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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Iraq: New Deadline? Diplomatic Maneuvers Continue

Aired March 07, 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.


WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Showdown: Iraq, the weapons report and the words President Bush didn't want to hear.

HANS BLIX, U.N. CHIEF WEAPONS INSPECTOR: It will not take years, nor weeks, but months.

BLITZER: Today, the showdown at the United Nations.

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: And the consequences of Saddam Hussein's continued refusal to disarm will be very, very real.

DOMINIQUE DE VILLEPIN, FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): War is always an acknowledgement of failure.

BLITZER: Has diplomacy run its course? Threats of force met with threats of vetos.

Will Saddam Hussein run away? Who will run Baghdad after a war?

Closing in on al Qaeda members. But are they closing in on the U.S.? Now, developments in the hunt for Osama bin Laden -- and new information on the terror targets in the homeland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: It's Friday, March 7, 2003. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

Focused on its showdown with Iraq, the Bush administration finds itself beset by a triple threat. Iraq is relatively upbeat as the move toward war is stalled, at least briefly, by diplomatic maneuvering at the U.N. Baghdad praises the Hans Blix weapons report.

The terror trail. As the United States hunts for Osama bin Laden armed with information from a captured terror chief, is bin Laden's network hunting for Americans?

And a warning at sea. After challenging U.S. air power, North Korea plans a test of a new anti-ship missile.

We have three reports. We'll go live to our national security correspondent, David Ensor, on the bin Laden hunt, and our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, on the latest threat from North Korea.

But first to Richard Roth at the United Nations with a setback for the United States -- Richard.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it would have taken a dramatic standoff or breakthrough to get this Security Council together. It's now still badly divided.

The weapons' inspectors report did not deliver one. Now the U.S. and U.K. are hoping a compromise proposal may do the job.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROTH (voice-over): A deadline for Iraq. The U.S., Britain and Spain want to give Iraq until March 17 to give up weapons of mass destruction.

JACK STRAW, BRITISH FOREIGN SECY.: Mr. President, the council must send Iraq the clear message that we will resolve this crisis on the United Nations' terms.

ROTH: The deadline, included in an amended draft resolution, which still needs approval by the full Security Council. France immediately rejected the idea.

DE VILLEPIN: They are giving the deadline of the 17th of March, which is 10 days. We don't think that we go to war on a timetable.

ROTH: The deadline dilemma pushed a U.N. weapons inspectors' report into the background. Chief Weapons Inspector Hans Blix did cite better Iraqi cooperation, but, again, with a caveat.

BLIX: Iraq, with a highly developed administrative system, should be able to provide more documentary evidence about its proscribed weapons programs. Only a few new such documents have come to light so far.

ROTH: The bottom line on the Blix report: no evidence of mobile weapons production centers, no evidence of underground weapons production, despite U.S. charges. Blix gives Iraq points for trying to give an accurate count for biological and chemical weapons it already destroyed, but scolds them for failing to revealing how many of those weapons it produced in the first place.

When it comes to Iraq's destruction of al-Samoud 2 missiles, this showdown.

BLIX: We are not watching the breaking of toothpicks. Lethal weapons are being destroyed.

POWELL: But problem was we don't know how many missiles there are, how many toothpicks there are.

ROTH: Blix's assessment of a timetable for Iraqi disarmament could not have sat well with the Bush administration.

BLIX: It will not take years, nor weeks, but months.

ROTH: And this from the top nuclear inspector.

MOHAMMED ELBARADEI, IAEA CHIEF: We have, to date, found no evidence or plausible indication of the revival of a nuclear weapon program in Iraq.

ROTH: Blix and EBaradei both cited better Iraqi cooperation in allowing scientists to be interviewed in private. But they both said they want to be able to speak to those scientists outside Iraq.

When they finished, divided Council members dug in deeper.

DE VILLEPIN: Why should we wish to proceed by force at any price when we can succeed peacefully?

