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CNN Saturday Morning News

President Bush Building Support For Second United Nation Resolution

Aired February 22, 2003 - 08:05   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.


JONATHAN KARL, CNN ANCHOR: And now to the showdown with Iraq. President Bush is working to build support for a second U.N. disarmament resolution. He's meeting with the Spanish prime minister this weekend at his ranch in Texas.
CNN's Chris Burns is following the story from Crawford -- Chris.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Jonathan.

Well, very important meetings today between President Bush and Jose Maria Aznar. His country is on the Security Council, very important to have his country on board, very much on board, although Aznar is very much in trouble at home. The polls showing 85 percent, the latest polls showing 85 percent of those responding in Spain are against an action against Iraq. So him, he's very much in trouble, just like Tony Blair of Britain. And so very important to draft a U.N. resolution, a second one that would provide diplomatic cover, at least, for Aznar.

Aznar also very important because he is the, among three Latino countries on the Security Council right now. There's also Mexico and Chile. So Aznar could perhaps offer some kind of lobbying effort to try to bring those countries on board. The U.S. needs nine countries out of the 15 on the Security Council to pass a second U.N. resolution in the next week or so.

That, so those meetings going on at the same time that Turkey is speaking with the United States about reaching an agreement on allowing some 40,000 U.S. troops to station themselves inside Turkey, leaning toward northern Iraq. If there is a conflict, that would be a second front opened up against Iraq. That would speed any war against Iraq. However, there's a question of money. Some $20 billion in loan guarantees as well as $6 billion in aid, that is what the U.S. is offering to Turkey in exchange for that. Turkey has yet to agree formally. However, there is broad agreement, according to the Turkish foreign minister. So it appears that they are very close. However, the Turkish parliament is also going to have to agree to that and so that is a very big question -- Jonathan.

KARL: Now, Chris, as the U.S. tries to get support on the Security Council, the nine votes they need, I mean there's also going to be some horse trading, I would imagine, going on, trying to get some to those countries that have not taken a stance on this to come to the U.S. position.

Have you heard anything about what the approach will be for the U.S. trying to lobby those countries, countries like Cameroon, and, as you mentioned, Chile and others?

BURNS: Very major lobbying effort going on, face to face and also by phone, especially, according to the Bush administration here. They're lobbying all those countries by telephone in the last few days. It's going to be very important, also, especially, the three key other countries that could have veto power and had to have been holding out their support of any second resolution, that is, France, China and Russia. They have yet to come fully on board. That's going to be also very key in seeing that at least they don't vote against it -- Jonathan.

KARL: Right.

Chris, thank you very much.

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




Resolution>


Aired February 22, 2003 - 08:05   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JONATHAN KARL, CNN ANCHOR: And now to the showdown with Iraq. President Bush is working to build support for a second U.N. disarmament resolution. He's meeting with the Spanish prime minister this weekend at his ranch in Texas.
CNN's Chris Burns is following the story from Crawford -- Chris.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Jonathan.

Well, very important meetings today between President Bush and Jose Maria Aznar. His country is on the Security Council, very important to have his country on board, very much on board, although Aznar is very much in trouble at home. The polls showing 85 percent, the latest polls showing 85 percent of those responding in Spain are against an action against Iraq. So him, he's very much in trouble, just like Tony Blair of Britain. And so very important to draft a U.N. resolution, a second one that would provide diplomatic cover, at least, for Aznar.

Aznar also very important because he is the, among three Latino countries on the Security Council right now. There's also Mexico and Chile. So Aznar could perhaps offer some kind of lobbying effort to try to bring those countries on board. The U.S. needs nine countries out of the 15 on the Security Council to pass a second U.N. resolution in the next week or so.

That, so those meetings going on at the same time that Turkey is speaking with the United States about reaching an agreement on allowing some 40,000 U.S. troops to station themselves inside Turkey, leaning toward northern Iraq. If there is a conflict, that would be a second front opened up against Iraq. That would speed any war against Iraq. However, there's a question of money. Some $20 billion in loan guarantees as well as $6 billion in aid, that is what the U.S. is offering to Turkey in exchange for that. Turkey has yet to agree formally. However, there is broad agreement, according to the Turkish foreign minister. So it appears that they are very close. However, the Turkish parliament is also going to have to agree to that and so that is a very big question -- Jonathan.

KARL: Now, Chris, as the U.S. tries to get support on the Security Council, the nine votes they need, I mean there's also going to be some horse trading, I would imagine, going on, trying to get some to those countries that have not taken a stance on this to come to the U.S. position.

Have you heard anything about what the approach will be for the U.S. trying to lobby those countries, countries like Cameroon, and, as you mentioned, Chile and others?

BURNS: Very major lobbying effort going on, face to face and also by phone, especially, according to the Bush administration here. They're lobbying all those countries by telephone in the last few days. It's going to be very important, also, especially, the three key other countries that could have veto power and had to have been holding out their support of any second resolution, that is, France, China and Russia. They have yet to come fully on board. That's going to be also very key in seeing that at least they don't vote against it -- Jonathan.

KARL: Right.

Chris, thank you very much.

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




Resolution>