Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

Security Council to Vote on Iraq Resolution as More Carbombs Hit

Aired June 08, 2004 - 13:00   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: Mixed developments out of Iraq as the nation moves closer to sovereignty. Hostage crisis ends for four foreigners, but there are stark reminder that Iraq can still be a violent place. CNN's Harris Whitbeck bring us the developments now from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Officials confirmed that the rescue of four foreign hostages, three Italian and one Pole, by coalition forces. Leiutenant General Ricardo Sanchez who commands the coalition military operation in Iraq, said that the rescue operation occurred south of Baghdad and that it involed combined coalition forces.

The hostages were all released unharmed. The three italians are on their way back to Italy. And the Pole, we understand, is at the Polish embassy here in the Iraqi capital. General Sanchez said the former hostages are in good health and that they are are now in very good hands.

Meanwhile, more violence in Iraq today. Two car bombs. One in the city of Baqubah, about 30 kilometers north of Baghdad. Occurred outside a U.S. military installation, killing two people, one Iraqi civilian, one U.S. soldier, and wounding 16 others. Most of those who were wounded were Iraqi contract workers, civilian contract workers, who were waiting outside the base to report for work.

Meanwhile, in the northern city of Mosul, another car bomb. This outside the city hall there. Coalition officials believe it was targeting a convoy carrying members of the local governing council. Nine people killed there. And 25 wounded.

As the U.N. Security Council meets to discuss the latest resolution on Iraq, Iraq's most important religious leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani publicized a letter he says he sent a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan criticizing the administrative law that will govern the transitional period here.

The administrative law is at the essence of the resolution being discussed at the United Nations. The grand ayatollah says that any law governing Iraq should be put forth by Iraqis themselves.

And a lot of the ayatollah supporters took to the streets, about 5,000, denounced the United Nations and the U.S. and said no to an appointed government, again saying they prefer an Islamic situation, and government by Iraqis.

Harris Whitbeck, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Want to take you quickly now now to the G-8 Summitt in Sea Island, Georgia. Live pictures now of Gerhard Schroeder. As you know, a number of world leaders are coming together and talking about the war in Iraq, among the number of other economic issues there at the summit.

The official economic meeting that of course has a very broad agenda this year. President Bush hoping that leaders will be able to come together and be in support of the U.N. resolution now being discussed in Washington, D.C.

We're going to take you live to the G-8 Summit come up later in the hour.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: That U.N. resolution being considered in New York city expected to pass in the Security Council today after the U.S. and Britain made some more changes. CNN's senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth joining us now with details -- Richard.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: President Bush predicts a unanimous vote here at the Security Council resolution today, a vote likely in four hours or so. The United States and Britain adjusting their resolution proposal in order to win the support of countries such as France, China, Russia and Germany.

This morning the German ambassador was pleased with the adjustments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GUNTER PLEUGER, GERMAN AMBASSODRO TO U.N.: We have made in our consultations yesterday enormous progress on the draft resolution. We welcome that the cosponsors, with the great flexibility, have included a lot of suggestions and improvements into the resolution, not least, I think, the very imaginative and constructive approach of the French/German amendment.

And, therefore, I think that we have come now to a situation where we can vote and we hope of course that the resolution will be adopted by consensus.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: As part of the termology, adjustments, the Iraqis will now have the right to terminate the multinational force presence, though the foreign minister in New York today said that would just create a power vacuum if they did that now.

Other termology adjusted to show there will be cooperation over security between the American commander of the multinational force and the Iraqi authorities. But America will not have a veto threat looming over it, with the Iraqis, regarding military movements. The U.S. made sure that was not included in this draft resolution -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Richard Roth, at the United Nations, thank you very much.

And an American contractor is shot dead in the capital of Saudi Arabia. Embassy officials -- we're going to go to President Bush, who is at Sea Island, Georgia. He has some comments to make about the United Nations resolution we've been telling you about. This is not live. This is a taped replay. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's my honor to welcome my friend and a strong leader, the prime minister of Japan, to Sea Island, Georgia. I've really been looking forward to this lunch, because every time I meet with the prime minister we have a constructive and important dialogue.