STRAW: Dominique, that's a false choice. I wish that it were that easy, because we wouldn't be having to have this discussion. We could all put up our hands for disarmament by peace and go home.

POWELL: The clock continues to tick, and the consequences of Saddam Hussein's continued refusal to disarm will be very, very real.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROTH: A U.S. official says a vote is likely Tuesday. Initial reaction not favorable from some Council members. Chile said, didn't favor it, but hasn't said whether it will vote negative or not, if it come that vote -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Richard Roth at the U.N. Richard, thanks very much.

Here's your chance to weigh in the story. Our "Web Question of the Day is this: "Should President Bush give U.N. inspectors more days, weeks or months to disarm Iraq?" We'll have the results later in this broadcast. Please vote at cnn.com/wolf.

While you're there, I'd like to hear from you. Send me your comments. I'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also, of course, where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.

On the terror front, the recent capture of al Qaeda's operations chief has led to a stepped up hunt for the world's most wanted man. Is the noose closing?

Let's go live to our national security correspondent, David Ensor -- David.

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the answer to that question is yes.

There's a lot of rumors out there. There probably may be some disinformation too. But there's clearly also, progress. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ENSOR: An aggressive search for Osama bin Laden is under way, U.S. officials say, as they and Pakistani officials race to take advantage of new leads.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no question in my mind that we will catch bin Laden. It is only a matter of time.

ENSOR: The information is pointing to this part of northwest Pakistan and just across the border in Afghanistan. Narrowing the search, officials say, to a few Pakistani provinces and a small area along the Afghan side of the border.

Despite reports to the contrary, knowledgeable U.S. officials say they do not believe bin Laden is currently in the southwest. The Bolotchistan and Baluchistan province of Pakistan.

The new leads are coming from materials seized Saturday with Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, his laptop, cell phones and address book. The president called him the mastermind of September 11.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Khalid Shaikh Mohammed conceived and planned the hijackings and directed the actions of the hijackers. We believe his capture will further disrupt the terror network and their planning for additional attacks.

ENSOR: U.S. officials confirm Khalid Shaikh Mohammed is now talking and has begun giving his interrogators information that is of some use. Wherever he is, officials say bin Laden must know. He has never been in such danger since he escaped the closing noose in Tora Bora in December of 2001.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ENSOR: A senior law enforcement official tells CNN that among the many names and phone numbers found with Mohammed, including some in the U.S., are two names and numbers in New York City and one from Upstate New York. U.S. sources say the materials also include evidence Mohammed may have been planning attacks on apartment buildings, bridges and hotels, but there are no specifics -- Wolf.

BLITZER: David Ensor, thanks very much. And as David just reported, the last time anyone was sure where bin Laden was hiding out was in December of 2001. Coalition forces were sure they had him trapped when they bombed al Qaeda hideouts near Tora Bora in eastern Afghanistan.

No one knew whether he survived. Confusion about his fate followed until January 2002. That's when Pakistan's President, Pervez Musharraf, announced to the world, in an interview right here on CNN, that bin Laden had been killed in the Tora Bora attack.

But then in November 2002, the Arabic language news network al Jazeera aired an audiotape it said was from bin Laden. That was followed by a release of a second audiotape only last month. Experts say there's little doubt now Osama bin Laden is indeed alive. CNN confirmed he was injured at Tora Bora, but escaped and later had surgery to repair the damage.

Last weekend's capture of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed may be providing the best information so far on Osama bin Laden's whereabouts.

For more, I'm joined now from New York by Neil Herman. He's the former supervisor of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force. He played a key role in the initial search for Khalid Shaikh Mohammed.

Who is best suited right now to capture Osama bin Laden, either dead or alive?

NEIL HERMAN, FORMER FBI SUPERVISOR, JOINT TERRORISM TASK FORCE: Well, the Pakistan Intelligence Service, along with the CIA and the FBI, probably are in the best position right now to catch Osama bin Laden, based on the information that was revealed in Mr. Khalid's arrest last weekend in Pakistan.

