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American Morning

U.S. Urging U.N. to Approve New Resolution

Aired February 25, 2003 - 08:04   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: The U.S. is urging the United Nations to approve a new resolution declaring that Iraq has failed to disarm. And the Bush administration is characterizing the decision not as a choice over war, but as a crucial test of the U.N.'s legitimacy.
John King standing by at the White House with the very latest on that -- good morning, John.

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

And if the White House counted the votes this morning, it would be well short of what it needs to pass that new resolution. The president himself will be very prominent in the lobbying effort. The prime minister of Bulgaria, for example, due here at the White House two hours from now, his vote is counted on. Bulgaria is a member of the Security Council. That is one of the votes the White House is already counting on, along with Great Britain and Spain.

The White House needs to get to nine votes. It also needs to make sure that Russia, China and France do not use their veto power. That will be the challenge in the two weeks ahead before the administration calls for that vote in the Security Council. And look for the president and everyone else on down in this government to pose the question this way, that it is a defining challenge for the Security Council.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to work with the members of the Security Council in the days ahead to make it clear to Saddam that the demands of the world and the United Nations will be enforced. It's an interesting moment for the Security Council and the United Nations. It's a moment to determine for this body, that we hope succeeds, to determine whether or not it is going to be relevant.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Hard ball politics from the administration in selling this new resolution. The president's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, telling reporters yesterday if you read the new resolution, there is nothing in it that anyone on the Council can disagree with. She says it is clear that Saddam Hussein is not cooperating. She says in the end this is a choice -- will members of the Council side with the United States or the Iraqi dictator?

Paula. ZAHN: John King, thanks so much.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Tony Blair has been the staunchest ally of the Bush administration's effort to disarm Iraq. And this morning Mr. Blair was in the hot seat facing members of the British parliament in London.

Let's check in with our chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour, who is there with more -- good morning, Christiane.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

Well, for Prime Minister Blair this really is a defining moment, the issue of the new and the second U.N. Security Council resolution. He has really staked his whole public support and shoulder to shoulder stance with the United States on getting international legitimacy if there should be a resort to military action. Therefore he needs this resolution badly.

As you heard John King just saying, if the vote was put to a vote today, there would be no success for the U.S. and the U.K. position. They are being stiffly challenged by France, Russia and Germany, who are trying to put a much longer timetable on this, right into mid- summer, well into July, for more checkpoints, markers, deadlines and timetables for the Iraqis to give the weapons inspectors more time.

Today at the House of Commons, Tony Blair said absolutely not. It's not an issue of time, it's an issue of will. It's an issue of Saddam Hussein's attitude.

Here's some of what Tony Blair had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: This time Saddam must understand now is the time for him to decide. Passive rather than active cooperation will not do. Cooperation on process but not on substance will not do. Refusal to declare properly and fully what has happened to the unaccounted for WMD will not do. Resolution 1441 called for full unconditional and immediate compliance, not 10 percent, 20 percent, not even 50 percent, but 100 percent compliance. Anything less will not do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR: So, as you're seeing now, live pictures, this House of Commons debate is still continuing. Tony Blair answering questions from leaders of the opposition and back benches of his own party. There are many people in his own party who will vote against when this motion comes for a vote in the House of Commons tomorrow, but overall Tony Blair is likely to win the vote, because most of the opposition parties support him and the majority of his own people and his own M.P.s support him, as well.

As close as he could come to a time line for the U.S.-U.K. position, Mr. Blair said that there would be another vital report by Hans Blix, the weapons inspector, March 7, and then they would try to get a vote somewhere after that, in the not too distant future after that. So people are looking towards mid-March. That's as close as a time line that we have been able to assess over the last couple of days -- Paula.

ZAHN: Christiane Amanpour, thanks so much for the report.

Christiane reporting from London for us 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 25, 2003 - 08:04   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. is urging the United Nations to approve a new resolution declaring that Iraq has failed to disarm. And the Bush administration is characterizing the decision not as a choice over war, but as a crucial test of the U.N.'s legitimacy.
John King standing by at the White House with the very latest on that -- good morning, John.

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

And if the White House counted the votes this morning, it would be well short of what it needs to pass that new resolution. The president himself will be very prominent in the lobbying effort. The prime minister of Bulgaria, for example, due here at the White House two hours from now, his vote is counted on. Bulgaria is a member of the Security Council. That is one of the votes the White House is already counting on, along with Great Britain and Spain.

The White House needs to get to nine votes. It also needs to make sure that Russia, China and France do not use their veto power. That will be the challenge in the two weeks ahead before the administration calls for that vote in the Security Council. And look for the president and everyone else on down in this government to pose the question this way, that it is a defining challenge for the Security Council.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to work with the members of the Security Council in the days ahead to make it clear to Saddam that the demands of the world and the United Nations will be enforced. It's an interesting moment for the Security Council and the United Nations. It's a moment to determine for this body, that we hope succeeds, to determine whether or not it is going to be relevant.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Hard ball politics from the administration in selling this new resolution. The president's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, telling reporters yesterday if you read the new resolution, there is nothing in it that anyone on the Council can disagree with. She says it is clear that Saddam Hussein is not cooperating. She says in the end this is a choice -- will members of the Council side with the United States or the Iraqi dictator?

Paula. ZAHN: John King, thanks so much.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Tony Blair has been the staunchest ally of the Bush administration's effort to disarm Iraq. And this morning Mr. Blair was in the hot seat facing members of the British parliament in London.

Let's check in with our chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour, who is there with more -- good morning, Christiane.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

Well, for Prime Minister Blair this really is a defining moment, the issue of the new and the second U.N. Security Council resolution. He has really staked his whole public support and shoulder to shoulder stance with the United States on getting international legitimacy if there should be a resort to military action. Therefore he needs this resolution badly.

As you heard John King just saying, if the vote was put to a vote today, there would be no success for the U.S. and the U.K. position. They are being stiffly challenged by France, Russia and Germany, who are trying to put a much longer timetable on this, right into mid- summer, well into July, for more checkpoints, markers, deadlines and timetables for the Iraqis to give the weapons inspectors more time.

Today at the House of Commons, Tony Blair said absolutely not. It's not an issue of time, it's an issue of will. It's an issue of Saddam Hussein's attitude.

Here's some of what Tony Blair had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: This time Saddam must understand now is the time for him to decide. Passive rather than active cooperation will not do. Cooperation on process but not on substance will not do. Refusal to declare properly and fully what has happened to the unaccounted for WMD will not do. Resolution 1441 called for full unconditional and immediate compliance, not 10 percent, 20 percent, not even 50 percent, but 100 percent compliance. Anything less will not do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR: So, as you're seeing now, live pictures, this House of Commons debate is still continuing. Tony Blair answering questions from leaders of the opposition and back benches of his own party. There are many people in his own party who will vote against when this motion comes for a vote in the House of Commons tomorrow, but overall Tony Blair is likely to win the vote, because most of the opposition parties support him and the majority of his own people and his own M.P.s support him, as well.

As close as he could come to a time line for the U.S.-U.K. position, Mr. Blair said that there would be another vital report by Hans Blix, the weapons inspector, March 7, and then they would try to get a vote somewhere after that, in the not too distant future after that. So people are looking towards mid-March. That's as close as a time line that we have been able to assess over the last couple of days -- Paula.

ZAHN: Christiane Amanpour, thanks so much for the report.

Christiane reporting from London for us 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