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American Morning
British Proposal Gets Negative Reaction From France
Aired March 13, 2003 - 07:17 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Lets get back to Iraq right now, that latest British proposal on Iraq already meeting resistance at the U.N. That plan would withdraw a Monday deadline, March 17, and insist that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein perform six specific disarmament tasks.
One diplomat already accusing Britain and the U.S. of -- quote -- "sneaky games."
For more this morning, let's get to the U.N. and Richard Roth to figure out where we stand now.
Richard -- good morning.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
They are benchmarks, and they are from Britain, last task maneuver or possibly a way out of this diplomatic, for now, crisis.
The British ambassador last evening formally introducing six benchmarks that Saddam Hussein would have to follow in order to avoid a possible military attack. It's the British ambassador, Sir Jeremy Greenstock, who is the man of the moment here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIR JEREMY GREENSTOCK, BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: I got an immediately warm response from those six members of the council who wanted to find another way through. They are considering this, and I think they believe that if this works, it's probably the only way through. So it will concentrate people's minds to know that unless you use this repair job, the hole in the ship will sink the ship. I think that will concentrate people's minds.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: The six countries that the ambassador was referring to are those so-called uncommitted six, though many think several of them are in the U.S. camp already, and those countries wanted to give Iraq more time to cooperate. It's a final way of getting votes for a second resolution or a new resolution, and right now, the U.S. and Britain dont have the votes. But it's Britain that really needs this resolution for political cover back home.
The U.S. seems to be willing to let slide for now, if there is some action with this proposal, that March 17 deadline.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOHN NEGROPONTE, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: If there is some traction and if the council starts to coalesce around that approach, then an option available to us is a modest extension, a very, very, very brief extension indeed, of that deadline. But I dont want to get pinned down to a specific number of days.
ROTH: This may still not be formally be put in the resolution, and as you noted, Bill, France and Russia still believe it's a hidden trigger for war nestled in there. The council resumes at 3:00 Eastern Time discussing Iraq -- Bill.
HEMMER: Richard Roth at the U.N.
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 13, 2003 - 07:17 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Lets get back to Iraq right now, that latest British proposal on Iraq already meeting resistance at the U.N. That plan would withdraw a Monday deadline, March 17, and insist that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein perform six specific disarmament tasks.
One diplomat already accusing Britain and the U.S. of -- quote -- "sneaky games."
For more this morning, let's get to the U.N. and Richard Roth to figure out where we stand now.
Richard -- good morning.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
They are benchmarks, and they are from Britain, last task maneuver or possibly a way out of this diplomatic, for now, crisis.
The British ambassador last evening formally introducing six benchmarks that Saddam Hussein would have to follow in order to avoid a possible military attack. It's the British ambassador, Sir Jeremy Greenstock, who is the man of the moment here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIR JEREMY GREENSTOCK, BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: I got an immediately warm response from those six members of the council who wanted to find another way through. They are considering this, and I think they believe that if this works, it's probably the only way through. So it will concentrate people's minds to know that unless you use this repair job, the hole in the ship will sink the ship. I think that will concentrate people's minds.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: The six countries that the ambassador was referring to are those so-called uncommitted six, though many think several of them are in the U.S. camp already, and those countries wanted to give Iraq more time to cooperate. It's a final way of getting votes for a second resolution or a new resolution, and right now, the U.S. and Britain dont have the votes. But it's Britain that really needs this resolution for political cover back home.
The U.S. seems to be willing to let slide for now, if there is some action with this proposal, that March 17 deadline.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOHN NEGROPONTE, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: If there is some traction and if the council starts to coalesce around that approach, then an option available to us is a modest extension, a very, very, very brief extension indeed, of that deadline. But I dont want to get pinned down to a specific number of days.
ROTH: This may still not be formally be put in the resolution, and as you noted, Bill, France and Russia still believe it's a hidden trigger for war nestled in there. The council resumes at 3:00 Eastern Time discussing Iraq -- Bill.
HEMMER: Richard Roth at the U.N.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