BLITZER: And you say that because he's presumably along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan right now? That's the working assumption right, Mr. Herman?

HERMAN: Well, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed is a wealth of information. By far the most significant individual caught in the last 10 years.

The FBI had an opportunity to catch him approximately seven years ago when we sent a rendition team to Qatar. We missed him ,unfortunately. He then fell off of the face of the Earth and became a fugitive for the last seven years.

BLITZER: The arrest of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the capture -- that became public very quickly. I assume if they captured or killed Osama bin Laden that would be made public very quickly, too? Or is there some incentive -- would there be an incentive to keep that secret?

HERMAN: Well, it's a very fluid situation in Pakistan right now, whether Osama bin Laden is, in fact, within the borders of Pakistan or in the country of Afghanistan.

Either way, the information is a basic military operation with the support of the United States government. And that information must be developed very quickly based on the information from the searches that were conducted last weekend. All of that information, the phone records, the toll records, the paper trail, all the information on the laptop computer is invaluable to be analyzed and acted upon extremely quickly.

BLITZER: Why do you think that so much information is left on these computers, these hard drives? You would think that they would be more cautious in where they would keep this most sensitive kind of information.

HERMAN: Well in 1994, in an apartment in the Philippines, Ramzi Youssef, then the first conspirator in the World Trade Center bombing of 1993, was working with Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and other conspirators in a plan to blow up 10 American air carriers in the Far East.

When the search was conducted and analyzed, the information found on those laptop computers played an invaluable role in the arrest of Ramzi Yousef two months later in Islamabad.

So this information left by Khalid Shaikh Mohammed is nothing new. He is, in fact, the straw that stirs the drink and he is, by far, the coordinator for al Qaeda past and present.

BLITZER: And this notion of this capture earlier in the day, discredited later in the day, that either one or two of Osama bin Laden's sons had actually been captured or killed. What do you make of this conflicting kind of information we're getting from this border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan?

HERMAN: Again, the information is very fluid. There's a number of camps that the intelligence services, along with possibly special operations of our government have enacted. Certainly the elder son of Osama bin Laden, Said bin Laden, is a very integral partner in the al Qaeda network.

But that information again is very fluid and we'll take time to develop and the authorities must be able to assess its worth as soon as possible.

BLITZER: Neil Herman, formerly of the FBI. Neil, thanks very much for that important information.

HERMAN: My pleasure. Thank you.

BLITZER: And there are new developments in another hot spot as well. North Korea is now expected to test a missile in the Sea of Japan, possibly as early as this weekend. Our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre has more on that -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the last time North Korea tested one of these short-range anti-ship missiles was on the eve of the inauguration of South Korea's new president. At the time the U.S. dismissed it as no surprise, presumably they won't be too surprised about this one.

It was announced by North Korea that beginning essentially now and for the next three days, it's issued a notice to mariners that it'll test from the sea one of these short-range KN-01 missiles.

The U.S. will be watching, using various reconnaissance assets. But so far the U.S. hasn't announced whether it'll start resuming those reconnaissance flights. They will resume, but the question is will they resume with some sort armed escort or planes nearby to respond if there's another confrontation. But at this point, Wolf, U.S. officials down playing this latest North Korean missile test.

BLITZER: All right, more tension for the Bush administration on multiple fronts. Jamie McIntyre at Pentagon. Thanks, Jamie, very much.

The nuts and bolts of regime change. How will the military actually go about removing Saddam Hussein from power if it comes down to a war? We'll put that question to our military analyst, the former NATO supreme allied commander, General Wesley Clark. He'll join us live.

Plus new information on the U.S. war plan. Why the Pentagon is giving up on the element of surprise.