The first thing, of course, I will do is congratulate him on the fact that the Japanese economy is improving under his leadership. We will talk about security issues. We'll talk about our mutual desire to fight terror. We will talk about North Korea. We will talk about Iraq. And in doing so, I know I'm talking with a leader I can trust and a leader who's got good, sound judgment.

Mr. Prime Minister?

JUNICHIRO KOIZUMI, PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN (through translator): First of all, I'd like to express my condolences to the passing away of President Reagan.

KOIZUMI (through translator): I'd like to pay respect to his numerous achievements, especially in strengthening the Japan-U.S. bilateral relationships.

Today I was very much looking forward to meeting with President Bush in order to discuss Iraq, North Korea and those issues from a viewpoint of Japan-U.S. alliance in this global context.

KOIZUMI (through translator): As the international community has to cooperate in order to reconstruct Iraq, I would like to pay respect to his strong leadership, President Bush, in leading this international coordination.

And also, on the North Korean issue, President Bush has strongly supported the Japanese policy. And we would like to -- Japan and U.S. would like to coordinate together, consult together on the issue of North Korea in order to come up with the peace in Korean Peninsula.

And even in the difficult and hard conditions, President Bush has shown his strong determination and commitment, and he's a man of determination.

So with President Bush, we would like to maintain our Japan-U.S. cooperation in order to come up with peace and stability in the world.

BUSH: Thank you.

A couple of questions.

QUESTION: Mr. President, originally you had hoped that a U.N. resolution on Iraq would lead to more troops. Now you're on the verge of getting that U.N. resolution, and yet we haven't heard much about more troops. In fact, French, Germany, Russia and Canada have said they won't send troops under these circumstance.

Have you pretty much given up on getting these allies to send troops, or is there still hope that you could persuade them?

BUSH: Well, first I'm delighted that we're about to get a Security Council resolution. There was some who said we'd never get one. And it looks like if things go well, it would be a unanimous vote, thereby saying to the world that members of the Security Council are interested in working together to make sure that Iraq is free and peaceful and democratic.

I think this is a very important moment on making sure that our objective is achieved. These nations understand that a free Iraq will serve as a catalyst for change in the broader Middle East, which is an important part of winning the war on terror. I expect nations to contribute as they see fit.

Of course the key to long-term security in Iraq is for all of us to work together to train Iraqi troops to handle their own security measures. And that's precisely what we are doing on the ground and we will work with other nations to do, as well.

QUESTION: Mr. President, there's a lot of remembrances about Ronald Reagan this week. What lessons did you learn from the presidency of Ronald Reagan? And have you modeled your political style after him at all?

BUSH: Ronald Reagan will go down in history as a great American president, because he had a core set of principles from which he would not deviate. He understood that a leader is a person who sets clear goals and makes decisions based upon principles that are etched in his soul. And our nation will miss him.

And I had the honor of speaking to Mrs. Reagan from Paris, France, and expressed Laura and my condolences to her and her family, and the nation will be doing so as well on Friday.

Thank you. Thank you all.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: President of the United States there, in Sea Island, Georgia, the G-8 Summit, side by side with the prime minister of Japan, talking a number of economic and political issues, and of course healing the rift or butting heads, that's the question, as he meets with a number of world leaders critical of the Iraq war. He's at Sea Island now, for the G-8 Summit. The official economic meeting with a very broad agenda this year.

CNN's Dana Bash is live in Savannah, Georgia with more -- Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

The president is going to meet with a number of leaders who have been critical, who are staunchly opposed to the war in Iraq. As a matter of fat, the prime minister of Japan is one of the few -- actually the only one Mr. Bush meets with today that supported his efforts in Iraq, and actually has a couple thousand troops there, even at the opposition to -- from a lot of people in his own country.

But we heard from the president, the first comments about the fact that it seems there is going to be a U.N. resolution passed unanimously later today on Iraq. Mr. Bush saying some thought it would never happen. He said he was delighted, and that he hopes it is a catalyst for change in the future in the broader Middle East.

Now this was something the White House was really hoping would happen in and around today. They hope that it would help kick off this summit, because the name of the game here for the U.S. in the summit is to try to mend fences with many leaders who did not support the war in Iraq. And Mr. Bush is going to meet with a couple -- three of them, actually, later today. The prime minister of Canada is somebody who's on Mr. Bush's agenda. He personally did not -- was not in office during the war, but his predecessor, Jean Chretien, did oppose the war in Iraq. And Mr. Bush also will be meeting with the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, who also opposed the war, and the chancellor of Germany, Gerhard Schroeder, who is a vehement -- somebody who vehemently opposed the war in Iraq.

