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American Morning
U.N. Vote Could Come as Early as Tuesday
Aired March 10, 2003 - 07:03 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: Back to our top story this morning, the U.S. push for votes at the U.N. where a vote on a second Iraq resolution could come as early as tomorrow. We have reports now from Suzanne Malveaux at the White House, Richard Roth at the United Nations.
Let's get started with Suzanne this morning.
Good morning -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
Well, senior aides are telling us the president is going to get personally involved. He is going to be on the phone making calls to key U.N. Security Council members. We'll get more details later on who he actually calls, but the president has cleared his schedule for the next three days to move this forward.
And the administration essentially is making three points in its case. First of all that it is U.N. credibility that's on the line. The administration can move with or without the support of the United Nations Security Council, but now is the time to act.
Second, they're using the case of morality, saying that the U.N. Security Council missed out, it did not act in the case of Rwanda and Kosovo, that hundreds of thousands were killed, that there is a chance now to make a difference.
And finally, there is also recognition of mutual interests here, that the U.S. can offer aid, trade opportunities, that this is something that the U.S. could look favorably upon the economic interests of those who support this resolution.
Now, Paula, it was over the weekend that the president's top advisors, including national security advisor Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State Colin Powell took to the airways to the talk shows to make their case. Secretary Powell saying that he believes they're within striking distance of getting those nine votes out of 15 necessary to pass this resolution, but he also acknowledged that France may veto this. But despite that, he says the administration is determined to move forward.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: If we don't get the vote, the president then will have to make a judgment as to whether or not we're prepared now to lead a coalition of the willing to disarm Saddam Hussein, to change the regime, because that seems to be the only way to get him to disarm. And I would not prejudge what the president might do, but I think the president has spoken rather clearly on this point for many, many months.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: And this weekend, Paula, they also dismissed the possibility of extending that March 17 deadline, saying that this is the absolute last chance for Saddam Hussein to comply -- Paula.
ZAHN: If that scenario comes to play, where the U.S. is able to get nine votes from the Security Council but a veto comes from one of those other countries you talked about, would the administration try to view that as a victory?
MALVEAUX: Well, you make a very good point, because what the administration sees is that if they can get that majority, if they can get those nine votes, they'll see this as really as a moral victory, that they have the majority of the world community behind them despite the fact that France went against them, really trying to portray this as France being the odd man out here. Of course, they would like the support of the total U.N. Security Council. They realize they may not actually get that, but they're going to move forward either way.
ZAHN: Suzanne Malveaux, thanks so much.
Back to Richard Roth now at the U.N.
Good morning -- Richard.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
Of course, in 1999, it was the Clinton administration that withdrew a resolution on Kosovo military action facing a Russian veto, and then Washington went ahead anyway. Now, the United States has a similar dilemma, but it intends at the moment to keep going forward right now despite any type of veto threat from France.
Let's take a look at the scoreboard on a Monday morning on how the council votes may loom and if things haven't changed, at least publicly. For this resolution even with the amended language with the March 17 deadline: The U.S., Britain, Spain and Bulgaria. Opposed: France -- the French foreign minister has flown, looking for votes, to Africa this week -- China, Germany, Syria and Russia. Not committed, the swinging six: Angola, Cameroon, Chile, Guinea, Pakistan, and the U.S. neighbor to the south, Mexico.
Consultations on the Iraq issue will resume today at 4:00 Eastern Time. It is there that the U.S. could announce that it would like the vote as early as Tuesday, though some believe that may slip a little bit. Britain would be interested in giving more time to other countries to consider the resolution and allow more time for a "yes" vote. But the U.S. seems more determined to press for action as soon as possible -- Paula. ZAHN: So, Richard, if that date slips, what do you think is the maximum time out you're looking at for a vote?
ROTH: Well, it could be later in the week, but of course, that would give Iraq very little time. And if Iraq really wants to defend itself, it would naturally want to hold on to any weapons of mass destruction. So, we'll have to see what happens.