And managing the message. How the White House is doing it with some success, at least at home, if not around the world. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Saddam Hussein's final moments. How would he evade capture and death if the U.S. goes on war? Who will come to his aid? Who will not be so gentle? Some surprising answers coming up from the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander General Wesley Clark. Stay with us. We're back in one moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: U.S.-led forces have been leafletting Iraq, hoping to persuade Iraqi troops to ignore any order to use weapons of mass destruction. The leaflets say any unit that chooses to use such weapons will face swift and serve retribution from coalition forces and unit commanders will be personally held accountable. A similar message is being sent into Iraq in radio broadcasts.

The White House has long made it clear that the objective of any war against Iraq would be regime change, in other words removing President Saddam Hussein from power. As war becomes increasingly more likely, we thought we'd take a look at the tactics that might be used to achieve that objective. And for that let's go now to our CNN military analyst, retired General Wesley Clark.

General Clark, thanks for joining us. How do you get to remove Saddam Hussein from power if in fact there's a war?

GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, Wolf. We've got to go after his headquarters and find out where he's commanding from. And then we cut the communications, we take away his staff, we take away his ability to influence events and he just becomes an isolated individual. And if we take him, so much the better.

BLITZER: He does have escape routes. I'm sure he's been planning this for years and years and years.

CLARK: I figure he's got one escape route per body double. So maybe ten of them. He's probably going to go out by airplane, by sea, by camel, by car, by horseback, on foot.

BLITZER: If he does manage to escape, even in the midst of war, let's say he gets out of there somehow by donkey, if you will, which country in the neighborhood or maybe not in the neighborhood might give him some sort of sanctuary?

CLARK: Well I think that's the really important question because I think it's going to be -- he's got to worry a lot more about what happens after he gets out. There's a chance in the confusion he could slip away. But then he's looking at Belarus, maybe Russia would take care of him. Maybe Libya, maybe Somalia, Sudan.

But he can't look forward to a very happy life after that because he's a dictator. He lives by fear, he rules by intimidation and the people closest to him are frightened of him. Once he loses his grip on all that power, it doesn't matter how much money he has in a Swiss bank account, he's vulnerable and he knows it.

BLITZER: And if you take a look at earlier dictators, Hitler, Stalin or Mussolini, very few of them are willing to go out peacefully. I assume you think Saddam Hussein is not going to simply accept asylum in exchange for allowing himself to be kept alive.

CLARK: I think that's right because I think that Saddam Hussein would understand that if he got put there, there's still many people who would want to settle scores with him, that his chances of survival aren't very good even if he escapes.

So, therefore he's got an option of how this is going to end. I don't think he's going to pull a Hitler. I don't think he'll hide in a bunker and commit suicide. My guess is he's going to try to get away. And he may end up like Mussolini, fleeing on foot, dragged down, turned in to his opponents and hanging from a lamppost somewhere.

BLITZER: At some point down the road. What do you make, while I have you, General, of the latest development, the British proposal for another ten days or so of diplomacy? March 17 this, new deadline that may or may not fly with the other members of the U.N. Security Council?

CLARK: Well, I think it's promising if it brings greater coalition support to the United States and what we must inevitably do. I think that's promising and it's a good tradeoff for us because we've still got military forces moving into position.

But on the other hand, if at the end of ten days, we'll end up exactly where we are today, with nations threatening to veto and no consensus and still wanting months and months and months of more inspections for Saddam, then I think the president's going to have to wait very carefully.

BLITZER: And this notion at least gives the military another 10 days, two weeks maybe, to unload, to get ready. That probably is something General Franks, General Tommy Franks, the central commander, is appreciative of, right?

CLARK: I think that's exactly right. The more time we have, up to a certain point, the more forces we have, the lower the risk of going in.

BLITZER: General Clark, thanks very much for that assessment, appreciate it very much.

And as the world watches the apparent countdown to war, so does Saddam Hussein. We'll go to Baghdad for the latest reaction. And 40 minutes of questions, all but two of them about Iraq. What you didn't hear at the president's news conference, and why.

