Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Sunday Morning
Powell Arrives in Baghdad
Aired September 14, 2003 - 08:03 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.
STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's turn now from a dangerous hurricane to a still dangerous Iraq. Secretary of State Colin Powell arrived in Baghdad this morning. He will be meeting with top leaders there to discuss the security situation. And that is key, because just around the time of his arrival another U.S. soldier was killed and three were injured when a bomb ripped through a military convoy in Fallujah. We will have a live report from Baghdad in a moment.
Powell's trip to Baghdad comes only one day after a key meeting with United Nations Security Council members, where he was appealing for more international help in Iraq. Suzanne Malveaux joins us now from the White House with the view from there and from Camp David, where the President is spending a little bit of time -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Stephen, President Bush and his top aides are trying to convince the American people they have a clear strategy in Iraq. We heard that from President Bush when he addressed the soldiers at Fort Stewart, Georgia earlier this week. Also, he made it the centerpiece of his weekly radio address yesterday. The president saying that these are the goals here: to destroy the terrorists, to enlist international support and quickly transfer authority back to the Iraqi people.
That is also the message of Secretary Powell in Geneva yesterday. He met with his counterparts. The U.N. Security Council resolution of the permanent members to try to come up with a U.N. Security Council resolution that is to everyone's liking. Essentially, it would expand U.N. authority over Iraq and at the same time allow the Iraqis for their own sovereignty, their own country as quickly as possible.
Now, here is the sticking point. France says that the Iraqi Governing Council should be able to do that within one month's time. Secretary Powell says that is totally unrealistic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: I believe that the approach that Ambassador Bremer is taking and his seven-step plan that he has presented to the Iraqi people gives us a way forward. But there was some convergence on the issues that are before us, but there are still some differences. And we'll take the work back now to New York and have the perm reps of all 15 nations discuss it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: And the strategy is to try to get as many of those nations to support that resolution, to try to press France not to veto the resolution. President Bush is going to go before the U.N. general assembly next week -- Steven.
FRAZIER: All right. The White House never sleeps and neither apparently do you, Suzanne. Thanks for joining us so early in the morning, Suzanne Malveaux.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's head to Iraq now, where our Ben Wedeman joins us from Baghdad with more on Colin Powell's visit. Good morning to you, Ben.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CAIRO BUREAU CHIEF: Yes -- hello, Heidi. Well, Secretary Powell arrived this morning at Baghdad International Airport. Until April, of course, that was Saddam International Airport. There he was met by L. Paul Bremer, the chief American administrator for the Coalition Provisional Authority.
This is Mr. Powell's first visit to Iraq. For security reasons, the precise details of his visit, however, have not been made public. We do know that he will be meeting with members of the coalition- appointed governing council, as well as the recently appointed 25- member cabinet that was announced or formed just recently.
Now, Mr. Powell's visit comes at a time when security sources are alarmed at what they call a severe surge in attacks on coalition forces in the Ramadi-Fallujah area. That's to the west of Baghdad. In the latest incident, one U.S. soldier was killed and three were wounded when their Humvee drove by what the military calls an IED, that's an improvised explosive device. And, of course, Fallujah has been a hotbed of anti-coalition activity.
Yesterday, there were angry protests there following the killing on Friday of nine Iraqi policemen and one Jordanian soldier in what appears to have been a friendly fire incident. Now, at this point, Heidi, attacks on coalition forces in Iraq are running at an average of about 15 a day.
COLLINS: All right. CNN's Ben Wedeman reporting for us live this morning from Baghdad. Thanks so much, Ben.
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 14, 2003 - 08:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's turn now from a dangerous hurricane to a still dangerous Iraq. Secretary of State Colin Powell arrived in Baghdad this morning. He will be meeting with top leaders there to discuss the security situation. And that is key, because just around the time of his arrival another U.S. soldier was killed and three were injured when a bomb ripped through a military convoy in Fallujah. We will have a live report from Baghdad in a moment.
Powell's trip to Baghdad comes only one day after a key meeting with United Nations Security Council members, where he was appealing for more international help in Iraq. Suzanne Malveaux joins us now from the White House with the view from there and from Camp David, where the President is spending a little bit of time -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Stephen, President Bush and his top aides are trying to convince the American people they have a clear strategy in Iraq. We heard that from President Bush when he addressed the soldiers at Fort Stewart, Georgia earlier this week. Also, he made it the centerpiece of his weekly radio address yesterday. The president saying that these are the goals here: to destroy the terrorists, to enlist international support and quickly transfer authority back to the Iraqi people.
That is also the message of Secretary Powell in Geneva yesterday. He met with his counterparts. The U.N. Security Council resolution of the permanent members to try to come up with a U.N. Security Council resolution that is to everyone's liking. Essentially, it would expand U.N. authority over Iraq and at the same time allow the Iraqis for their own sovereignty, their own country as quickly as possible.
Now, here is the sticking point. France says that the Iraqi Governing Council should be able to do that within one month's time. Secretary Powell says that is totally unrealistic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: I believe that the approach that Ambassador Bremer is taking and his seven-step plan that he has presented to the Iraqi people gives us a way forward. But there was some convergence on the issues that are before us, but there are still some differences. And we'll take the work back now to New York and have the perm reps of all 15 nations discuss it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: And the strategy is to try to get as many of those nations to support that resolution, to try to press France not to veto the resolution. President Bush is going to go before the U.N. general assembly next week -- Steven.
FRAZIER: All right. The White House never sleeps and neither apparently do you, Suzanne. Thanks for joining us so early in the morning, Suzanne Malveaux.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's head to Iraq now, where our Ben Wedeman joins us from Baghdad with more on Colin Powell's visit. Good morning to you, Ben.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CAIRO BUREAU CHIEF: Yes -- hello, Heidi. Well, Secretary Powell arrived this morning at Baghdad International Airport. Until April, of course, that was Saddam International Airport. There he was met by L. Paul Bremer, the chief American administrator for the Coalition Provisional Authority.
This is Mr. Powell's first visit to Iraq. For security reasons, the precise details of his visit, however, have not been made public. We do know that he will be meeting with members of the coalition- appointed governing council, as well as the recently appointed 25- member cabinet that was announced or formed just recently.
Now, Mr. Powell's visit comes at a time when security sources are alarmed at what they call a severe surge in attacks on coalition forces in the Ramadi-Fallujah area. That's to the west of Baghdad. In the latest incident, one U.S. soldier was killed and three were wounded when their Humvee drove by what the military calls an IED, that's an improvised explosive device. And, of course, Fallujah has been a hotbed of anti-coalition activity.
Yesterday, there were angry protests there following the killing on Friday of nine Iraqi policemen and one Jordanian soldier in what appears to have been a friendly fire incident. Now, at this point, Heidi, attacks on coalition forces in Iraq are running at an average of about 15 a day.
COLLINS: All right. CNN's Ben Wedeman reporting for us live this morning from Baghdad. Thanks so much, Ben.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
