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American Morning

Stakes High as Secretary Powell Speaks to United Nations

Aired February 05, 2003 - 09:03   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.


PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: When Secretary of State Powell speaks to the United Nations a little more than an hour, as we all know, the stakes couldn't be much higher.
Let's turn to Richard Roth at the U.N. for more of a preview.

Good morning, Richard.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

Secretary of State Powell with a very dramatic appearance in front of the United Nations Security Council, a 90-minute presentation. Powell is used to giving corporate lectures and speaking, entertaining audiences who have paid tens of thousands of dollars. Here the price of entry is free if you're a foreign minister or member of council. In Powell's presentation, a lot of preparation. Yesterday here in the U.N. hall, he'll be using slides, projectors, to show satellite imagery. The U.S. says Iraq is hiding weapons of mass destruction and is moving items shortly before inspectors arrive on the scene.

Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix is very concerned. He may not have much time to continue his inspections.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANS BLIX, CHIEF WEAPONS INSPECTOR: Ambassador Negroponte says that the diplomatic window is closing. I'm listening to that. I hear others who would like give more time. And I said that I would welcome more time, fine. But don't let's joke. We all know that the situation is very serious. I don't think a decision is final. I don't think that the end is there, that a date has been set on that, I don't think so, not yet. But I think that we are moving closer and closer to it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: A lot of ambassadors are interested in what Powell has to say, but they're also waiting until February 14th, when Hans Blix and Mohammed Elbaradei return for the next briefing. And that session could be critical because, both Blix and Elbaradei go back to Baghdad. If they are unable to resolve open questions, there'll be more of an interest on the other countries to join with the U.S -- Paula.

ZAHN: Final question to you about what Secretary of Powell has to do. Let's talk about France and it's all-important veto vote on the Security Council. Any likelihood that he can move the country of France based on what his president said yesterday?

ROTH: Well, it's hard to say yet, Powell has already written he has no smoking gun that he's going to present. A lot of the evidence could be circumstantial, a lot of the intercepts seem to be open to interpretation.

France seems to be hedging its bets, sending an aircraft carrier into the area while insisting inspectors should be given more time.

ZAHN: We're going to have to leave it there, and, Richard, we will see you at the top of the hour when our special coverage gets under way in a half hour in advance of Secretary of State Powell speaking at 10:30.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: He does not do many interviews, he being Saddam Hussein, but apparently this week, he has. He appeared on television with British antiwar activist Tony Ben (ph) and said, Saddam Hussein said, that he has no weapons of mass destruction.

Back to Baghdad and Nic Robertson for more on what took place in that conversation.

Nic, hello again.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello again, Bill.

That was a former British member of parliament, Tony Ben (ph). He managed to convince Iraqi officials that it was time that President Saddam spoke in a voice and words, language that the international community can understand. We normally hear him in speeches to the Iraqi people.

He did say that Iraq has no weapons of mass destruction, he challenged the international community to provide that evidence. He said that weapons of mass destruction were big items, they weren't like an Aspirin -- if they really existed, it would be easy to find. He said Iraq had no ties to Al Qaeda. He said if Iraqi did have such ties, then they wouldn't be ashamed to talk about it. On the issue of weapons inspectors, he said if the weapons inspections have come here with an agenda, an agenda of trying to get Iraq into a war, then there was no way that the inspectors and Iraqi officials could ever see eye to eye and agree. He also said that Iraqi people were good people, peaceful people. But if Iraq were invaded, they were courageous, and they would defend their country -- Bill.

HEMMER: The timing's rather interesting, knowing that Colin Powell goes today, the words of Saddam Hussein yesterday, is it more than timing there with this interview going public now?

ROBERTSON: Well, the timing is very interesting. Tony Ben (ph) said wrote to the Deputy Prime Minister, Tariq Aziz back here in September, followed it up with another letter when he heard nothing shortly after, and he was called two weeks ago to come here. So the timing very interesting. But that call coming before President Bush said that Colin Powell would make this address today. Perhaps we shouldn't read too much into it. But definitely Iraqi officials know that timing on these issues is everything.