Plus, a look at the Pentagon's last minute battle plans. You are watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: White House officials say they're pleased with President Bush's news conference last night pressing his case against Iraq. Howard Kurtz of CNN's "RELIABLE SOURCES" and "The Washington Post" looks at the president, at least how he tried to get his message across to a jittery public.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOWARD KURTZ, HOST, CNN'S "RELIABLE SOURCES" (voice-over): President Bush hadn't held a prime-time news conference in 17 months, but as Hans Blix prepared to report to the U.N. on Iraqi compliance with the arms inspectors, the president dominated the morning headlines with the stark message that he's ready to go to war without the U.N., if necessary.

BUSH: When it comes to our security, we really don't need anybody's permission.

KURTZ: Bush has held only eight solo news conferences. His father had conducted seven times as many at this point in his presidency. The younger Bush doesn't much like the whole exercise, and last night he faced some reporters clearly skeptical of the White House rationale for attacking Iraq.

TERRY MORAN, ABC NEWS: What went wrong that so many governments and peoples around the world now not only disagree with you very strongly, but see the U.S. under your leadership as an arrogant power?

BILL PLANTE, CBS NEWS: There are a lot of people in this country, as much as half by polling standards, who agree that he should be disarmed, who listen to you say that you have the evidence, but who feel they haven't seen it, and who still wonder why blood has to be shed if he hasn't attacked us?

KURTZ: Even so, White House officials were pleased, because a news conference was a useful way for the president to make his case, without the formality of a prepared speech, that Saddam Hussein must be disarmed.

Mr. Bush pointedly passed over 82-year-old columnist Helen Thomas, a fixture of these gatherings for 40 years, and that was no accident. White House officials don't like the anti-war tone of her questions.

(on camera): There were two questions last night about North Korea, but none about efforts to find Osama bin Laden and none, amazingly, about the struggling economy. Bush has made this threat of war with Iraq the overwhelming focus of his presidency, and journalists for the moment are following his lead.

This is Howard Kurtz in Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And Howard, we'll have much more on the news media and the possibility of a war with Iraq Sunday morning on CNN's "RELIABLE SOURCES," that airs at 11:30 a.m. Eastern.

When we come back, post-war Iraq. If there is a war and Saddam Hussein falls, what will happen next? CNN learns details about what Pentagon planners have in mind for a possibly new Iraq.

And hunting for the world's most wanted man. Where is Osama bin Laden and how will the U.S. find him? Senator Olympia Snowe of the Senate Intelligence Committee will join us live. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer. Coming up, new information on how a possible war with Iraq may be fought, but first, let's look at some other stories making news right now in our CNN "News Alert."

(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: Not surprisingly, Iraq welcomed news that the chief U.N. weapons inspectors praised what they called new cooperation from Baghdad. There was a quick response in the Iraqi news media. The state-run newspaper urged the U.N. Security Council to reject, and I'm quoting here, "law of the jungle." While Iraqi TV took an uncommon step. Let's turn to CNN's senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the first time, Iraq's main television news broadcast had immediate reaction to developments at the U.N. The unusual move by the state broadcaster bringing positive government reaction to U.S. weapons chief Hans Blix's report. A view echoed by politicians.

MUDHFAR AL ADHAMI, IRAQI NATIONAL ASSEMBLY MEMBER: I found it positive and objective and showing that Iraq is cooperating, full cooperating, and free access giving to the inspection teams.

ROBERTSON: The news broadcast, focusing on speeches by the German, Syrian, Mexican, Russian, French and Chinese foreign ministers, highlighting their comments about Iraq's cooperation. All countries which favor continuing inspections, but full coverage of the U.N. Security Council debate including comments by U.S. and British representatives, was only available in government offices here.

AL ADHAMI: I hope that the American administration might reconsider at least, think wisely about -- reconsider their attitude and think wisely about this matter, because, after all, this will threaten the peace in the area and all over the world.

