Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Sunday
Bush, Blair, Aznar Make Tomorrow Deadline for Iraq's Disarmament
Aired March 16, 2003 - 18:00 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.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: As summits go, this one in the Azores was pretty darn quick. A formality really with an outcome, apparently, a forgone conclusion, a photo op, some said. The leaders of the United States, Britain and Spain huddled for a short time. When they came out the basic message was Iraq's deadline for disarmament expires tomorrow. CNN's senior White House correspondent John King joins us from his post where the administration seems on the edge of ordering troops into battle -- John.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, that decision could be just days away. President Bush making his way back to the White House. He's due back in about three hours. We are told phone calls on Air Force One as he makes his way across the Atlantic, more calls into the morning. That to see if the goal of this emergency summit in the Azores can be realized. President Bush, along with Prime Minister Blair of Great Britain, Prime Minister Aznar of Spain, Prime Minister Barroso of Portugal, committing themselves to one final effort to try to get a second resolution out of the Security Council, a resolution that gives Saddam Hussein an ultimatum, and also clears the way for military force to be used if Saddam Hussein fails that test. A great deal of skepticism here at the White House that such objections from France and others can be overcome. But Mr. Bush promised to make his effort. He called tomorrow a defining moment for the world, a point echoed by his chief ally in the showdown with Iraq, the British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: So, now we have reached the point of decision, and we make a final appeal for there to be that strong, unified message on behalf of the international community. That lays down a clear ultimatum to Saddam that authorizes force if he continues to defy the will of the whole of the international community set out in 1441.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: 1441 is Resolution 1441, the U.N. resolution that sent the weapons inspectors back in, but also demanded immediate and full Iraqi compliance. You could hear it from Prime Minister Blair there and from President Bush as well, a great sense of frustration that France and others will not now accept an ultimatum 4 1/2 months after that resolution was passed by the Security Council. The leaders will have some urgent diplomacy over the next 12 to 18 hours. They will then decide if they can get a new resolution through the Security Council. If they do not at least have a majority they will not even seek a vote. And we are told that as early as tomorrow night from here at the White House and definitely by the middle of the week, President Bush will deliver one last ultimatum to Saddam Hussein, tell the American people to be prepared for war, perhaps within days. And urge the weapons inspectors, journalists and friendly diplomats inside Iraq to get out -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right. John King at the White House. Thanks.
It is fairly clear from today's summit that the United Nations has lost any influence on the U.S. If there's no second U.N. resolution, and it now appears unlikely, there will be, perhaps the only thing left is for the U.S. to tell weapons inspectors, and journalists and others, as John King just mentioned, to get out of Iraq, Baghdad in particular.
CNN's Michael Okwu is at U.N. with perceptions there of today's summit -- Michael.
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, hello to you. The chief weapons inspector Hans Blix is putting the finishing touches on his 30-page program of work for the Security Council. This is essentially a list of some of the key remaining disarmament tasks that the Iraqis will have to comply with. Of course, the diplomatic window will be closed on Tuesday morning, but it is not stopping the chief weapons inspector from doing the job that he set out to do. This is what the chief weapons inspector had to say earlier this afternoon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANS BLIX, CHIEF U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: I didn't feel there was an ultimatum that was before a certain time we should do something. But I think we talked about the character of the regime, and the weapons of mass destruction, cheating and liberation of Iraq, and so forth. I did not read (ph) an ultimatum to it, but I certainly felt that the situation was very, very tense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OKWU: U.N. officials say that the chief weapons inspector, Mr. Blix, will be asking for several more months for the inspections process to continue. All of this ahead of a Security Council closed- door session tomorrow afternoon. We understand that France, and Germany and Russia are calling for a ministerial level meeting sometime early this week, possibly as early as Tuesday to try to hammer out some of these remaining issues. In the meantime, the Iraqis are talking about war. Diplomats all mentioning war. And, in fact, the Iraqi ambassador says the Iraqis are digging their heels and preparing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMMED ALDOURI, IRAQ AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: We can hopefully avoid this war. But if there will be aggression from American and others against my country, we will certainly only defend ourselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OKWU: In the meantime, Hans Blix is still looking over a VX report that was sent to his office just a couple of days ago. We understand it's been completely translated at this point, Anderson. And now it's just up to his team to look into it and make some sort of substantive assessment as to whether it resolves some of the outstanding issues having to do with that particular program -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right. Michael Okwu at the U.N., thanks 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