Now the other things on the agenda today, Kyra, are talking about what Mr. Bush alluded to, which is a broader Middle East agenda, specifically trying to promote democracy and freedom, social and economic change in the Middle East, and what the White House is hoping is now that they have symbolically the Iraq issue behind them, that they can talk about trying to change reform, the Middle East, and that's a big part of the agenda here at the summit -- Kyra.

KAGAN: Dana Bash, live in Savannah, Georgia, thank you. And it's been pretty peaceful outside the G-8 Summit so far. Protests last night and this morning have drawn crowds numbering from dozens to a couple of hundred. No clashes or arrests have been reported. It's a far cry from thousand of protesters who swarmed similar meetings in the past. Activists have used the G-8 gatherings to march against globalization and U.S. policies abroad. Some activists say that the heavy police and National Guard presence has scared them off this year.

A little later this hour, we're going to talk with Air Force Major General Craig Mckinley. He's going give us the inside story about what it takes to keep the peace at the G-8 Summit.

In California, mourner are lined up by the hundreds to pay their final respects to America's 40th president. Some are waiting 10 hours or more just to file past Ronald Reagan's casket. Our David Mattingly is at Moore Park College, where they're soon heading to the Reagan Presidential Library to join that line -- David.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Reagan family is said to be deeply touched by this outpouring of support that just continues throughout the day today. The public response, clearly exceeding all expectations. As of sunrise today, 40,000 people, some of them waiting in line for more than seven hours throughout the night, have made their way to the presidential library, to pay the final respects to former President Ronald Reagan.

These live pictures now show you a familiar scene, people filing past the flag-draped casket in Simi Valley. The public turnout has been so great that the viewing has been extended for the public another four hours until 10:00 p.m. Pacific Time, giving thousands more the chance to participate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a lot of people that loved him. And I feel really honored, honored, to be here, even 4 1/2 hours later.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to say a little prayer for the president, and acknowledge how much of a nice man he was and how much he's done for our country.

MATTINGLY (on camera): Do you think at anytime during the night that maybe we should just go home?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

MATTINGLY: No? why not?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because it's nice to come here. And to...

MATTINGLY: It's a part of history.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, it's a part of history.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY: But while the hours have been extended, the public has been issued a warning. They're being told if they're not in line here by 3:00 this afternoon, they will not get in. That means, Miles, that the 20,000 or people here are safe, and they will not be going home disappointed.

O'BRIEN: CNN's David Mattingly, thank you very much. President Reagan and his seeming contradictions. He signed the Martin Luther King holiday into law, but also was against affirmative action. We'll talk Reagan and race relations a little later on LIVE FROM.

And location, location, location, prime real estate. The best little brothel in Nevada up for sale.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) O'BRIEN: Attorney General John Ashcroft's appearance on Capitol Hill lead to a heated exchange between the attorney general and Democratic Senator Joseph Biden. Ashcroft testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Terrorism. But matters turned tense when he was asked to respond to reports that President Bush was not bound by a treaty protecting Iraqi prisoners from torture.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTY. GENERAL: First of all, this administration has not ordered or...

SEN. JOE BIDEN (D-DE): I'm not asking that, John. I'm not -- excuse me, all due respect. I just want to know your opinion.

ASHCROFT: I am not going to issue or otherwise discuss hypotheticals. I'll leave that to the academics. This has been something...

BIDEN: Do you think this is justified? It's not hypothetical.

ASHCROFT: That's not a hypothetical, that's a circumstance, and that's the kind of circumstance that when it is referred to the Justice Department, we investigate, and if there is a basis for prosecution, we would prosecute, and we have investigated...

BIDEN: John, you sound like you're in the State Department. Remember the old days when you were here looking for answers? Remember on this side?

ASHCROFT: I have a recollection of that.

BIDEN: Yes. Well, my time's up, I can see.

ASHCROFT: You know, I condemn torture. I think it's...

BIDEN: So it's not justified then?