ROBERTSON (on camera): Few here, however, particularly following President Bush's recent reinforcement of the U.S. position towards Iraq believe war really can be avoided. It's not a matter of if, they say, but when.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And let's look at some other developments in the showdown with Iraq. Britain's army chief says his troops will be ready to go to war in days, but could fight immediately if necessary. On a visit to Kuwait, General Mike Jackson says there are concerns about chemical weapons and the desert heat, but he stresses his force is, quote, "very capable." Britain has almost 30,000 troops in Kuwait and has also sent combat ships and aircraft to the Gulf.

It's not letting American troops deploy, but Turkey is beefing up its own forces along its border with Iraq. Hundreds of trucks with dozens of tanks and artillery pieces have moved into the area. Turkey has said it will send troops to the northern Iraq in case of a war to prevent the flood of refugees and the creation of an independent Kurdish state. Iraqi Kurds have vowed to resist such a move, and the United States today urged Turkey not, not to act alone.

CNN has learned that a former U.S. ambassador has been tapped to head a post-war civilian administration in Baghdad. Barbara Bodine served in Yemen during the bombing of the USS Cole in October 2000. The U.S. plan calls for the northern and southern sectors of Iraq to be administered by retired U.S. Army generals. A U.S. team would seek to establish a new Iraqi government structure, as soon as the military could assure security.

And as the U.S. military makes final preparations, it looks as though it will forfeit what is usually a major advantage in war, that is a surprise. Once again, here's CNN senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE (voice-over): Usually D-Day, the first day of a war, is a closely guarded secret, but Pentagon sources say the U.S. is considering giving up what it calls "tactical surprise," in order to minimize civilian deaths. President Bush has said as much.

BUSH: We will give people a chance to leave, and we don't want anybody in harm's way who shouldn't be in harm's way. MCINTYRE: Sources say the U.S. is considering dropping leaflets, warning the Iraqi populace 24 hours in advance. That will also maximize pressure on Saddam Hussein to reconsider the U.S.'s longstanding offer to accept exile.

BUSH: We believe that as a result of the pressure that we have placed and others have placed, that Saddam will disarm and/or leave the country.

MCINTYRE: Meanwhile along the Iraqi border in northern Kuwait, contractors guarded by the U.S. military are literally clearing a path for invasion. At least seven openings have been cut into the wire fence marking the U.N.-monitored demilitarized zone, and more openings will be cut in the days ahead, sources say.

And sources tell CNN that Saudi Arabia is quietly allowing U.S. to reposition forces from the Prince Sultan air base, southeast of Riyadh, to several forward bases closer to the Iraqi border. Sources say the forces include fighter planes, helicopters and some special forces.

And in Kuwait, the first of the 101st Airborne Division's Apache Longbow helicopters have arrived. Sources say the entire fleet could be up and flying within five to seven days. The U.S. is still waiting for Turkey to grant overflight rights for planes on two aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean Sea. At the very least, the U.S. is hoping to use the 25 U.S. warplanes that patrol the northern no-fly zone from Incirlik, Turkey.

(on camera): The war plan for Iraq does not yet have a catchy name such as Operation Desert Storm, but it does have a designation, Op Plan 1003 Victor (ph). Sources say it could be executed in as little as 10 days.

Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: On the trail of Osama bin Laden. U.S. forces are in hot pursuit of the world's most wanted man. Do they know where he is? I'll ask Senator Olympia Snowe. She serves on the Intelligence Committee.

And inside the White House, who is working on fighting America's critics around the world? We'll have a rare look inside behind the scenes. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: U.S. officials are downplaying reports that surfaced early in the day suggesting that two of Osama bin Laden's sons may have been captured in Afghanistan. The officials tell CNN they can't substantiate the reports and they don't believe they're true.

Ever since a top bin Laden aid was captured in Pakistan one week ago there's been speculation searchers are closing in on Osama bin Laden himself. Republican Senator Olympia Snowe is a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. She's joining us to discuss this and other issues.