HEMMER: Nic Robertson in Baghdad.

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 February 5, 2003 - 09:03   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: When Secretary of State Powell speaks to the United Nations a little more than an hour, as we all know, the stakes couldn't be much higher.
Let's turn to Richard Roth at the U.N. for more of a preview.

Good morning, Richard.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

Secretary of State Powell with a very dramatic appearance in front of the United Nations Security Council, a 90-minute presentation. Powell is used to giving corporate lectures and speaking, entertaining audiences who have paid tens of thousands of dollars. Here the price of entry is free if you're a foreign minister or member of council. In Powell's presentation, a lot of preparation. Yesterday here in the U.N. hall, he'll be using slides, projectors, to show satellite imagery. The U.S. says Iraq is hiding weapons of mass destruction and is moving items shortly before inspectors arrive on the scene.

Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix is very concerned. He may not have much time to continue his inspections.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANS BLIX, CHIEF WEAPONS INSPECTOR: Ambassador Negroponte says that the diplomatic window is closing. I'm listening to that. I hear others who would like give more time. And I said that I would welcome more time, fine. But don't let's joke. We all know that the situation is very serious. I don't think a decision is final. I don't think that the end is there, that a date has been set on that, I don't think so, not yet. But I think that we are moving closer and closer to it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: A lot of ambassadors are interested in what Powell has to say, but they're also waiting until February 14th, when Hans Blix and Mohammed Elbaradei return for the next briefing. And that session could be critical because, both Blix and Elbaradei go back to Baghdad. If they are unable to resolve open questions, there'll be more of an interest on the other countries to join with the U.S -- Paula.

ZAHN: Final question to you about what Secretary of Powell has to do. Let's talk about France and it's all-important veto vote on the Security Council. Any likelihood that he can move the country of France based on what his president said yesterday?

ROTH: Well, it's hard to say yet, Powell has already written he has no smoking gun that he's going to present. A lot of the evidence could be circumstantial, a lot of the intercepts seem to be open to interpretation.

France seems to be hedging its bets, sending an aircraft carrier into the area while insisting inspectors should be given more time.

ZAHN: We're going to have to leave it there, and, Richard, we will see you at the top of the hour when our special coverage gets under way in a half hour in advance of Secretary of State Powell speaking at 10:30.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: He does not do many interviews, he being Saddam Hussein, but apparently this week, he has. He appeared on television with British antiwar activist Tony Ben (ph) and said, Saddam Hussein said, that he has no weapons of mass destruction.

Back to Baghdad and Nic Robertson for more on what took place in that conversation.

Nic, hello again.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello again, Bill.

That was a former British member of parliament, Tony Ben (ph). He managed to convince Iraqi officials that it was time that President Saddam spoke in a voice and words, language that the international community can understand. We normally hear him in speeches to the Iraqi people.

He did say that Iraq has no weapons of mass destruction, he challenged the international community to provide that evidence. He said that weapons of mass destruction were big items, they weren't like an Aspirin -- if they really existed, it would be easy to find. He said Iraq had no ties to Al Qaeda. He said if Iraqi did have such ties, then they wouldn't be ashamed to talk about it. On the issue of weapons inspectors, he said if the weapons inspections have come here with an agenda, an agenda of trying to get Iraq into a war, then there was no way that the inspectors and Iraqi officials could ever see eye to eye and agree. He also said that Iraqi people were good people, peaceful people. But if Iraq were invaded, they were courageous, and they would defend their country -- Bill.

HEMMER: The timing's rather interesting, knowing that Colin Powell goes today, the words of Saddam Hussein yesterday, is it more than timing there with this interview going public now?

ROBERTSON: Well, the timing is very interesting. Tony Ben (ph) said wrote to the Deputy Prime Minister, Tariq Aziz back here in September, followed it up with another letter when he heard nothing shortly after, and he was called two weeks ago to come here. So the timing very interesting. But that call coming before President Bush said that Colin Powell would make this address today. Perhaps we shouldn't read too much into it. But definitely Iraqi officials know that timing on these issues is everything.

HEMMER: Nic Robertson in Baghdad.

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