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CNN Sunday Morning
Bush Monitors Developments in Iraq From Crawford
Aired July 20, 2003 - 08:06 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: Two more American soldiers died in Iraq today. Gunmen targeted a U.S. convoy with small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades just west of the town of Mosul. All were members of the 101 Airborne. The U.S. losses at a rate averaging one American death a day have fueled public calls for other nations to contribute forces. Nearly two of three polled support that idea and the Bush administration may present such a request to the United Nations.
Let's turn now to CNN's Chris Burns who is in Crawford, Texas where President Bush is spending the weekend.
Hello to you, Chris.
CHRIS BURNS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Heidi. President Bush is going to be meeting today with the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. But of course, last night he was raising more money. He raised another $3 million at a fund-raiser last night, putting him over $41 million.
However, what is becoming quickly a political liability is Iraq. The Americans who are being killed on an almost daily basis over there and how to offset the U.S. commitment in Iraq. That is the question right now as we see polls right now are indicating that Americans are becoming increasingly pessimistic about the U.S. commitment there in Iraq.
Now, there are talks going in the U.N. among the U.S. and other members of the U.N. how there could be a mandate that would help to bring in other countries. Now, a number of countries are saying that they don't want to send troops in there unless there is more of a U.N. mandate, perhaps more of a U.N. role in Iraq. The U.S. has been very reluctant about that. But we even see Secretary of State Colin Powell starting to bend on that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: There are some nations who have expressed the desire for more of a mandate from the United Nations. and I am in conversations with some ministers about this as well as with the secretary general of the United Nations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNS: Now, Polish troops have started to deploy in Iraq. Part of a vanguard of a multinational force of several thousand people, several thousand troops. But that's not nearly enough. The U.S. is looking, for instance, from India, 17,000 troops. From Pakistan, Germany, France and Russia and other countries, those countries are reluctant to send anybody until there is more of a U.N. mandate.
Now, what that mandate will say is the big question. There's no wording yet. It's mainly quarter talk. It's talk among officials. But they haven't put anything on paper yet. However, with more troops dying on the ground in Iraq that could increase the urgency -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. Chris Burns, thanks so much for the update and all of these stories developing once again out of Iraq this morning.
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 July 20, 2003 - 08:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Two more American soldiers died in Iraq today. Gunmen targeted a U.S. convoy with small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades just west of the town of Mosul. All were members of the 101 Airborne. The U.S. losses at a rate averaging one American death a day have fueled public calls for other nations to contribute forces. Nearly two of three polled support that idea and the Bush administration may present such a request to the United Nations.
Let's turn now to CNN's Chris Burns who is in Crawford, Texas where President Bush is spending the weekend.
Hello to you, Chris.
CHRIS BURNS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Heidi. President Bush is going to be meeting today with the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. But of course, last night he was raising more money. He raised another $3 million at a fund-raiser last night, putting him over $41 million.
However, what is becoming quickly a political liability is Iraq. The Americans who are being killed on an almost daily basis over there and how to offset the U.S. commitment in Iraq. That is the question right now as we see polls right now are indicating that Americans are becoming increasingly pessimistic about the U.S. commitment there in Iraq.
Now, there are talks going in the U.N. among the U.S. and other members of the U.N. how there could be a mandate that would help to bring in other countries. Now, a number of countries are saying that they don't want to send troops in there unless there is more of a U.N. mandate, perhaps more of a U.N. role in Iraq. The U.S. has been very reluctant about that. But we even see Secretary of State Colin Powell starting to bend on that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: There are some nations who have expressed the desire for more of a mandate from the United Nations. and I am in conversations with some ministers about this as well as with the secretary general of the United Nations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNS: Now, Polish troops have started to deploy in Iraq. Part of a vanguard of a multinational force of several thousand people, several thousand troops. But that's not nearly enough. The U.S. is looking, for instance, from India, 17,000 troops. From Pakistan, Germany, France and Russia and other countries, those countries are reluctant to send anybody until there is more of a U.N. mandate.
Now, what that mandate will say is the big question. There's no wording yet. It's mainly quarter talk. It's talk among officials. But they haven't put anything on paper yet. However, with more troops dying on the ground in Iraq that could increase the urgency -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. Chris Burns, thanks so much for the update and all of these stories developing once again out of Iraq this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
