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CNN Sunday Morning
Bush May Introduce New U.N. Resolution Tomorrow
Aired February 23, 2003 - 09:03 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush and his key aides are engaged in some high level diplomacy, working to build support for a second U.N. resolution on Iraq. With more on that, we're joined this morning by CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux. Good morning, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. Really it's been an all-out lobbying effort from the White House. President Bush is spending the weekend at his Crawford ranch. He is hosting Spain's prime minister Jose Maria Aznar. Aznar is a key ally and also a member of the U.N. Security Council. President Bush also on the phone this weekend to the leaders of Mexico, Chile, Britain, as well as Italy. It's all about this campaign to win support, broad support for a second U.N. Security Council resolution. The president was asked about it. He said it would be in clear and simple terms that Saddam Hussein has not complied with Resolution 1441 that requires him to disarm.
The president also saying that this is the last chance for the U.N. to prove its relevancy. When asked whether or not they'd give two months, like it took for the Resolution 1441 to be passed, he said no, there's not enough time.
Here's the timeline. Look at the critical benchmarks here. We're looking at a new resolution to be introduced perhaps as early as tomorrow. Look at March 1, that's when Iraq faces the deadline to prove it will destroy its prohibited missiles. March 7, when chief weapons inspector Hans Blix will address U.N. Security Council. And then you are looking at the following week for the administration to look for a vote on that resolution in mid-March -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Suzanne, we've heard quite a bit about the administration not presenting a second resolution unless they really thought they could get the vote for it. What should we take from this?
MALVEAUX: Well, the president said once again, and his aides as well say they're committed to actually introducing this resolution that they are confident with this language that they can get the votes they need, the nine out of 15 votes out of the U.N. Security Council, and that they can get countries like France not to veto this. But this is something that is really all about the language, finessing the language. And we've been told by a senior administration official that that is exactly what the president is doing. He's working on that with other world leaders to make sure and hope that all of these countries will at least have the political cover to sign off on this resolution.
COLLINS: All right, Suzanne Malveaux, live from the White House this morning, thank you.
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 February 23, 2003 - 09:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush and his key aides are engaged in some high level diplomacy, working to build support for a second U.N. resolution on Iraq. With more on that, we're joined this morning by CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux. Good morning, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. Really it's been an all-out lobbying effort from the White House. President Bush is spending the weekend at his Crawford ranch. He is hosting Spain's prime minister Jose Maria Aznar. Aznar is a key ally and also a member of the U.N. Security Council. President Bush also on the phone this weekend to the leaders of Mexico, Chile, Britain, as well as Italy. It's all about this campaign to win support, broad support for a second U.N. Security Council resolution. The president was asked about it. He said it would be in clear and simple terms that Saddam Hussein has not complied with Resolution 1441 that requires him to disarm.
The president also saying that this is the last chance for the U.N. to prove its relevancy. When asked whether or not they'd give two months, like it took for the Resolution 1441 to be passed, he said no, there's not enough time.
Here's the timeline. Look at the critical benchmarks here. We're looking at a new resolution to be introduced perhaps as early as tomorrow. Look at March 1, that's when Iraq faces the deadline to prove it will destroy its prohibited missiles. March 7, when chief weapons inspector Hans Blix will address U.N. Security Council. And then you are looking at the following week for the administration to look for a vote on that resolution in mid-March -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Suzanne, we've heard quite a bit about the administration not presenting a second resolution unless they really thought they could get the vote for it. What should we take from this?
MALVEAUX: Well, the president said once again, and his aides as well say they're committed to actually introducing this resolution that they are confident with this language that they can get the votes they need, the nine out of 15 votes out of the U.N. Security Council, and that they can get countries like France not to veto this. But this is something that is really all about the language, finessing the language. And we've been told by a senior administration official that that is exactly what the president is doing. He's working on that with other world leaders to make sure and hope that all of these countries will at least have the political cover to sign off on this resolution.
COLLINS: All right, Suzanne Malveaux, live from the White House this morning, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