ASHCROFT: I don't think it's productive, let alone justified.

BIDEN: Well, I don't either. And by the way, there's a reason -- I'll conclude by saying, there's a reason why we sign these treaties, to protect my son in the military. That's why we have these treaties. So when Americans are captured, they are not tortured. That's the reason. In case anybody forgets it, that's the reason.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Ashcroft responded by saying he, too, has a son in the military.

PHILLIPS: On the legal front, testimony resumes today in the Scott Peterson double murder trial. Expected on the stand is Laci Peterson's stepfather, Ron Ginsgi (ph). Yesterday, Laci's mother tearfully testified that Scott Peterson began acting strangely from the moment he reported wife was missing. Laci vanished without a trace Christmas Eve 2002. Her husband, Scott, has pled not guilty to killing her and their unborn son.

In Oklahoma, closing arguments are to begin today in the penalty phase of the Terry Nichols' trial. Nichols was found guilty on state murder charges two weeks ago. The same jury will now decide whether to sentence him to death, life without parole, or life with the possibility of parole. Jurors are expecting to get that case tomorrow.

O'BRIEN: News across America now. Boston commuters get ready to be randomly stopped and searched on subways and trains next month. With the Democratic convention looming, commuters on the T will face random searches. The move prompted by the March train bombings in Madrid, Spain.

The Best Little Whorehouse In Nevada up for sale, a cool 7 million the asking price. That's right. The old chicken ranch there up for sale. Since its purchase in 1928, the owner has transformed the house of ill repute from a couple of double-wide trailers into a 40- acre theme park you wouldn't want to bring your kids to.

And the coolest trophy in sports, in my opinion, Lord Stanley's Cup, now in the hand of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The cinched the NHL championship after Beating the Calgary Flames 2-1. It was a particularly sweet victory for Lightning captain Dave Andrechik (ph). It hook him 1,759 games over 22 seasons to get there. That's a record. The victory proved embarrass embarrassing for "The Tampa Tribune." The newspaper this morning mistakenly ran a "Dewey Defeats Truman" editorial, saying the Lightning lost. It apologized to readers.

PHILLIPS: President Bush and seven world leaders, all in one place. It's an era of terror. It's a tricky security scenario. We're talking to the man in charge of keeping it safe, just ahead on LIVE FROM.

And if you slept in this morning, you missed something that hasn't been seen in more than 100 years. Don't worry, Miles has the scoop coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Well, there was a little black spot on the sun today. And it was the same old thing as 1882. That was last time we witnessed what you're about to see. The boiling hot planetary neighbor we call Venus orbiting past the sun. We call this a transit. No, that's not a smudge on the camera. That, my friends -- well, actually not, there it is, right there. Steady up that camera there, NASA. That is -- better lose the banner, Scott. We're going to lose all these shots. There we go. There's Venus down there, making it's -- it took about six hours, began about 1:00 a.m. Eastern. Thousands of folks all across the planet looked to the sky, hopefully using nice, thick glasses, mylar, whatever you need, welding glass.

Venus, the hottest planet in the solar system, about the size of Earth, a planet where a day is longer than a year. How about that for a mind-bender, Kyra? The sun rises in the West, sets in the East. You'll be all confused if you were there. Take a look at some shots from my friend Andy Chakin (ph), writer of great space books. He was up in Vermont today. And I caught these great images. There's Venus there. Move to the next one, Scott. There's some good ones there. It was kind of cloudy. That's neat, isn't it? He got that with just a little Nikon Coolpix. No fancy camera. There's Venus. One more and we'll press on. We'll then talk to Andy in our 3:00 hour, and ask him for some transit photo tips.

One more shot from him. There, you got it. Great close-up. As you see, this is what they call the black drop, right, Kyra, you knew that?

PHILLIPS: I know all about this because of you, Miles.

O'BRIEN: When it touches right there, it kind gets a drop effect. It kind of elongates that circular planet. Venus is the size of Earth. And if nothing else, watching that event today gives you a sense of our size, vis-a-vis El Sol.

PHILLIPS: Cool stuff? This is your friend Andy who took these pictures?

O'BRIEN: Andy did. Yes, he's a good guy. We're going to talk to him a little later about it.

PHILLIPS: Good deal.

