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CNN Sunday Morning

U.S., British Aircraft Under Fire in No-Fly Zones

Aired November 17, 2002 - 07:23   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.


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The White House has warned of military action if Iraq defies the U.N. inspectors. The question of the morning now is, for the second time in as many days, U.S. and British aircraft under fire in the Northern no-fly zone. They struck back. The coalition fighters were not struck; they returned safely to their bases.
Let's go to Washington, and CNN's Frank Buckley at the White House. Frank, actually at the bureau, but covers the White House -- Frank, first of all, any reaction yet from the White House about this no-fly zone incident?

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I had a brief conversation with a White House official this morning. So far they're saying it's a too early to have a reaction to the incident over the no-fly zone, but as you know, Miles, on Friday, the White House position was that the attack in the southern no-fly zone was considered a material breach and gave the U.S. the option of going back to the Security Council, if it chose to do that.

But so far, no word from the White House on whether or not the White House intends to do that. The president has made it very clear that the U.S. position is one of zero tolerance, as he's put it. He reiterated that policy during his radio address this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This week, the dictator of Iraq told the U.N. he would give weapons inspectors unrestricted access to his country. We've heard such pledges before, and they have been uniformly betrayed. America and the world are now watching Saddam Hussein closely. Any act of defiance or delay will indicate that he is taking the path of deception once again. And this time, the consequences would be severe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCKLEY: Saddam Hussein released a statement of his own this weekend to -- it was an open letter to the Iraqi Parliament. Here's what Saddam Hussein has to say, his government's perspective on all of this.

He says, "We hope that we have chosen -- the path that we have chosen will achieve for those who have no foul agenda in the Security Council. Their declared goal, which is to see the truth as it really is about Iraq being completely free of weapons of mass destruction." Again, a couple of incidents over the weekend involving the no- fly zones, and we're still awaiting reaction from the White House on what the White House intends to do -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Well, Frank, in a sense, this no-fly zone cat/mouse game, certainly nothing new, it's been going on for a decade. Now, that there's this injection of a new weapons inspection campaign, is it likely they'll be some kind of linkage between these two things, or will the administration try to keep the no-fly zone, this kind of low grade air war that's been going on as a separate entity?

BUCKLEY: I don't think so, Miles. The White House has indicated in statements just over the past week or so that they actually considered firings on coalition aircraft in the no-fly zones to be a violation, and in -- on Friday, when I talked to White House officials, they were saying specifically that with regard to the firing in the southern no-fly zone, that they considered it a material breach, a violation of Op-Eight (ph) of the Security Council resolution, which essentially said that Iraq cannot interfere with the enforcement of any Security Council resolutions, and that if under Op- Four (ph), and it's gets a little complicated, but under Op-Four (ph), if Iraq violated any part of this resolution that was considered a material breach.

So, that was the position already articulated on Friday, in the first incident involving the no-fly zone. So, my sense is, Miles, and we're still awaiting official reaction today on the second incident, that the U.S. considers these to be material breaches. Now, whether or not that will then send the U.S. government back to the Security Council is the question that we're waiting for now.

O'BRIEN: I suppose a question of timing is important here. Perhaps, it will give Mr. Blix and his team an opportunity to get on the ground in Baghdad before they raise this issue if they decide to do so?

BUCKLEY: Yes, politically speaking it may be sensible for the U.S. to wait until at least the inspectors are on the ground and have begun the process. It may be, and U.S. officials won't say this, but it may be that the U.S. is beginning to at least catalogue what's going on. They're able to say, at a certain point, OK, we've had X number of violations or material breaches, and that helps them in their argument when they go back to the Security Council.

Having said that, the U.S. has retained the right to -- yes, engage in the debate in the Security Council, but also to act unilaterally, or as the president put it, with friends, other coalition members, to act without a Security Council resolution. So, we're just waiting right now.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Frank Buckley, in Washington, thank you very much, we'll check in with you in a little bit.

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 17, 2002 - 07:23   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The White House has warned of military action if Iraq defies the U.N. inspectors. The question of the morning now is, for the second time in as many days, U.S. and British aircraft under fire in the Northern no-fly zone. They struck back. The coalition fighters were not struck; they returned safely to their bases.
Let's go to Washington, and CNN's Frank Buckley at the White House. Frank, actually at the bureau, but covers the White House -- Frank, first of all, any reaction yet from the White House about this no-fly zone incident?

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I had a brief conversation with a White House official this morning. So far they're saying it's a too early to have a reaction to the incident over the no-fly zone, but as you know, Miles, on Friday, the White House position was that the attack in the southern no-fly zone was considered a material breach and gave the U.S. the option of going back to the Security Council, if it chose to do that.

But so far, no word from the White House on whether or not the White House intends to do that. The president has made it very clear that the U.S. position is one of zero tolerance, as he's put it. He reiterated that policy during his radio address this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This week, the dictator of Iraq told the U.N. he would give weapons inspectors unrestricted access to his country. We've heard such pledges before, and they have been uniformly betrayed. America and the world are now watching Saddam Hussein closely. Any act of defiance or delay will indicate that he is taking the path of deception once again. And this time, the consequences would be severe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCKLEY: Saddam Hussein released a statement of his own this weekend to -- it was an open letter to the Iraqi Parliament. Here's what Saddam Hussein has to say, his government's perspective on all of this.

He says, "We hope that we have chosen -- the path that we have chosen will achieve for those who have no foul agenda in the Security Council. Their declared goal, which is to see the truth as it really is about Iraq being completely free of weapons of mass destruction." Again, a couple of incidents over the weekend involving the no- fly zones, and we're still awaiting reaction from the White House on what the White House intends to do -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Well, Frank, in a sense, this no-fly zone cat/mouse game, certainly nothing new, it's been going on for a decade. Now, that there's this injection of a new weapons inspection campaign, is it likely they'll be some kind of linkage between these two things, or will the administration try to keep the no-fly zone, this kind of low grade air war that's been going on as a separate entity?

BUCKLEY: I don't think so, Miles. The White House has indicated in statements just over the past week or so that they actually considered firings on coalition aircraft in the no-fly zones to be a violation, and in -- on Friday, when I talked to White House officials, they were saying specifically that with regard to the firing in the southern no-fly zone, that they considered it a material breach, a violation of Op-Eight (ph) of the Security Council resolution, which essentially said that Iraq cannot interfere with the enforcement of any Security Council resolutions, and that if under Op- Four (ph), and it's gets a little complicated, but under Op-Four (ph), if Iraq violated any part of this resolution that was considered a material breach.

So, that was the position already articulated on Friday, in the first incident involving the no-fly zone. So, my sense is, Miles, and we're still awaiting official reaction today on the second incident, that the U.S. considers these to be material breaches. Now, whether or not that will then send the U.S. government back to the Security Council is the question that we're waiting for now.

O'BRIEN: I suppose a question of timing is important here. Perhaps, it will give Mr. Blix and his team an opportunity to get on the ground in Baghdad before they raise this issue if they decide to do so?

BUCKLEY: Yes, politically speaking it may be sensible for the U.S. to wait until at least the inspectors are on the ground and have begun the process. It may be, and U.S. officials won't say this, but it may be that the U.S. is beginning to at least catalogue what's going on. They're able to say, at a certain point, OK, we've had X number of violations or material breaches, and that helps them in their argument when they go back to the Security Council.

Having said that, the U.S. has retained the right to -- yes, engage in the debate in the Security Council, but also to act unilaterally, or as the president put it, with friends, other coalition members, to act without a Security Council resolution. So, we're just waiting right now.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Frank Buckley, in Washington, thank you very much, we'll check in with you in a little bit.

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