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American Morning

Security Council Votes on Resolution Today

Aired November 08, 2002 - 07:03   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We want to talk more about Iraq. That is the critical story today, just a few hours right now from a vote at the U.N. Security Council.
A major breakthrough came through yesterday, when the U.S. won agreement on key terms from France. This morning, Russia is hinting that it will, too, sign off on the resolution. And the Bush administration is now confident that the Security Council will OK its plan to go ahead and try to disarm Iraq.

CNN's senior White House correspondent John King tracking that -- the very latest. This was topic "A" yesterday; it is again today.

John -- good morning.

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill.

Administration officials saying they believe only Syria on the Security Council could be a problem, but they do not expect Syria to vote no. The expectation here at the White House is that Syria will abstain, because it did not get some additional concessions it wanted from the United States.

But Russia, France, China, all expected now by the Bush administration to support this tough, new resolution, putting Saddam Hussein on notice that weapons inspectors are on their way back to Baghdad, and that if there is any interference with those inspectors, any defiance of this new U.N. mandate, there will be -- quote -- "serious consequences," make no mistake about it.

Mr. Bush said yesterday that he believes those consequences would be swift military action by the United States and its allies. The administration concedes it had to make some concessions in months of frustrating diplomacy.

Mr. Bush yesterday at a news conference, though, saying he believes he is getting what he wanted most -- the world to stand up to Saddam Hussein.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The resolution is a disarmament resolution. That's what it is. It's a statement of intent to once and for all disarm Saddam Hussein. He's a threat. He's a threat to the country, he's a threat to people in his neighborhood, and he's a real threat. And it's now time for the world to come together and disarm him. And when this resolution passes, we'll be able to say that the United Nations has recognized the threat and now we're going to work together to disarm him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Here at the White House last night, yet another effort by the president to reach out to Muslim Americans and Muslims around the world. Mr. Bush, sensitive to criticism that his tough stand against Iraq, that his ongoing war against terrorism, is somehow in the Arab world sometimes perceived as a war against Islam. Mr. Bush saying in his toast at this dinner last night that he appreciates the support of Muslim nations around the world in the war on terrorism, and he said he wanted to make clear the United Nations is -- quote -- "waging a war on radical terrorist networks, not on a religion and not on a civilization" -- Bill.

HEMMER: Thank you, John -- John King on the Front Lawn at the White House this morning.

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 November 8, 2002 - 07:03   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We want to talk more about Iraq. That is the critical story today, just a few hours right now from a vote at the U.N. Security Council.
A major breakthrough came through yesterday, when the U.S. won agreement on key terms from France. This morning, Russia is hinting that it will, too, sign off on the resolution. And the Bush administration is now confident that the Security Council will OK its plan to go ahead and try to disarm Iraq.

CNN's senior White House correspondent John King tracking that -- the very latest. This was topic "A" yesterday; it is again today.

John -- good morning.

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill.

Administration officials saying they believe only Syria on the Security Council could be a problem, but they do not expect Syria to vote no. The expectation here at the White House is that Syria will abstain, because it did not get some additional concessions it wanted from the United States.

But Russia, France, China, all expected now by the Bush administration to support this tough, new resolution, putting Saddam Hussein on notice that weapons inspectors are on their way back to Baghdad, and that if there is any interference with those inspectors, any defiance of this new U.N. mandate, there will be -- quote -- "serious consequences," make no mistake about it.

Mr. Bush said yesterday that he believes those consequences would be swift military action by the United States and its allies. The administration concedes it had to make some concessions in months of frustrating diplomacy.

Mr. Bush yesterday at a news conference, though, saying he believes he is getting what he wanted most -- the world to stand up to Saddam Hussein.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The resolution is a disarmament resolution. That's what it is. It's a statement of intent to once and for all disarm Saddam Hussein. He's a threat. He's a threat to the country, he's a threat to people in his neighborhood, and he's a real threat. And it's now time for the world to come together and disarm him. And when this resolution passes, we'll be able to say that the United Nations has recognized the threat and now we're going to work together to disarm him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Here at the White House last night, yet another effort by the president to reach out to Muslim Americans and Muslims around the world. Mr. Bush, sensitive to criticism that his tough stand against Iraq, that his ongoing war against terrorism, is somehow in the Arab world sometimes perceived as a war against Islam. Mr. Bush saying in his toast at this dinner last night that he appreciates the support of Muslim nations around the world in the war on terrorism, and he said he wanted to make clear the United Nations is -- quote -- "waging a war on radical terrorist networks, not on a religion and not on a civilization" -- Bill.

HEMMER: Thank you, John -- John King on the Front Lawn at the White House this morning.

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