(BUSINESS UPDATE)

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 8, 2004 - 13:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Mixed developments out of Iraq as the nation moves closer to sovereignty. Hostage crisis ends for four foreigners, but there are stark reminder that Iraq can still be a violent place. CNN's Harris Whitbeck bring us the developments now from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Officials confirmed that the rescue of four foreign hostages, three Italian and one Pole, by coalition forces. Leiutenant General Ricardo Sanchez who commands the coalition military operation in Iraq, said that the rescue operation occurred south of Baghdad and that it involed combined coalition forces.

The hostages were all released unharmed. The three italians are on their way back to Italy. And the Pole, we understand, is at the Polish embassy here in the Iraqi capital. General Sanchez said the former hostages are in good health and that they are are now in very good hands.

Meanwhile, more violence in Iraq today. Two car bombs. One in the city of Baqubah, about 30 kilometers north of Baghdad. Occurred outside a U.S. military installation, killing two people, one Iraqi civilian, one U.S. soldier, and wounding 16 others. Most of those who were wounded were Iraqi contract workers, civilian contract workers, who were waiting outside the base to report for work.

Meanwhile, in the northern city of Mosul, another car bomb. This outside the city hall there. Coalition officials believe it was targeting a convoy carrying members of the local governing council. Nine people killed there. And 25 wounded.

As the U.N. Security Council meets to discuss the latest resolution on Iraq, Iraq's most important religious leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani publicized a letter he says he sent a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan criticizing the administrative law that will govern the transitional period here.

The administrative law is at the essence of the resolution being discussed at the United Nations. The grand ayatollah says that any law governing Iraq should be put forth by Iraqis themselves.

And a lot of the ayatollah supporters took to the streets, about 5,000, denounced the United Nations and the U.S. and said no to an appointed government, again saying they prefer an Islamic situation, and government by Iraqis.

Harris Whitbeck, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Want to take you quickly now now to the G-8 Summitt in Sea Island, Georgia. Live pictures now of Gerhard Schroeder. As you know, a number of world leaders are coming together and talking about the war in Iraq, among the number of other economic issues there at the summit.

The official economic meeting that of course has a very broad agenda this year. President Bush hoping that leaders will be able to come together and be in support of the U.N. resolution now being discussed in Washington, D.C.

We're going to take you live to the G-8 Summit come up later in the hour.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: That U.N. resolution being considered in New York city expected to pass in the Security Council today after the U.S. and Britain made some more changes. CNN's senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth joining us now with details -- Richard.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: President Bush predicts a unanimous vote here at the Security Council resolution today, a vote likely in four hours or so. The United States and Britain adjusting their resolution proposal in order to win the support of countries such as France, China, Russia and Germany.

This morning the German ambassador was pleased with the adjustments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GUNTER PLEUGER, GERMAN AMBASSODRO TO U.N.: We have made in our consultations yesterday enormous progress on the draft resolution. We welcome that the cosponsors, with the great flexibility, have included a lot of suggestions and improvements into the resolution, not least, I think, the very imaginative and constructive approach of the French/German amendment.

And, therefore, I think that we have come now to a situation where we can vote and we hope of course that the resolution will be adopted by consensus.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: As part of the termology, adjustments, the Iraqis will now have the right to terminate the multinational force presence, though the foreign minister in New York today said that would just create a power vacuum if they did that now.

Other termology adjusted to show there will be cooperation over security between the American commander of the multinational force and the Iraqi authorities. But America will not have a veto threat looming over it, with the Iraqis, regarding military movements. The U.S. made sure that was not included in this draft resolution -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Richard Roth, at the United Nations, thank you very much.

And an American contractor is shot dead in the capital of Saudi Arabia. Embassy officials -- we're going to go to President Bush, who is at Sea Island, Georgia. He has some comments to make about the United Nations resolution we've been telling you about. This is not live. This is a taped replay. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's my honor to welcome my friend and a strong leader, the prime minister of Japan, to Sea Island, Georgia. I've really been looking forward to this lunch, because every time I meet with the prime minister we have a constructive and important dialogue.