Senator Snowe, thanks very much for joining us. Is the U.S. closing in on Osama bin laden?

SEN. OLYMPIA SNOWE (R), MAINE: Well, I think obviously, they're working very hard to do so and I think it is an extraordinary triumph that the United States has been able to apprehend some of the key financiers and masterminds of September 11 and part of, you know, obviously Osama bin Laden's operation. So I think they're moving in and trying to do everything that they can.

BLITZER: Have they dramatically narrowed the geographic area where they suspect Osama bin Laden may be hiding out?

SNOWE: I couldn't indicate that at this point, Wolfe. Obviously, if I knew within the Intelligence Committee, I could not say so, but I think that obviously, I think this has been a primary goal since September 11 and our people and conjunction with the Pakistanis and those in Afghanistan are working very hard to secure him.

BLITZER: And the Pakistani government is fully helping the U.S. government, right?

SNOWE: Well, when I was in Pakistan last year they indicated that and certainly Musharraf did at that point.

BLITZER: And they were instrumental, obviously, in helping arrest or capture Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who was captured last weekend.

Why is it so hard, though, to find Osama bin Laden based on the briefings that you've received? Because I'm sure you've asked that question.

SNOWE: Well, I can't indicate what I've learned in my briefings, obviously, in the Intelligence Committee, but I think, suffice it to say, just from what we know from the terrain, you know, in Afghanistan and in Pakistan, it's very difficult and obviously, I think that's what's making it that much harder for our forces and over time -- but I think it will be a matter of time. At least that's my personal opinion.

BLITZER: And the reports earlier in the day suggesting that two of the sons or at least one of the sons may have been captured or killed or hurt. Have you heard anything at all on those reports?

SNOWE: No, I have not. No, I have not.

BLITZER: So that still -- that's still -- remains very much up in the air right now.

SNOWE: But I think what happened last weekend with the apprehending of Mohammed was really a major success and a major step forward because obviously he is one of the key operatives in the al Qaeda operation.

BLITZER: And I suspect that all of this activity, this intense activity along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, including some of the remote areas, is probably a spin-off of the capture of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed.

SNOWE: Well, you know, I can't say in terms of the operations, but I think that, obviously, we're going to be -- you know, our forces in conjunction with others, are going to be working very aggressively.

BLITZER: You support the president when it comes to the showdown with Iraq. But a lot of your constituents in Maine, as you well know, are very nervous about this and many of them outright opposed. They say what's wrong with giving these inspectors what they say they want, a few more months to try to get the job done?

SNOWE: Well, I think the question now, Wolf is how long. We've obviously seen 12 years of defiance and deception by Saddam Hussein. He breached, obviously, the cease-fire resolutions that included a condition for disarmament. He obviously drove out inspectors when there was no threat of force. He continues to evade and escape every means of complying with the U.N. Security Council resolutions and I think it's a point we have to recognize the continued threat that he poses and also potential convergence of transnational terrorism in states who sponsor weapons of mass destruction.

BLITZER: But you haven't seen any hard evidence flatly linking Saddam Hussein directly to 9/11 or al Qaeda?

SNOWE: No, I haven't -- what I have indicated is based on what Secretary Powell has indicated, which is Zarqawi, which is a key -- you know, he was an al Qaeda operative who was in Baghdad for medical treatment, who is responsible for the laboratory in northern Iraq that produces ricin and explosives.

Obviously, at what point does that nexus occur? You know, if you had a terrorist organizations, or terrorists who share Saddam Hussein's disdain for America, who better to provide them with weapons of mass destruction? We don't know. And the question is, what happens if we fail to connect the dots? The risk miscalculation is too great.

BLITZER: Do you think the president has successfully made the case last night for the possibility of war, especially among those who are very, very concerned about this, the anti-war, elements, whether in Maine elsewhere around the country.

