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American Morning
First Lady's Trip to Paris
Aired September 30, 2003 - 07:08 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: Now from overseas, the first lady has arrived in Moscow, the second stop on her trip overseas this week. Mrs. Bush plans meetings now with President Vladimir Putin and will attend a book festival hosted by Mrs. Putin.
Soledad is traveling with the first lady. Her first stop in Paris on day one.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The Stars and Stripes was raised once again at the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, headquarters in Paris, as the first lady, Laura Bush, marked America's return to the organization after 19 years.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a good day for UNESCO.
O'BRIEN: The official reason for her visit to Paris Monday?
LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: Thank you all very much.
O'BRIEN: Delivering the organization's keynote address, highlighting the U.S. commitment to human dignity, Mrs. Bush said, forwarding the mission to promote peace.
Unofficially, though, the trip was a goodwill mission, and became a chance to mend fences with French President Jacques Chirac, whose relationship with President Bush is notoriously unfriendly. President Chirac gallantly kissed the first lady's hand, before ushering her into a private meeting.
BUSH: I think that was just a French hospitality.
O'BRIEN: When the topic of the U.N. Security Council resolution came up, a White House official, who attended the meeting, quoted President Chirac as saying, "Let bygones be bygones; we all agree we need to rebuild Iraq."
Mrs. Bush concurred.
BUSH: I'm sure we'll have disagreements, but we'll have disagreements with a lot of people, but continue to have a very strong relationship with them.
O'BRIEN: Groundbreaking diplomacy or, as a French foreign relations expert suggests, a nice gesture, but not much more. DOMINIQUE MOISI, IFRI: It's a first step in goodwill. I don't think one should interpret that visit as the end of the Franco- American rift. The war of words has abated. We (UNINTELLIGIBLE) from the reconciliation phase.
O'BRIEN: The first lady focused on rebuilding educational infrastructure in countries like Iraq. The new Iraqi education minister, Alaudin Alwan, requested a meeting with the first lady to discuss reconstruction of schools there.
(on camera): Mrs. Bush focused on issues of personal importance to her, literacy and education, politically safe, and as a former teacher and librarian, issues she knows well. But she is not well- known in France, and it's unclear what impact, if any, she'll have made during her visit. So far, though, she's been well-received.
Soledad O'Brien, CNN, Paris
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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 September 30, 2003 - 07:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Now from overseas, the first lady has arrived in Moscow, the second stop on her trip overseas this week. Mrs. Bush plans meetings now with President Vladimir Putin and will attend a book festival hosted by Mrs. Putin.
Soledad is traveling with the first lady. Her first stop in Paris on day one.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The Stars and Stripes was raised once again at the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, headquarters in Paris, as the first lady, Laura Bush, marked America's return to the organization after 19 years.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a good day for UNESCO.
O'BRIEN: The official reason for her visit to Paris Monday?
LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: Thank you all very much.
O'BRIEN: Delivering the organization's keynote address, highlighting the U.S. commitment to human dignity, Mrs. Bush said, forwarding the mission to promote peace.
Unofficially, though, the trip was a goodwill mission, and became a chance to mend fences with French President Jacques Chirac, whose relationship with President Bush is notoriously unfriendly. President Chirac gallantly kissed the first lady's hand, before ushering her into a private meeting.
BUSH: I think that was just a French hospitality.
O'BRIEN: When the topic of the U.N. Security Council resolution came up, a White House official, who attended the meeting, quoted President Chirac as saying, "Let bygones be bygones; we all agree we need to rebuild Iraq."
Mrs. Bush concurred.
BUSH: I'm sure we'll have disagreements, but we'll have disagreements with a lot of people, but continue to have a very strong relationship with them.
O'BRIEN: Groundbreaking diplomacy or, as a French foreign relations expert suggests, a nice gesture, but not much more. DOMINIQUE MOISI, IFRI: It's a first step in goodwill. I don't think one should interpret that visit as the end of the Franco- American rift. The war of words has abated. We (UNINTELLIGIBLE) from the reconciliation phase.
O'BRIEN: The first lady focused on rebuilding educational infrastructure in countries like Iraq. The new Iraqi education minister, Alaudin Alwan, requested a meeting with the first lady to discuss reconstruction of schools there.
(on camera): Mrs. Bush focused on issues of personal importance to her, literacy and education, politically safe, and as a former teacher and librarian, issues she knows well. But she is not well- known in France, and it's unclear what impact, if any, she'll have made during her visit. So far, though, she's been well-received.
Soledad O'Brien, CNN, Paris
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