ZAHN: Richard Roth, thanks so much. Suzanne Malveaux, thank you as well.
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 March 10, 2003 - 07:03 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, the U.S. push for votes at the U.N. where a vote on a second Iraq resolution could come as early as tomorrow. We have reports now from Suzanne Malveaux at the White House, Richard Roth at the United Nations.
Let's get started with Suzanne this morning.
Good morning -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
Well, senior aides are telling us the president is going to get personally involved. He is going to be on the phone making calls to key U.N. Security Council members. We'll get more details later on who he actually calls, but the president has cleared his schedule for the next three days to move this forward.
And the administration essentially is making three points in its case. First of all that it is U.N. credibility that's on the line. The administration can move with or without the support of the United Nations Security Council, but now is the time to act.
Second, they're using the case of morality, saying that the U.N. Security Council missed out, it did not act in the case of Rwanda and Kosovo, that hundreds of thousands were killed, that there is a chance now to make a difference.
And finally, there is also recognition of mutual interests here, that the U.S. can offer aid, trade opportunities, that this is something that the U.S. could look favorably upon the economic interests of those who support this resolution.
Now, Paula, it was over the weekend that the president's top advisors, including national security advisor Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State Colin Powell took to the airways to the talk shows to make their case. Secretary Powell saying that he believes they're within striking distance of getting those nine votes out of 15 necessary to pass this resolution, but he also acknowledged that France may veto this. But despite that, he says the administration is determined to move forward.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: If we don't get the vote, the president then will have to make a judgment as to whether or not we're prepared now to lead a coalition of the willing to disarm Saddam Hussein, to change the regime, because that seems to be the only way to get him to disarm. And I would not prejudge what the president might do, but I think the president has spoken rather clearly on this point for many, many months.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: And this weekend, Paula, they also dismissed the possibility of extending that March 17 deadline, saying that this is the absolute last chance for Saddam Hussein to comply -- Paula.
ZAHN: If that scenario comes to play, where the U.S. is able to get nine votes from the Security Council but a veto comes from one of those other countries you talked about, would the administration try to view that as a victory?
MALVEAUX: Well, you make a very good point, because what the administration sees is that if they can get that majority, if they can get those nine votes, they'll see this as really as a moral victory, that they have the majority of the world community behind them despite the fact that France went against them, really trying to portray this as France being the odd man out here. Of course, they would like the support of the total U.N. Security Council. They realize they may not actually get that, but they're going to move forward either way.
ZAHN: Suzanne Malveaux, thanks so much.
Back to Richard Roth now at the U.N.
Good morning -- Richard.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
Of course, in 1999, it was the Clinton administration that withdrew a resolution on Kosovo military action facing a Russian veto, and then Washington went ahead anyway. Now, the United States has a similar dilemma, but it intends at the moment to keep going forward right now despite any type of veto threat from France.
Let's take a look at the scoreboard on a Monday morning on how the council votes may loom and if things haven't changed, at least publicly. For this resolution even with the amended language with the March 17 deadline: The U.S., Britain, Spain and Bulgaria. Opposed: France -- the French foreign minister has flown, looking for votes, to Africa this week -- China, Germany, Syria and Russia. Not committed, the swinging six: Angola, Cameroon, Chile, Guinea, Pakistan, and the U.S. neighbor to the south, Mexico.
Consultations on the Iraq issue will resume today at 4:00 Eastern Time. It is there that the U.S. could announce that it would like the vote as early as Tuesday, though some believe that may slip a little bit. Britain would be interested in giving more time to other countries to consider the resolution and allow more time for a "yes" vote. But the U.S. seems more determined to press for action as soon as possible -- Paula. ZAHN: So, Richard, if that date slips, what do you think is the maximum time out you're looking at for a vote?
ROTH: Well, it could be later in the week, but of course, that would give Iraq very little time. And if Iraq really wants to defend itself, it would naturally want to hold on to any weapons of mass destruction. So, we'll have to see what happens.
ZAHN: Richard Roth, thanks so much. Suzanne Malveaux, thank you as well.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
