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American Morning

Showdown Iraq: View From Baghdad

Aired February 11, 2003 - 08:01   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: Back to our top story this morning. While NATO talks, Iraqi officials are watching and waiting.
We now go to Baghdad where Nic Robertson is following the story from there.

Good morning -- Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

Well they're watching and waiting here as that rift deepens at NATO. In the newspapers here, comments about it saying that this was a slap for Washington, that a veto at NATO would translate or could translate into a veto at the U.N. Security Council. The article going on to say that this was essentially a rejection by Europe and by other countries of President Bush's aggression. That was according to that newspaper article.

Today here is one of Muslim's most important -- Islam's most important feast Id al'Adha. President Saddam Hussein has been on television just in the last few minutes meeting with his top cabinet officials, with his top military commanders, having a quiet word in the ear with his supreme military commander. His message to them -- he delivered a brief message. The message is that after this four-day feast, the hope that things will improve, that the situation will improve.

One of those potential moves for improvement, some peace envoys coming here. One arriving -- one expected later this afternoon. A cardinal, Cardinal Roger Etchegaray being sent by the Pope to Iraq to express the Pope's wish for peace and also to try to see if President Saddam Hussein and Iraqi officials can give that cooperation to the U.N. weapons inspectors that the weapons inspectors need to do their work -- Paula.

ZAHN: Nic Robertson reporting from Baghdad this morning. Thanks so much.

Meanwhile, President Bush says he is disappointed that France, Germany and Belgium blocked a U.S.-led effort to defend Turkey if there is a war against Iraq.

John King joins us now with more from the White House.

Good morning -- John.

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

And that report from Nic Robertson just brings in to full focus what the White House says is one of the disturbing aspects of this rift within NATO. The White House says any divide among the allies will be exploited by Saddam Hussein to try to make the case that the world is not united in standing up against Iraq and its weapons programs.

At the Bush White House they say urgent consultations under way trying to broker a compromise here. You have France, Germany and Belgium essentially saying they feel they're being bullied by the United States into supporting a war, into putting troops in place to support a war that they're not sure should go forward in the first place. The White House says this is a test now of NATO's credibility.

The U.S. ambassador to NATO, Nicholas Burns, saying a compromise absolutely essential if the alliance is to prove its relevance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICHOLAS BURNS, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO NATO: The centerpiece of NATO is the fact that we're all committed to each other's security and that's why we belong to NATO, that's why we have a treaty obligation to defend each other. We know if we get into trouble, any of us, that the other allies will assist us. And so Turkey has asked for out help and we -- and we must not disappoint the Turkish people and the Turkish government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: The White House says it is absolutely critical that NATO send a strong signal to Iraq and to approve that deployment of resources like Patriot missile batteries to Turkey. White House officials also say they view this as a subplot to the much bigger debate, the debate between the Bush administration and key European allies like France and Germany over whether the Security Council should adopt a new resolution authorizing force. So keep an eye on the NATO situation. White House officials say they hope a compromise could be worked out today; but they're also hopeful, of course, a compromise can be worked out at the Security Council. Very difficult diplomacy for the Bush administration this week -- Paula.

ZAHN: Now, John, remind us of the administration's stance on this, they fully believe that the current resolution gives them the right to take military action against Iraq. So what is the risk of going after this second resolution if this ends up being the case with Britain at the end of the week.

KING: Well you certainly don't want to put a resolution before the council and then have it vetoed because that would send a signal to Iraq that the world is divided. The Bush administration would like a resolution that authorizes the use of force. Already, though, there are some conversations in the administration that if it is clear that France and others would not support that, the Bush administration might, after Friday's report from Dr. Blix, simply ask the Security Council to say that Iraq is in material -- that -- in material breach, that Iraq has not fully cooperated, has not fully disclosed and then the Bush administration could say the council now says Iraq is in material breach, prior resolutions say you can use military force. There could be a backup plan that has a second resolution that is silent on the issue of military force. It all depends on how all this diplomacy, urgent consultations in private work out over the next 72 to maybe 100 hours or so.

