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CNN Live Sunday
White House Stands By March 17 Disarmament Deadline
Aired March 09, 2003 - 17:00 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: We begin with another volley in the looming showdown with Iraq. Tough talk from the White House today and a proposed March 17 ultimatum. Administration officials are standing firm on that date. For more on that, let's go to CNN's Dana Bash at the White House.
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Well, the president is here at the White House this weekend spending a rare weekend here. He took advantage of what was really a beautiful day in Washington, went for a jog, left the White House to do that, along with the first lady. Meanwhile, his top national security advisers are working hard this weekend to lobby members of the Security Council. Those members that they hope they can bring on board to pass a deadline at the U.N., a resolution giving a deadline to Saddam Hussein of March 17 to disarm. They are working very hard. Hoping to get a majority of the Security Council members to pass that resolution.
Secretary of State Colin Powell was on CNN's late edition and said that he is encouraged by the conversations he's having.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We don't know yet. We are working very hard over this weekend, as you might imagine, and we'll be working very hard over the next several days to talk to our friends on the Security Council. And I think we're making some progress with the elected ten members, but as you know, the French have taken a strong position to oppose any resolution. Although they haven't used the word veto, they're certainly indicating that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Now, of course, a veto of the resolution would mean that it would die, but the U.S. officials, both Secretary of State Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, the national security adviser, echoed today what the president himself has said in the past, that they do not believe that the United States needs another resolution to pass at the United Nations to give the authority that they need to use military action against Iraq because the past resolutions, most importantly, 1441, which passed unanimously at the U.N., already gives the president that authority.
The other thing that Colin Powell said was that he doesn't think that there's a need to push back the March 17 date. There was a suggestion that perhaps it could help them get more votes if they gave Iraq a little more time, but he made it pretty clear that date is firm -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Dana, thank you very much 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 March 9, 2003 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: We begin with another volley in the looming showdown with Iraq. Tough talk from the White House today and a proposed March 17 ultimatum. Administration officials are standing firm on that date. For more on that, let's go to CNN's Dana Bash at the White House.
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Well, the president is here at the White House this weekend spending a rare weekend here. He took advantage of what was really a beautiful day in Washington, went for a jog, left the White House to do that, along with the first lady. Meanwhile, his top national security advisers are working hard this weekend to lobby members of the Security Council. Those members that they hope they can bring on board to pass a deadline at the U.N., a resolution giving a deadline to Saddam Hussein of March 17 to disarm. They are working very hard. Hoping to get a majority of the Security Council members to pass that resolution.
Secretary of State Colin Powell was on CNN's late edition and said that he is encouraged by the conversations he's having.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We don't know yet. We are working very hard over this weekend, as you might imagine, and we'll be working very hard over the next several days to talk to our friends on the Security Council. And I think we're making some progress with the elected ten members, but as you know, the French have taken a strong position to oppose any resolution. Although they haven't used the word veto, they're certainly indicating that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Now, of course, a veto of the resolution would mean that it would die, but the U.S. officials, both Secretary of State Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, the national security adviser, echoed today what the president himself has said in the past, that they do not believe that the United States needs another resolution to pass at the United Nations to give the authority that they need to use military action against Iraq because the past resolutions, most importantly, 1441, which passed unanimously at the U.N., already gives the president that authority.
The other thing that Colin Powell said was that he doesn't think that there's a need to push back the March 17 date. There was a suggestion that perhaps it could help them get more votes if they gave Iraq a little more time, but he made it pretty clear that date is firm -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Dana, thank you very much 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
