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American Morning

Post-War Strategy in Iraq

Aired November 12, 2003 - 07:04   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.


SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: There are reports of coalition casualties in Iraq this morning after a huge explosion rocked the southern city of Nasiriyah. With the attacks on the rise, U.S. administrator Paul Bremer is heading back to the White House today for a second round of urgent meetings on the post-war strategy.
We've got two reports for you this morning. CNN's Ben Wedeman is in Iraq for us. John King is at the White House. We're going to start with Ben, who is live in Baghdad.

Ben -- good morning.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CAIRO BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, good morning, Soledad.

It appears that as many as 20 people were killed in a massive explosion at the Italian paramilitary police headquarters in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah. According to coalition sources, it may have been a double attack with a truck followed by a car packed with explosives running into the main entrance to that Italian base.

At this point, we have confirmed 11 Italian either police or soldiers dead, one missing. We are hearing reports from Iraqi hospitals as many as eight Iraqis were killed in this incident.

Now, Italian officials in Rome are describing this attack as a terrorist act. This is the first time Italian troops have been killed in Iraq since the end of the war -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Ben Wedeman for us this morning from Baghdad. Ben, thanks for that report.

More now on Paul Bremer's urgent talks about the post-war planning.

Let's go to CNN's John King. He's live at the White House for us this morning.

John -- good morning.

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

One reason for the urgent talks and the hastily arranged visit of Paul Bremer back to Washington is the deteriorating security situation in Iraq, as just outlined by Ben Wedeman there. A full national Security Council meeting is due to begin here in the next hour. President Bush will preside over that session. You see Ambassador Bremer here in the middle with the striped tie. He was here at the White House for a meeting of the president's top national security team yesterday as well, debating a number of proposals to try to accelerate the political transition in post-war Iraq.

Here are some of the key talking points. You might even call them key debating points. The main goal is to accelerate the handover of political power to the Iraqis. Now, one of the goals there, of course, is to speed the writing of the constitution and to set a timetable for elections. There is a looming United Nations deadline coming up to set that plan.

One proposal, this one somewhat controversial, is to consider writing an interim constitution and also appointing an interim Iraqi leader. There is some debate within the administration over that proposal.

One official says the main goal is to do this: light a fire, he says, under the stalled Iraqi Governing Council's work on this political transition. But it is also no secret that one of the key goals is also to resolve some differences within the administration.

Some here at the White House say Ambassador Bremer is moving too slowly, that he's too cautious about handing power back over to the Iraqis. Others, though, say if you rush things, especially if you make an interim executive in charge of Iraq, you will be contradicting the president's promise that there cannot be a political turnover until you have a constitution and democratic elections, so that you have a legitimate government.

So, an urgent debate within the administration to speed up the political transition. They view that as the key to helping resolve the security problems -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: John, a new report from the CIA indicates that they think that the security situation in Iraq is actually going to get worse before it gets better. What's the White House's reaction to that?

KING: The White House is careful not to discuss a classified report, but several senior administration officials are confirming the existence of this new report to us. They insist that while it says overall the security situation in Iraq, the entire country, is improving, that the CIA report points to several pockets of rising security issues, a faulty intelligence in Iraq, a faulty U.S. plan to deal with this problem. One official says the report, if you look at the pockets of the most resistance, is quite bleak.

O'BRIEN: John King for us at the White House them. John, thanks for that update. Appreciate it.

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 November 12, 2003 - 07:04   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: There are reports of coalition casualties in Iraq this morning after a huge explosion rocked the southern city of Nasiriyah. With the attacks on the rise, U.S. administrator Paul Bremer is heading back to the White House today for a second round of urgent meetings on the post-war strategy.
We've got two reports for you this morning. CNN's Ben Wedeman is in Iraq for us. John King is at the White House. We're going to start with Ben, who is live in Baghdad.

Ben -- good morning.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CAIRO BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, good morning, Soledad.

It appears that as many as 20 people were killed in a massive explosion at the Italian paramilitary police headquarters in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah. According to coalition sources, it may have been a double attack with a truck followed by a car packed with explosives running into the main entrance to that Italian base.

At this point, we have confirmed 11 Italian either police or soldiers dead, one missing. We are hearing reports from Iraqi hospitals as many as eight Iraqis were killed in this incident.

Now, Italian officials in Rome are describing this attack as a terrorist act. This is the first time Italian troops have been killed in Iraq since the end of the war -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Ben Wedeman for us this morning from Baghdad. Ben, thanks for that report.

More now on Paul Bremer's urgent talks about the post-war planning.

Let's go to CNN's John King. He's live at the White House for us this morning.

John -- good morning.

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

One reason for the urgent talks and the hastily arranged visit of Paul Bremer back to Washington is the deteriorating security situation in Iraq, as just outlined by Ben Wedeman there. A full national Security Council meeting is due to begin here in the next hour. President Bush will preside over that session. You see Ambassador Bremer here in the middle with the striped tie. He was here at the White House for a meeting of the president's top national security team yesterday as well, debating a number of proposals to try to accelerate the political transition in post-war Iraq.

Here are some of the key talking points. You might even call them key debating points. The main goal is to accelerate the handover of political power to the Iraqis. Now, one of the goals there, of course, is to speed the writing of the constitution and to set a timetable for elections. There is a looming United Nations deadline coming up to set that plan.

One proposal, this one somewhat controversial, is to consider writing an interim constitution and also appointing an interim Iraqi leader. There is some debate within the administration over that proposal.

One official says the main goal is to do this: light a fire, he says, under the stalled Iraqi Governing Council's work on this political transition. But it is also no secret that one of the key goals is also to resolve some differences within the administration.

Some here at the White House say Ambassador Bremer is moving too slowly, that he's too cautious about handing power back over to the Iraqis. Others, though, say if you rush things, especially if you make an interim executive in charge of Iraq, you will be contradicting the president's promise that there cannot be a political turnover until you have a constitution and democratic elections, so that you have a legitimate government.

So, an urgent debate within the administration to speed up the political transition. They view that as the key to helping resolve the security problems -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: John, a new report from the CIA indicates that they think that the security situation in Iraq is actually going to get worse before it gets better. What's the White House's reaction to that?

KING: The White House is careful not to discuss a classified report, but several senior administration officials are confirming the existence of this new report to us. They insist that while it says overall the security situation in Iraq, the entire country, is improving, that the CIA report points to several pockets of rising security issues, a faulty intelligence in Iraq, a faulty U.S. plan to deal with this problem. One official says the report, if you look at the pockets of the most resistance, is quite bleak.

O'BRIEN: John King for us at the White House them. John, thanks for that update. Appreciate it.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.