Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
President Bush Meets with Prime Minister Tony Blair
Aired January 31, 2003 - 08:32 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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Some critical decisions may be made today as President Bush meets with Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair. Mr. Blair, of course, is a key ally in the showdown with Iraq, but will likely urge the president to try and get the U.N.'s approval before taking military action to disarm Baghdad.
Suzanne Malveaux joins us from the White House with details.
Good morning, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
You are absolutely right, it is a critical meeting between the president and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Mr. Blair arrived at Andrews Air Force base last night. He'll be meeting at Camp David this afternoon. Some of those issues, key questions is just how much longer should weapons inspectors be allowed to continue their job, is military action necessary, and if so, when will it start and who will be a part of the U.S.-led coalition?
But perhaps the most important question that they will try to answer this weekend is whether or not there should be a second U.N. Security Council resolution, one that would set a deadline for Saddam Hussein to comply; if he does not, would authorize the use of military force.
The Bush administration really says that perhaps this is a possibility. They're open to it if it meets two conditions. First of all, if, in fact, it allows -- garners more support for the U.S. allies, gaining more support behind the administration's position, and also, if it provides cover, not only for British Prime Minister Blair, but other U.S. allies, namely France to get on board.
Yesterday, President Bush meeting with a number of allies, including Italy's Berlusconi. He said Saddam's regime has weeks, not months, to comply, but he still insisted there is a peaceful way out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a matter of weeks, not months. In other words, for the sake of peace, this issue must be resolved. Hopefully, it can be done peacefully. Hopefully, the pressure of the free world will convince Mr. Saddam Hussein to relinquish power, and should he choose to leave the country, along with a lot of the other henchmen who have tortured the Iraqi people, we would welcome that, of course. (END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: There is no one in the administration that truly believes Saddam Hussein is going to take that option. That's why the administration is not only campaigning for support, but also engaged in war planning -- Paula.
ZAHN: Thanks, Suzanne. Suzanne Malveaux, reporting from 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 January 31, 2003 - 08:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Some critical decisions may be made today as President Bush meets with Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair. Mr. Blair, of course, is a key ally in the showdown with Iraq, but will likely urge the president to try and get the U.N.'s approval before taking military action to disarm Baghdad.
Suzanne Malveaux joins us from the White House with details.
Good morning, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
You are absolutely right, it is a critical meeting between the president and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Mr. Blair arrived at Andrews Air Force base last night. He'll be meeting at Camp David this afternoon. Some of those issues, key questions is just how much longer should weapons inspectors be allowed to continue their job, is military action necessary, and if so, when will it start and who will be a part of the U.S.-led coalition?
But perhaps the most important question that they will try to answer this weekend is whether or not there should be a second U.N. Security Council resolution, one that would set a deadline for Saddam Hussein to comply; if he does not, would authorize the use of military force.
The Bush administration really says that perhaps this is a possibility. They're open to it if it meets two conditions. First of all, if, in fact, it allows -- garners more support for the U.S. allies, gaining more support behind the administration's position, and also, if it provides cover, not only for British Prime Minister Blair, but other U.S. allies, namely France to get on board.
Yesterday, President Bush meeting with a number of allies, including Italy's Berlusconi. He said Saddam's regime has weeks, not months, to comply, but he still insisted there is a peaceful way out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a matter of weeks, not months. In other words, for the sake of peace, this issue must be resolved. Hopefully, it can be done peacefully. Hopefully, the pressure of the free world will convince Mr. Saddam Hussein to relinquish power, and should he choose to leave the country, along with a lot of the other henchmen who have tortured the Iraqi people, we would welcome that, of course. (END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: There is no one in the administration that truly believes Saddam Hussein is going to take that option. That's why the administration is not only campaigning for support, but also engaged in war planning -- Paula.
ZAHN: Thanks, Suzanne. Suzanne Malveaux, reporting from 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
