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American Morning

Final Hours to War

Aired March 19, 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: We begin with two reports this morning. John King is standing by at the White House; Nic Robertson on duty in Baghdad.
We're going to get started with John King at the White House, as the deadline for Saddam to leave the country is 13 hours away -- John.

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

Decision day -- deadline day for Saddam Hussein, not necessarily, we are told, decision day for President Bush. White House officials say Mr. Bush reserves the right to strike anytime after that deadline lapses at 8:00 here in Washington tonight.

But they also note that it is no surprise the American troops are coming, and that one of the tactical advantages Mr. Bush has as commander-in-chief is that he gets to decide when the war begins. So, they are characterizing the deadline tonight as a political deadline on Saddam Hussein, and say Mr. Bush will make his decision based on the military advice of his commanders and the defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld. Obviously that weather you see in Kuwait City could be one of the factors in the president's decision.

As he prepares to make that decision, he will meet again today with his full national security council; also plans to have a private meeting with the defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, and a phone conversation with the British prime minister, Tony Blair, who has troops of his own poised in the desert to join the U.S. forces in that strike.

And again, as the president prepares to make a momentous decision about war overseas, he will sit down today here in the White House with his Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, the New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, to talk to them about the planning here on American soil to prepare for the possibility that as the war begins overseas there could be terrorist strikes here at home -- Paula.

ZAHN: Thanks so much, John. We'll be checking in with you throughout the morning.

Now back to Nic Robertson, who joins us from Baghdad.

Good morning -- Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula. Advice coming from the information minister here, Muhammed al- Sahaf, that advice for U.S. troops, saying that U.S. soldiers and officers should open their eyes, that they are being deceived by their leadership. Their leadership, he says, is telling them that an invasion of Iraq will be a picnic. This is a deception, he says, because any aggression will fail.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MUHAMMED SAEED SAHAF, IRAQI INFORMATION MINISTER: They are deceiving their soldiers and their officers that aggression against Iraq and invading Iraq will be like a picnic. Well, this is a very stupid lie they are telling their soldiers. What they are facing is a definite death.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Now, the information minister also said that an aggression and a war against Iraq was a violation of international law and a violation of the U.N. charter.

We have also heard today from Iraq's national assembly here, they met as they often do at times when the leadership here has key decisions to make. The decision the assembly here took today was to send a letter to President Saddam Hussein saying that they support him at this time, that they are 100 percent behind him. We have heard them send this type of letter on many occasions before.

Certainly, the political leadership here sending all of the signals to the people of Iraq and all of the signals to the international community President Saddam Hussein is not going anywhere at this time -- Paula.

ZAHN: Nic Robertson, thanks so much for the update. We'll get back to you as well throughout the 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 March 19, 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: We begin with two reports this morning. John King is standing by at the White House; Nic Robertson on duty in Baghdad.
We're going to get started with John King at the White House, as the deadline for Saddam to leave the country is 13 hours away -- John.

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

Decision day -- deadline day for Saddam Hussein, not necessarily, we are told, decision day for President Bush. White House officials say Mr. Bush reserves the right to strike anytime after that deadline lapses at 8:00 here in Washington tonight.

But they also note that it is no surprise the American troops are coming, and that one of the tactical advantages Mr. Bush has as commander-in-chief is that he gets to decide when the war begins. So, they are characterizing the deadline tonight as a political deadline on Saddam Hussein, and say Mr. Bush will make his decision based on the military advice of his commanders and the defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld. Obviously that weather you see in Kuwait City could be one of the factors in the president's decision.

As he prepares to make that decision, he will meet again today with his full national security council; also plans to have a private meeting with the defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, and a phone conversation with the British prime minister, Tony Blair, who has troops of his own poised in the desert to join the U.S. forces in that strike.

And again, as the president prepares to make a momentous decision about war overseas, he will sit down today here in the White House with his Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, the New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, to talk to them about the planning here on American soil to prepare for the possibility that as the war begins overseas there could be terrorist strikes here at home -- Paula.

ZAHN: Thanks so much, John. We'll be checking in with you throughout the morning.

Now back to Nic Robertson, who joins us from Baghdad.

Good morning -- Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula. Advice coming from the information minister here, Muhammed al- Sahaf, that advice for U.S. troops, saying that U.S. soldiers and officers should open their eyes, that they are being deceived by their leadership. Their leadership, he says, is telling them that an invasion of Iraq will be a picnic. This is a deception, he says, because any aggression will fail.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MUHAMMED SAEED SAHAF, IRAQI INFORMATION MINISTER: They are deceiving their soldiers and their officers that aggression against Iraq and invading Iraq will be like a picnic. Well, this is a very stupid lie they are telling their soldiers. What they are facing is a definite death.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Now, the information minister also said that an aggression and a war against Iraq was a violation of international law and a violation of the U.N. charter.

We have also heard today from Iraq's national assembly here, they met as they often do at times when the leadership here has key decisions to make. The decision the assembly here took today was to send a letter to President Saddam Hussein saying that they support him at this time, that they are 100 percent behind him. We have heard them send this type of letter on many occasions before.

Certainly, the political leadership here sending all of the signals to the people of Iraq and all of the signals to the international community President Saddam Hussein is not going anywhere at this time -- Paula.

ZAHN: Nic Robertson, thanks so much for the update. We'll get back to you as well throughout the 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.