Disarmament>
Aired March 16, 2003 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: As summits go, this one in the Azores was pretty darn quick. A formality really with an outcome, apparently, a forgone conclusion, a photo op, some said. The leaders of the United States, Britain and Spain huddled for a short time. When they came out the basic message was Iraq's deadline for disarmament expires tomorrow. CNN's senior White House correspondent John King joins us from his post where the administration seems on the edge of ordering troops into battle -- John.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, that decision could be just days away. President Bush making his way back to the White House. He's due back in about three hours. We are told phone calls on Air Force One as he makes his way across the Atlantic, more calls into the morning. That to see if the goal of this emergency summit in the Azores can be realized. President Bush, along with Prime Minister Blair of Great Britain, Prime Minister Aznar of Spain, Prime Minister Barroso of Portugal, committing themselves to one final effort to try to get a second resolution out of the Security Council, a resolution that gives Saddam Hussein an ultimatum, and also clears the way for military force to be used if Saddam Hussein fails that test. A great deal of skepticism here at the White House that such objections from France and others can be overcome. But Mr. Bush promised to make his effort. He called tomorrow a defining moment for the world, a point echoed by his chief ally in the showdown with Iraq, the British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: So, now we have reached the point of decision, and we make a final appeal for there to be that strong, unified message on behalf of the international community. That lays down a clear ultimatum to Saddam that authorizes force if he continues to defy the will of the whole of the international community set out in 1441.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: 1441 is Resolution 1441, the U.N. resolution that sent the weapons inspectors back in, but also demanded immediate and full Iraqi compliance. You could hear it from Prime Minister Blair there and from President Bush as well, a great sense of frustration that France and others will not now accept an ultimatum 4 1/2 months after that resolution was passed by the Security Council. The leaders will have some urgent diplomacy over the next 12 to 18 hours. They will then decide if they can get a new resolution through the Security Council. If they do not at least have a majority they will not even seek a vote. And we are told that as early as tomorrow night from here at the White House and definitely by the middle of the week, President Bush will deliver one last ultimatum to Saddam Hussein, tell the American people to be prepared for war, perhaps within days. And urge the weapons inspectors, journalists and friendly diplomats inside Iraq to get out -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right. John King at the White House. Thanks.
It is fairly clear from today's summit that the United Nations has lost any influence on the U.S. If there's no second U.N. resolution, and it now appears unlikely, there will be, perhaps the only thing left is for the U.S. to tell weapons inspectors, and journalists and others, as John King just mentioned, to get out of Iraq, Baghdad in particular.
CNN's Michael Okwu is at U.N. with perceptions there of today's summit -- Michael.
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, hello to you. The chief weapons inspector Hans Blix is putting the finishing touches on his 30-page program of work for the Security Council. This is essentially a list of some of the key remaining disarmament tasks that the Iraqis will have to comply with. Of course, the diplomatic window will be closed on Tuesday morning, but it is not stopping the chief weapons inspector from doing the job that he set out to do. This is what the chief weapons inspector had to say earlier this afternoon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANS BLIX, CHIEF U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: I didn't feel there was an ultimatum that was before a certain time we should do something. But I think we talked about the character of the regime, and the weapons of mass destruction, cheating and liberation of Iraq, and so forth. I did not read (ph) an ultimatum to it, but I certainly felt that the situation was very, very tense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OKWU: U.N. officials say that the chief weapons inspector, Mr. Blix, will be asking for several more months for the inspections process to continue. All of this ahead of a Security Council closed- door session tomorrow afternoon. We understand that France, and Germany and Russia are calling for a ministerial level meeting sometime early this week, possibly as early as Tuesday to try to hammer out some of these remaining issues. In the meantime, the Iraqis are talking about war. Diplomats all mentioning war. And, in fact, the Iraqi ambassador says the Iraqis are digging their heels and preparing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMMED ALDOURI, IRAQ AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: We can hopefully avoid this war. But if there will be aggression from American and others against my country, we will certainly only defend ourselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OKWU: In the meantime, Hans Blix is still looking over a VX report that was sent to his office just a couple of days ago. We understand it's been completely translated at this point, Anderson. And now it's just up to his team to look into it and make some sort of substantive assessment as to whether it resolves some of the outstanding issues having to do with that particular program -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right. Michael Okwu at the U.N., thanks 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
Disarmament>