ZAHN: OK. Thanks so much, John. John King 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 February 11, 2003 - 08:01   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Back to our top story this morning. While NATO talks, Iraqi officials are watching and waiting.
We now go to Baghdad where Nic Robertson is following the story from there.

Good morning -- Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

Well they're watching and waiting here as that rift deepens at NATO. In the newspapers here, comments about it saying that this was a slap for Washington, that a veto at NATO would translate or could translate into a veto at the U.N. Security Council. The article going on to say that this was essentially a rejection by Europe and by other countries of President Bush's aggression. That was according to that newspaper article.

Today here is one of Muslim's most important -- Islam's most important feast Id al'Adha. President Saddam Hussein has been on television just in the last few minutes meeting with his top cabinet officials, with his top military commanders, having a quiet word in the ear with his supreme military commander. His message to them -- he delivered a brief message. The message is that after this four-day feast, the hope that things will improve, that the situation will improve.

One of those potential moves for improvement, some peace envoys coming here. One arriving -- one expected later this afternoon. A cardinal, Cardinal Roger Etchegaray being sent by the Pope to Iraq to express the Pope's wish for peace and also to try to see if President Saddam Hussein and Iraqi officials can give that cooperation to the U.N. weapons inspectors that the weapons inspectors need to do their work -- Paula.

ZAHN: Nic Robertson reporting from Baghdad this morning. Thanks so much.

Meanwhile, President Bush says he is disappointed that France, Germany and Belgium blocked a U.S.-led effort to defend Turkey if there is a war against Iraq.

John King joins us now with more from the White House.

Good morning -- John.

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

And that report from Nic Robertson just brings in to full focus what the White House says is one of the disturbing aspects of this rift within NATO. The White House says any divide among the allies will be exploited by Saddam Hussein to try to make the case that the world is not united in standing up against Iraq and its weapons programs.

At the Bush White House they say urgent consultations under way trying to broker a compromise here. You have France, Germany and Belgium essentially saying they feel they're being bullied by the United States into supporting a war, into putting troops in place to support a war that they're not sure should go forward in the first place. The White House says this is a test now of NATO's credibility.

The U.S. ambassador to NATO, Nicholas Burns, saying a compromise absolutely essential if the alliance is to prove its relevance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICHOLAS BURNS, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO NATO: The centerpiece of NATO is the fact that we're all committed to each other's security and that's why we belong to NATO, that's why we have a treaty obligation to defend each other. We know if we get into trouble, any of us, that the other allies will assist us. And so Turkey has asked for out help and we -- and we must not disappoint the Turkish people and the Turkish government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: The White House says it is absolutely critical that NATO send a strong signal to Iraq and to approve that deployment of resources like Patriot missile batteries to Turkey. White House officials also say they view this as a subplot to the much bigger debate, the debate between the Bush administration and key European allies like France and Germany over whether the Security Council should adopt a new resolution authorizing force. So keep an eye on the NATO situation. White House officials say they hope a compromise could be worked out today; but they're also hopeful, of course, a compromise can be worked out at the Security Council. Very difficult diplomacy for the Bush administration this week -- Paula.

ZAHN: Now, John, remind us of the administration's stance on this, they fully believe that the current resolution gives them the right to take military action against Iraq. So what is the risk of going after this second resolution if this ends up being the case with Britain at the end of the week.

KING: Well you certainly don't want to put a resolution before the council and then have it vetoed because that would send a signal to Iraq that the world is divided. The Bush administration would like a resolution that authorizes the use of force. Already, though, there are some conversations in the administration that if it is clear that France and others would not support that, the Bush administration might, after Friday's report from Dr. Blix, simply ask the Security Council to say that Iraq is in material -- that -- in material breach, that Iraq has not fully cooperated, has not fully disclosed and then the Bush administration could say the council now says Iraq is in material breach, prior resolutions say you can use military force. There could be a backup plan that has a second resolution that is silent on the issue of military force. It all depends on how all this diplomacy, urgent consultations in private work out over the next 72 to maybe 100 hours or so.

ZAHN: OK. Thanks so much, John. John King 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