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American Morning

New Year Brings Continued High Tensions With Iraq, North Korea

Aired January 01, 2003 - 07:07   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.


LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Iraq, U.N. inspectors there are spending the first days of 2003 conducting more searches.
Meanwhile, President Bush warns against comparing North Korea's weapons program to the threat from Iraq. He says that he's confident that the nuclear stalemate with Pyongyang is not going to lead to military action.

Suzanne Malveaux is standing by at the president's ranch in Crawford, Texas this morning, and Rym Brahimi is in Baghdad.

We're going to start with Suzanne, though.

Happy New Year to you, Suzanne. Let's start off with just why is it that North Korea is considered to be different from Iraq as far as the president stands this morning.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Happy New Year, Leon.

President Bush's New Year's resolution, he said yesterday, was to resolve these conflicts peacefully. It was at a coffee shop in Crawford, where he answered the one question that has been on so many people's minds, why the administration is considering military action with Iraq, which says it has no weapons of mass destruction, but not with North Korea, which does have nuclear weapons and has been making some moves to possibly produce more.

President Bush said that when it comes to North Korea, it's not a military showdown, but a diplomatic one. He still believes that a peaceful resolution through diplomacy and economic pressure, this can be resolved.

And despite calls from Russia and South Korea for dialogue, not isolation, President Bush is confident that he can win the support of North Korea's neighbors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There is strong consensus, not only amongst the nations in the neighborhood and our friends, but also at the international organizations, such as the IAEA, that North Korea ought to comply with international regulations. I believe this can be done peacefully through diplomacy, and we will continue to work that way. All options, of course, are always on the table for any president, but by working with these countries, we can resolve this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Iraq, President Bush having very little confidence that Saddam Hussein will comply. He says that Saddam Hussein was close to producing a nuclear weapon in the '90s. He still believes that he is making those efforts today in defiance of the will of the international community for more than a decade -- Leon.

HARRIS: Thank you, Suzanne. As I said, Happy New Year to you -- be well.

Now, let's go to Rym Brahimi, who is standing by in Baghdad.

Happy New Year to you -- Rym. Let's get the word on how Iraqis there are reacting to these words coming from President Bush, saying that North Korea is different, and therefore, should be treated different than Iraq. What are you hearing there? Do you have an idea there that there's a double standard at work here, or what?

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Happy New Year to you, Leon.

Well, indeed, this has actually been one of the main griefs (ph) of the Iraqis since this whole North Korean crisis, if you will, erupted, not only on the part of Iraqi officials, but it's also been a lot in the sort of media campaign here in Iraq.

The state-run media has denounced over the past few days this double standard, saying that the U.S. is prepared to deal diplomatically with North Korea when it's not prepared to deal diplomatically with Iraq. And all this while, Iraq saying, we don't have any weapons; North Korea does. That's the proof, say a lot of Iraqis actually, that the U.S. is interested not in disarmament, but in getting its hands on the oil in Iraq.

Now, interestingly enough today, Leon, the newspaper run by the president's son, a newspaper called "Babil," actually going a step further after these past few days (UNINTELLIGIBLE), today just calling on Arabs to imitate North Korea, saying that if we want to gain respect as Arabs, it says, from the United States, well, that maybe we should act like North Korea does and not follow what we've been doing, which is allow the inspectors in and complying with the resolution.

Also saying that this will probably prevent what it says is an aggression on the part of the U.S. and the Zionists, and called it actually a "U.S.-Zionist crusade" is the wording in the newspaper.

And interestingly enough, the newspaper run by the ruling Baath Party, Leon -- you might find this interesting -- it shows a cartoon here today. President Bush dressed as Father Christmas, and he's beating the drums of war, and the world is hiding, locked up inside a house -- Leon.

HARRIS: Rym Brahimi reporting live for us on this New Year's Day from Baghdad. Happy New Year, Rym.

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




Korea>


Aired January 1, 2003 - 07:07   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Iraq, U.N. inspectors there are spending the first days of 2003 conducting more searches.
Meanwhile, President Bush warns against comparing North Korea's weapons program to the threat from Iraq. He says that he's confident that the nuclear stalemate with Pyongyang is not going to lead to military action.

Suzanne Malveaux is standing by at the president's ranch in Crawford, Texas this morning, and Rym Brahimi is in Baghdad.

We're going to start with Suzanne, though.

Happy New Year to you, Suzanne. Let's start off with just why is it that North Korea is considered to be different from Iraq as far as the president stands this morning.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Happy New Year, Leon.

President Bush's New Year's resolution, he said yesterday, was to resolve these conflicts peacefully. It was at a coffee shop in Crawford, where he answered the one question that has been on so many people's minds, why the administration is considering military action with Iraq, which says it has no weapons of mass destruction, but not with North Korea, which does have nuclear weapons and has been making some moves to possibly produce more.

President Bush said that when it comes to North Korea, it's not a military showdown, but a diplomatic one. He still believes that a peaceful resolution through diplomacy and economic pressure, this can be resolved.

And despite calls from Russia and South Korea for dialogue, not isolation, President Bush is confident that he can win the support of North Korea's neighbors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There is strong consensus, not only amongst the nations in the neighborhood and our friends, but also at the international organizations, such as the IAEA, that North Korea ought to comply with international regulations. I believe this can be done peacefully through diplomacy, and we will continue to work that way. All options, of course, are always on the table for any president, but by working with these countries, we can resolve this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Iraq, President Bush having very little confidence that Saddam Hussein will comply. He says that Saddam Hussein was close to producing a nuclear weapon in the '90s. He still believes that he is making those efforts today in defiance of the will of the international community for more than a decade -- Leon.

HARRIS: Thank you, Suzanne. As I said, Happy New Year to you -- be well.

Now, let's go to Rym Brahimi, who is standing by in Baghdad.

Happy New Year to you -- Rym. Let's get the word on how Iraqis there are reacting to these words coming from President Bush, saying that North Korea is different, and therefore, should be treated different than Iraq. What are you hearing there? Do you have an idea there that there's a double standard at work here, or what?

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Happy New Year to you, Leon.

Well, indeed, this has actually been one of the main griefs (ph) of the Iraqis since this whole North Korean crisis, if you will, erupted, not only on the part of Iraqi officials, but it's also been a lot in the sort of media campaign here in Iraq.

The state-run media has denounced over the past few days this double standard, saying that the U.S. is prepared to deal diplomatically with North Korea when it's not prepared to deal diplomatically with Iraq. And all this while, Iraq saying, we don't have any weapons; North Korea does. That's the proof, say a lot of Iraqis actually, that the U.S. is interested not in disarmament, but in getting its hands on the oil in Iraq.

Now, interestingly enough today, Leon, the newspaper run by the president's son, a newspaper called "Babil," actually going a step further after these past few days (UNINTELLIGIBLE), today just calling on Arabs to imitate North Korea, saying that if we want to gain respect as Arabs, it says, from the United States, well, that maybe we should act like North Korea does and not follow what we've been doing, which is allow the inspectors in and complying with the resolution.

Also saying that this will probably prevent what it says is an aggression on the part of the U.S. and the Zionists, and called it actually a "U.S.-Zionist crusade" is the wording in the newspaper.

And interestingly enough, the newspaper run by the ruling Baath Party, Leon -- you might find this interesting -- it shows a cartoon here today. President Bush dressed as Father Christmas, and he's beating the drums of war, and the world is hiding, locked up inside a house -- Leon.

HARRIS: Rym Brahimi reporting live for us on this New Year's Day from Baghdad. Happy New Year, Rym.

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




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