The first thing, of course, I will do is congratulate him on the fact that the Japanese economy is improving under his leadership. We will talk about security issues. We'll talk about our mutual desire to fight terror. We will talk about North Korea. We will talk about Iraq. And in doing so, I know I'm talking with a leader I can trust and a leader who's got good, sound judgment.

Mr. Prime Minister?

JUNICHIRO KOIZUMI, PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN (through translator): First of all, I'd like to express my condolences to the passing away of President Reagan.

KOIZUMI (through translator): I'd like to pay respect to his numerous achievements, especially in strengthening the Japan-U.S. bilateral relationships.

Today I was very much looking forward to meeting with President Bush in order to discuss Iraq, North Korea and those issues from a viewpoint of Japan-U.S. alliance in this global context.

KOIZUMI (through translator): As the international community has to cooperate in order to reconstruct Iraq, I would like to pay respect to his strong leadership, President Bush, in leading this international coordination.

And also, on the North Korean issue, President Bush has strongly supported the Japanese policy. And we would like to -- Japan and U.S. would like to coordinate together, consult together on the issue of North Korea in order to come up with the peace in Korean Peninsula.

And even in the difficult and hard conditions, President Bush has shown his strong determination and commitment, and he's a man of determination.

So with President Bush, we would like to maintain our Japan-U.S. cooperation in order to come up with peace and stability in the world.

BUSH: Thank you.

A couple of questions.

QUESTION: Mr. President, originally you had hoped that a U.N. resolution on Iraq would lead to more troops. Now you're on the verge of getting that U.N. resolution, and yet we haven't heard much about more troops. In fact, French, Germany, Russia and Canada have said they won't send troops under these circumstance.

Have you pretty much given up on getting these allies to send troops, or is there still hope that you could persuade them?

BUSH: Well, first I'm delighted that we're about to get a Security Council resolution. There was some who said we'd never get one. And it looks like if things go well, it would be a unanimous vote, thereby saying to the world that members of the Security Council are interested in working together to make sure that Iraq is free and peaceful and democratic.

I think this is a very important moment on making sure that our objective is achieved. These nations understand that a free Iraq will serve as a catalyst for change in the broader Middle East, which is an important part of winning the war on terror. I expect nations to contribute as they see fit.

Of course the key to long-term security in Iraq is for all of us to work together to train Iraqi troops to handle their own security measures. And that's precisely what we are doing on the ground and we will work with other nations to do, as well.

QUESTION: Mr. President, there's a lot of remembrances about Ronald Reagan this week. What lessons did you learn from the presidency of Ronald Reagan? And have you modeled your political style after him at all?

BUSH: Ronald Reagan will go down in history as a great American president, because he had a core set of principles from which he would not deviate. He understood that a leader is a person who sets clear goals and makes decisions based upon principles that are etched in his soul. And our nation will miss him.

And I had the honor of speaking to Mrs. Reagan from Paris, France, and expressed Laura and my condolences to her and her family, and the nation will be doing so as well on Friday.

Thank you. Thank you all.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: President of the United States there, in Sea Island, Georgia, the G-8 Summit, side by side with the prime minister of Japan, talking a number of economic and political issues, and of course healing the rift or butting heads, that's the question, as he meets with a number of world leaders critical of the Iraq war. He's at Sea Island now, for the G-8 Summit. The official economic meeting with a very broad agenda this year.

CNN's Dana Bash is live in Savannah, Georgia with more -- Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

The president is going to meet with a number of leaders who have been critical, who are staunchly opposed to the war in Iraq. As a matter of fat, the prime minister of Japan is one of the few -- actually the only one Mr. Bush meets with today that supported his efforts in Iraq, and actually has a couple thousand troops there, even at the opposition to -- from a lot of people in his own country.

But we heard from the president, the first comments about the fact that it seems there is going to be a U.N. resolution passed unanimously later today on Iraq. Mr. Bush saying some thought it would never happen. He said he was delighted, and that he hopes it is a catalyst for change in the future in the broader Middle East.

Now this was something the White House was really hoping would happen in and around today. They hope that it would help kick off this summit, because the name of the game here for the U.S. in the summit is to try to mend fences with many leaders who did not support the war in Iraq. And Mr. Bush is going to meet with a couple -- three of them, actually, later today. The prime minister of Canada is somebody who's on Mr. Bush's agenda. He personally did not -- was not in office during the war, but his predecessor, Jean Chretien, did oppose the war in Iraq. And Mr. Bush also will be meeting with the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, who also opposed the war, and the chancellor of Germany, Gerhard Schroeder, who is a vehement -- somebody who vehemently opposed the war in Iraq.

