Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Saturday Morning News
U.S. Mariens are Heading to War-Torn Libeira
Aired July 26, 2003 - 09:00 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: U.S. warships with Marines are heading for war-torn Liberia's coastal waters. More on this now this morning from White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux. Hi, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi.
Well, President Bush is responding to international and domestic pressure to try to help enforce that ceasefire in Liberia. It was just yesterday President Bush ordered U.S. troops to positions of themselves off the coast of Liberia, this to help West African nations lead in a peaceleading effort.
There are two ships comprised of nearly 2,000 Marines steaming toward Liberia, the USS "Iwo Jima" as well as the USS "Carter Hall" that are already in the Mediterranean. The USS "Nashville" is to follow.
Now, so President Bush has not committed to boots in Liberia, to grounds, the -- to boots on the force there that the plan is now for West African peacekeepers to go in first in the region to stabilize the region, that the U.S. would provide logistics as well as communications and support. The U.S. has already contracted some $10 million to a military contractor to provide assistance.
And then, finally, of course, Liberian President Charles Taylor would have to leave the country.
Now, if all of those conditions were met, then, perhaps, the United States, the president, and the Pentagon would consider sending in U.S. troops.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: U.S. troops will be there to help Ecowas (ph) go in and serve as peacekeepers necessary to create the conditions so that humanitarian aid can go in and help the people of -- in Liberia. And we're deeply concerned that the condition of the Liberian people is getting worse and worse and worse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Now, Heidi, President Bush yesterday made it very clear that this mission would be limited in time and scope if U.S. troops were actually to go on the ground in Liberia. He says that it is the United Nations, a multinational force that would be in charge of the peacekeeping efforts in the long run, Heidi.
COLLINS: Suzanne, as the situation escalates, certainly the violence escalates in this region, and troops get into position, is there a shift in feeling or a shift in thinking, if you will, about troops possibly being overtasked in several different countries on several different missions right now at the White House?
MALVEAUX: I don't think there's any shift at all in their position about that. I think they're very concerned that, really, the military would be stretched very thin. I think what's happening here is that you have a lot of international pressure, domestic pressure on the president to get involved, from the United Nations, from the European Union, even from people in -- within this country, to say, Yes, let's go ahead and do something about this.
You have a huge rift between the Department of State as well as the Pentagon in terms of just what type of resources to commit to this. Ultimately, it is going to come down to the situation on the ground.
COLLINS: All right. Suzanne Malveaux, thanks so much for clearing all that up for us this morning from the White House.
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 26, 2003 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. warships with Marines are heading for war-torn Liberia's coastal waters. More on this now this morning from White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux. Hi, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi.
Well, President Bush is responding to international and domestic pressure to try to help enforce that ceasefire in Liberia. It was just yesterday President Bush ordered U.S. troops to positions of themselves off the coast of Liberia, this to help West African nations lead in a peaceleading effort.
There are two ships comprised of nearly 2,000 Marines steaming toward Liberia, the USS "Iwo Jima" as well as the USS "Carter Hall" that are already in the Mediterranean. The USS "Nashville" is to follow.
Now, so President Bush has not committed to boots in Liberia, to grounds, the -- to boots on the force there that the plan is now for West African peacekeepers to go in first in the region to stabilize the region, that the U.S. would provide logistics as well as communications and support. The U.S. has already contracted some $10 million to a military contractor to provide assistance.
And then, finally, of course, Liberian President Charles Taylor would have to leave the country.
Now, if all of those conditions were met, then, perhaps, the United States, the president, and the Pentagon would consider sending in U.S. troops.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: U.S. troops will be there to help Ecowas (ph) go in and serve as peacekeepers necessary to create the conditions so that humanitarian aid can go in and help the people of -- in Liberia. And we're deeply concerned that the condition of the Liberian people is getting worse and worse and worse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Now, Heidi, President Bush yesterday made it very clear that this mission would be limited in time and scope if U.S. troops were actually to go on the ground in Liberia. He says that it is the United Nations, a multinational force that would be in charge of the peacekeeping efforts in the long run, Heidi.
COLLINS: Suzanne, as the situation escalates, certainly the violence escalates in this region, and troops get into position, is there a shift in feeling or a shift in thinking, if you will, about troops possibly being overtasked in several different countries on several different missions right now at the White House?
MALVEAUX: I don't think there's any shift at all in their position about that. I think they're very concerned that, really, the military would be stretched very thin. I think what's happening here is that you have a lot of international pressure, domestic pressure on the president to get involved, from the United Nations, from the European Union, even from people in -- within this country, to say, Yes, let's go ahead and do something about this.
You have a huge rift between the Department of State as well as the Pentagon in terms of just what type of resources to commit to this. Ultimately, it is going to come down to the situation on the ground.
COLLINS: All right. Suzanne Malveaux, thanks so much for clearing all that up for us this morning from the White House.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
