: John King live from Crawford, thank you.

Let's go to Chris Plante at the Pentagon.

Chris, does that mean definitely that troops could come home?

CHRIS PLANTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that would certainly be part of the long-term planning here.

Right now, what is being looked at is the possibility of going to the United Nations and looking to them to provide a multilateral force. The Pentagon has been working for some time, however, it should be noted, outside of the umbrella of the United Nations on putting together a multinational force there. In fact, right now, other than the United States, there are 29 countries that have troops there, including Britain. It has about 12,000 troops.

But there are about 12,000 troops from 28 countries other than the United States and Great Britain. I'm told that the Pentagon is now examining a number of models of past U.N. operations to see whether one of the models that has been used in the past might be effective in the situation in Iraq. So, it was Richard Armitage, actually, on Tuesday, who is the No. 2 man at the State Department, that raised the possibility of going to the United Nations and going through that process to try to create a U.N. umbrella to bring troops into Iraq.

As John said, they would insist on having U.S. leadership in there. But it is one of a number of options that they are looking at. And I'm told, at this point, there's not enough there to hang your hat on -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Chris Plante at the Pentagon, thanks, Chris.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com