Now the other things on the agenda today, Kyra, are talking about what Mr. Bush alluded to, which is a broader Middle East agenda, specifically trying to promote democracy and freedom, social and economic change in the Middle East, and what the White House is hoping is now that they have symbolically the Iraq issue behind them, that they can talk about trying to change reform, the Middle East, and that's a big part of the agenda here at the summit -- Kyra.

KAGAN: Dana Bash, live in Savannah, Georgia, thank you. And it's been pretty peaceful outside the G-8 Summit so far. Protests last night and this morning have drawn crowds numbering from dozens to a couple of hundred. No clashes or arrests have been reported. It's a far cry from thousand of protesters who swarmed similar meetings in the past. Activists have used the G-8 gatherings to march against globalization and U.S. policies abroad. Some activists say that the heavy police and National Guard presence has scared them off this year.

A little later this hour, we're going to talk with Air Force Major General Craig Mckinley. He's going give us the inside story about what it takes to keep the peace at the G-8 Summit.

In California, mourner are lined up by the hundreds to pay their final respects to America's 40th president. Some are waiting 10 hours or more just to file past Ronald Reagan's casket. Our David Mattingly is at Moore Park College, where they're soon heading to the Reagan Presidential Library to join that line -- David.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Reagan family is said to be deeply touched by this outpouring of support that just continues throughout the day today. The public response, clearly exceeding all expectations. As of sunrise today, 40,000 people, some of them waiting in line for more than seven hours throughout the night, have made their way to the presidential library, to pay the final respects to former President Ronald Reagan.

These live pictures now show you a familiar scene, people filing past the flag-draped casket in Simi Valley. The public turnout has been so great that the viewing has been extended for the public another four hours until 10:00 p.m. Pacific Time, giving thousands more the chance to participate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a lot of people that loved him. And I feel really honored, honored, to be here, even 4 1/2 hours later.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to say a little prayer for the president, and acknowledge how much of a nice man he was and how much he's done for our country.

MATTINGLY (on camera): Do you think at anytime during the night that maybe we should just go home?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

MATTINGLY: No? why not?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because it's nice to come here. And to...

MATTINGLY: It's a part of history.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, it's a part of history.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY: But while the hours have been extended, the public has been issued a warning. They're being told if they're not in line here by 3:00 this afternoon, they will not get in. That means, Miles, that the 20,000 or people here are safe, and they will not be going home disappointed.

O'BRIEN: CNN's David Mattingly, thank you very much. President Reagan and his seeming contradictions. He signed the Martin Luther King holiday into law, but also was against affirmative action. We'll talk Reagan and race relations a little later on LIVE FROM.

And location, location, location, prime real estate. The best little brothel in Nevada up for sale.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) O'BRIEN: Attorney General John Ashcroft's appearance on Capitol Hill lead to a heated exchange between the attorney general and Democratic Senator Joseph Biden. Ashcroft testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Terrorism. But matters turned tense when he was asked to respond to reports that President Bush was not bound by a treaty protecting Iraqi prisoners from torture.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTY. GENERAL: First of all, this administration has not ordered or...

SEN. JOE BIDEN (D-DE): I'm not asking that, John. I'm not -- excuse me, all due respect. I just want to know your opinion.

ASHCROFT: I am not going to issue or otherwise discuss hypotheticals. I'll leave that to the academics. This has been something...

BIDEN: Do you think this is justified? It's not hypothetical.

ASHCROFT: That's not a hypothetical, that's a circumstance, and that's the kind of circumstance that when it is referred to the Justice Department, we investigate, and if there is a basis for prosecution, we would prosecute, and we have investigated...

BIDEN: John, you sound like you're in the State Department. Remember the old days when you were here looking for answers? Remember on this side?

ASHCROFT: I have a recollection of that.

BIDEN: Yes. Well, my time's up, I can see.

ASHCROFT: You know, I condemn torture. I think it's...

BIDEN: So it's not justified then?

ASHCROFT: I don't think it's productive, let alone justified.

