Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Suicide Bomber Kills Himself, Iraqi Security Guard Outside U.N. Headquarters
Aired September 22, 2003 - 07:32 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: Back to Iraq. A suicide car bomber killed himself and an Iraqi security guard outside the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad earlier today.
Walter Rodgers near the scene there, again back with us live to tell us what we are learning now in this still developing story -- Walter, hello.
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Bill.
A United Nations official told CNN just a few moments ago that the U.N. is now reconsidering the level of its presence in Iraq. I asked does that mean the U.N. is thinking of leaving? The question -- the answer, again, was we are reconsidering the level of our presence here. The spokesperson went on to say this is a very difficult moment after yet another suicide bomb moving in the direction of the United Nations compound here in Baghdad.
This one today was not nearly so serious. Two people killed. Not nearly as serious as the one on August 19, when 23 people were killed in a much more devastating attack. The reason this one was not so deadly today was that the coalition forces have moved the perimeter of the security line much farther back from the United Nations building.
Still, U.N., the U.N. says it really needs to take a second look at the situation here because the U.N. is calling Baghdad a war zone now, a high risk area for all of its people. Most of the people inside the compound today were essentially a skeletal staff and by way of footnote, in the last 24 hours there have been 22 attacks on coalition forces, just, again, in the last 24 hours -- Bill.
HEMMER: Walter, thanks.
Walter Rodgers there in Iraq.
The role of the U.N. certainly to be debated this week at headquarters in New York City. What will the president say in his address tomorrow?
Suzanne Malveaux live from the White House to give us a bit of a preview on what's being talked about on this Monday morning there -- good morning, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill. Well, President Bush is back from Camp David and tomorrow he really faces a pivotal moment in his presidency. That's when he goes before the U.N. General Assembly, the same body a year ago that rejected his war resolution. Now he is asking for their assistance in cleaning up the aftermath.
It was last year that the president suggested that the U.N. risked becoming irrelevant if it did not take on Saddam Hussein's defiance. Well, by this trip alone, the White House is acknowledging that the U.N. is quite relevant, indeed.
Now, aides tell us that it is going to be a call to action for the U.N. members to get involved in the war on terror specifically, that the president is going to point out that the U.S. and its allies were right to go to war, it is time to put differences aside and move on, it's in the world's interest to support the reconstruction of Afghanistan and Iraq, and that there's a need to tackle other global issues, like the spread of weapons of mass destruction, as well as human trafficking and fighting AIDS.
The big question, of course, is whether or not this administration is going to get that U.S. sponsored U.N. Security Council resolution allowing for greater support. Aides tell us that the president is willing to negotiate on a couple of points, allowing the U.N. to participate in overseeing elections, in helping write the constitution. One thing they are not, however, going to negotiate is the timetable to turn over power to the Iraqi people -- Bill.
HEMMER: Suzanne, a quick question, and I'm not sure how you address or answer this, but in these negotiations, in this bargaining right now for the future in Iraq, are we at a starting point? Have we moved the ball any, say, on a scale from one to 10? Have we gotten to two or to five or -- you know, as we enter this U.N. issue tomorrow and this address, where is the starting point for the White House when it comes to negotiating with France and Germany and Russia?
MALVEAUX: Well, sure, it's difficult, actually, to rate it between one and 10. But one good point is the fact that France, President Jacques Chirac, just over the weekend, saying that he is not going to use his veto power, that if he does not get the timetable that he wants -- he's talking about turning over the power within months, not within years, there is quite a difference between what U.S. officials and French officials see as this timetable -- that he would vote against the resolution but not veto it. That is a very good sign for the administration, a good chance the that resolution is going to pass.
Of course, they're working on the language over that timetable but, yes, so far no veto threats, and that is a good sign for the Bush administration.
HEMMER: Suzanne, thanks.
We'll talk a bit later this morning.
Suzanne Malveaux there at the White House. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
U.N. Headquarters>
Aired September 22, 2003 - 07:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Back to Iraq. A suicide car bomber killed himself and an Iraqi security guard outside the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad earlier today.
Walter Rodgers near the scene there, again back with us live to tell us what we are learning now in this still developing story -- Walter, hello.
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Bill.
A United Nations official told CNN just a few moments ago that the U.N. is now reconsidering the level of its presence in Iraq. I asked does that mean the U.N. is thinking of leaving? The question -- the answer, again, was we are reconsidering the level of our presence here. The spokesperson went on to say this is a very difficult moment after yet another suicide bomb moving in the direction of the United Nations compound here in Baghdad.
This one today was not nearly so serious. Two people killed. Not nearly as serious as the one on August 19, when 23 people were killed in a much more devastating attack. The reason this one was not so deadly today was that the coalition forces have moved the perimeter of the security line much farther back from the United Nations building.
Still, U.N., the U.N. says it really needs to take a second look at the situation here because the U.N. is calling Baghdad a war zone now, a high risk area for all of its people. Most of the people inside the compound today were essentially a skeletal staff and by way of footnote, in the last 24 hours there have been 22 attacks on coalition forces, just, again, in the last 24 hours -- Bill.
HEMMER: Walter, thanks.
Walter Rodgers there in Iraq.
The role of the U.N. certainly to be debated this week at headquarters in New York City. What will the president say in his address tomorrow?
Suzanne Malveaux live from the White House to give us a bit of a preview on what's being talked about on this Monday morning there -- good morning, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill. Well, President Bush is back from Camp David and tomorrow he really faces a pivotal moment in his presidency. That's when he goes before the U.N. General Assembly, the same body a year ago that rejected his war resolution. Now he is asking for their assistance in cleaning up the aftermath.
It was last year that the president suggested that the U.N. risked becoming irrelevant if it did not take on Saddam Hussein's defiance. Well, by this trip alone, the White House is acknowledging that the U.N. is quite relevant, indeed.
Now, aides tell us that it is going to be a call to action for the U.N. members to get involved in the war on terror specifically, that the president is going to point out that the U.S. and its allies were right to go to war, it is time to put differences aside and move on, it's in the world's interest to support the reconstruction of Afghanistan and Iraq, and that there's a need to tackle other global issues, like the spread of weapons of mass destruction, as well as human trafficking and fighting AIDS.
The big question, of course, is whether or not this administration is going to get that U.S. sponsored U.N. Security Council resolution allowing for greater support. Aides tell us that the president is willing to negotiate on a couple of points, allowing the U.N. to participate in overseeing elections, in helping write the constitution. One thing they are not, however, going to negotiate is the timetable to turn over power to the Iraqi people -- Bill.
HEMMER: Suzanne, a quick question, and I'm not sure how you address or answer this, but in these negotiations, in this bargaining right now for the future in Iraq, are we at a starting point? Have we moved the ball any, say, on a scale from one to 10? Have we gotten to two or to five or -- you know, as we enter this U.N. issue tomorrow and this address, where is the starting point for the White House when it comes to negotiating with France and Germany and Russia?
MALVEAUX: Well, sure, it's difficult, actually, to rate it between one and 10. But one good point is the fact that France, President Jacques Chirac, just over the weekend, saying that he is not going to use his veto power, that if he does not get the timetable that he wants -- he's talking about turning over the power within months, not within years, there is quite a difference between what U.S. officials and French officials see as this timetable -- that he would vote against the resolution but not veto it. That is a very good sign for the administration, a good chance the that resolution is going to pass.
Of course, they're working on the language over that timetable but, yes, so far no veto threats, and that is a good sign for the Bush administration.
HEMMER: Suzanne, thanks.
We'll talk a bit later this morning.
Suzanne Malveaux there at the White House. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
U.N. Headquarters>
