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American Morning

President Bush Proposes Missile Defense System to NATO Allies

Aired June 13, 2001 - 09:09   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: Well, President Bush is promoting his plans for a missile defense system to NATO allies. Mr. Bush is in Brussels today, the latest stop on his five nation European tour.

CNN White House correspondent Major Garrett joins us now from Brussels with the latest.

Hi, Major.

MAJOR GARRETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Kyra.

You know the White House has done its level best not to oversell the results of this first meeting by Mr. Bush and NATO allies on the issue of missile defense, saying they didn't expect a NATO decision embracing all of what Mr. Bush has laid on the table about creating potentially, at some point down in the future, a system whereby Europe and even Russia could defend itself against the threatened launch of a nuclear-tipped missile or a missile tip with biological or chemical weapons. Mostly, they wanted to consult with NATO allies and that was done here.

The president posed with a - all of the other 18 member nations in a group photo - a tradition here whenever the NATO nations gather for any of its regular meetings.

And the NATO General-Secretary George Robertson said that in the meetings with Mr. Bush, the allies agree to give him an open mind on the question of missile defense.

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GEORGE ROBERTSON, NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL: What the president asked for and what the president got was an open mind by the other allied countries to look at the risks and amounting threats that exist against NATO countries today, to deepen continued consultations about American thinking on the matter and to listen carefully to the thoughts that are expressed by the other allies in the alliance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GARRETT: Now that doesn't mean that the European allies -- the NATO allies are any closer to fully embracing Mr. Bush's ideas on missile defense, but they have been very praiseworthy of the president for consulting them, in this instance, face-to-face but also at the defense minister level and with - through the Secretary of State Colin Powell. But that does not overlook or in any way obscure protests here in Brussels and for that matter, throughout Europe, about this concept of a missile defense system. In part because it would require European nations to abandon the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty which has been at the center of European thinking about arms control since it was signed in 1972.

But again, the White House didn't expect a full embrace here from NATO allies, just a full hearing. They believe the president not only received that today but will receive it in the days to come - Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Major Garrett, live from Brussels, thanks so much.

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