BIDEN: Well, I don't either. And by the way, there's a reason -- I'll conclude by saying, there's a reason why we sign these treaties, to protect my son in the military. That's why we have these treaties. So when Americans are captured, they are not tortured. That's the reason. In case anybody forgets it, that's the reason.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Ashcroft responded by saying he, too, has a son in the military.

PHILLIPS: On the legal front, testimony resumes today in the Scott Peterson double murder trial. Expected on the stand is Laci Peterson's stepfather, Ron Ginsgi (ph). Yesterday, Laci's mother tearfully testified that Scott Peterson began acting strangely from the moment he reported wife was missing. Laci vanished without a trace Christmas Eve 2002. Her husband, Scott, has pled not guilty to killing her and their unborn son.

In Oklahoma, closing arguments are to begin today in the penalty phase of the Terry Nichols' trial. Nichols was found guilty on state murder charges two weeks ago. The same jury will now decide whether to sentence him to death, life without parole, or life with the possibility of parole. Jurors are expecting to get that case tomorrow.

O'BRIEN: News across America now. Boston commuters get ready to be randomly stopped and searched on subways and trains next month. With the Democratic convention looming, commuters on the T will face random searches. The move prompted by the March train bombings in Madrid, Spain.

The Best Little Whorehouse In Nevada up for sale, a cool 7 million the asking price. That's right. The old chicken ranch there up for sale. Since its purchase in 1928, the owner has transformed the house of ill repute from a couple of double-wide trailers into a 40- acre theme park you wouldn't want to bring your kids to.

And the coolest trophy in sports, in my opinion, Lord Stanley's Cup, now in the hand of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The cinched the NHL championship after Beating the Calgary Flames 2-1. It was a particularly sweet victory for Lightning captain Dave Andrechik (ph). It hook him 1,759 games over 22 seasons to get there. That's a record. The victory proved embarrass embarrassing for "The Tampa Tribune." The newspaper this morning mistakenly ran a "Dewey Defeats Truman" editorial, saying the Lightning lost. It apologized to readers.

PHILLIPS: President Bush and seven world leaders, all in one place. It's an era of terror. It's a tricky security scenario. We're talking to the man in charge of keeping it safe, just ahead on LIVE FROM.

And if you slept in this morning, you missed something that hasn't been seen in more than 100 years. Don't worry, Miles has the scoop coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Well, there was a little black spot on the sun today. And it was the same old thing as 1882. That was last time we witnessed what you're about to see. The boiling hot planetary neighbor we call Venus orbiting past the sun. We call this a transit. No, that's not a smudge on the camera. That, my friends -- well, actually not, there it is, right there. Steady up that camera there, NASA. That is -- better lose the banner, Scott. We're going to lose all these shots. There we go. There's Venus down there, making it's -- it took about six hours, began about 1:00 a.m. Eastern. Thousands of folks all across the planet looked to the sky, hopefully using nice, thick glasses, mylar, whatever you need, welding glass.

Venus, the hottest planet in the solar system, about the size of Earth, a planet where a day is longer than a year. How about that for a mind-bender, Kyra? The sun rises in the West, sets in the East. You'll be all confused if you were there. Take a look at some shots from my friend Andy Chakin (ph), writer of great space books. He was up in Vermont today. And I caught these great images. There's Venus there. Move to the next one, Scott. There's some good ones there. It was kind of cloudy. That's neat, isn't it? He got that with just a little Nikon Coolpix. No fancy camera. There's Venus. One more and we'll press on. We'll then talk to Andy in our 3:00 hour, and ask him for some transit photo tips.

One more shot from him. There, you got it. Great close-up. As you see, this is what they call the black drop, right, Kyra, you knew that?

PHILLIPS: I know all about this because of you, Miles.

O'BRIEN: When it touches right there, it kind gets a drop effect. It kind of elongates that circular planet. Venus is the size of Earth. And if nothing else, watching that event today gives you a sense of our size, vis-a-vis El Sol.

PHILLIPS: Cool stuff? This is your friend Andy who took these pictures?

O'BRIEN: Andy did. Yes, he's a good guy. We're going to talk to him a little later about it.

PHILLIPS: Good deal.

(BUSINESS UPDATE)

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