SNOWE: I think he certainly made a convincing case of laying out the problems, the obstacles. The president, and I urged him to do so, to pursue a diplomatic course and what we're seeing is Saddam Hussein's pursuing a course of deceit. And I think it's a question of whether or not the Security Council is going you know, become a relevant institution in enforcing its own resolutions and that's what it's all about. It's diplomacy going to have the backing of a deterrent with credible threat? And I would hope that they would give support, ultimately, to a resolution, so that we send a message to terrorist organizations and others who are pursuing the idea of stockpiling weapons of mass destruction, that you can't do so with impunity without a strong international response.

BLITZER: Senator Snowe, thanks very joining us.

SNOWE: Thank you, Wolf.

Still ahead on this program, we'll tell you about a war that's already started, a war for hearts and minds around the world.

But first, our look at other news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): In the zone. Israeli troops have taken control of a four square mile area in northern Gaza, saying the move is necessary to stop Palestinians from firing rockets into nearby Israeli border towns. Israel calls the area a security zone and it says troops will remain there as long as necessary.

Cleric sentenced. In London's Old Bailey Courthouse, a Muslim cleric has been sentence for nine years in prison for urging his followers to kill Hindus, Jews and Americans. The public gallery was cleared after supporters raised an uproar, shaking their fist and declaring Allah is the only judge.

Algeria investigation. Experts from Boeing will help investigate yesterday's Algerian Airliner Disaster. A Boeing 737 crashed while taking off from a desert airport, leaving 102 people dead.

Great scott! He played a secret agent in the movies, but he was a secret financial agent in real life. Actor Sean Connery has revealed he put more than a million dollars into a special bank account and quietly donated all of the interest to the Scottish National Party. The party, like Connery, supports Scottish independence from the United Kingdom.

And that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Last month President Bush signed an executive order creating an Office of Global Communications. The small office has a big mission. Our White House Correspondent Dana Bash takes an inside look at the operation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TUCKER ESKEW, DIR. OFFICE OF GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS: Let's call roll. See who's here and get started on the day.

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is 9:30 a.m. Every day at this time, this team inside the White House coordinates battle strategy with its troops on the ground. No military brass here, this is a different kind of war. It's the war to win over public opinion around the world for President Bush's policies.

ESKEW: There is a possibility of meetings here on the White House grounds with Iraqi ex-pats. This is to put a human face again on the tyranny of Saddam.

BASH: The new Office of Global Communications, established to promote Mr. Bush's message to international audiences. The message these days, all Iraq, all the time. Staffers craft a daily e-mail with talking points, center reporters and public information officers at embassies around world.

Pushing America's message abroad is not new. Woodrow Wilson did it during World War I, Ronald Reagan during the Cold War.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONALD REAGAN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: But this president has to tackle technology like the Internet and satellite TV. They keep track of daily government events and public appearances of cabinet members. And make sure senior Bush officials accept offers for interviews in key countries they're trying to influence.

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I think that's old Europe.

BASH: Despite the effort, some see the administration's rhetoric as arrogant and insensitive, hurting the White House cause.

CHARLES DOLAN, COMMISSION ON PUBLIC DIPLOMACY: A way to determine that our communications planned to date has not been working is the fact that in Europe right now the protesters are coming out and demonstrating against George Bush, not against Saddam Hussein and clearly it should be the other way around.

ESKEW: We are here not so that America is loved, although millions around the globe do love America. It is so that our foreign policy's understood and the democracy, the democratic process through which it's arrived at is better understood. And therefore our values are better understood.

BASH: That's the long-term goal of this so-called public diplomacy, polishing and shaping America's shaky image abroad. But some say it's not just about message.

HISHAM MELHAM, LEBANESE JOURNALIST: Sometimes outside hatred, unfortunately, is also based on actual policies. Unless you deal with the policy issue, that perception will linger on forever.

BASH (on camera): But administration officials say if they attack Iraq, their job becomes even more important. So much so they intend to open an office in the Persian Gulf to be closer to the people they are trying to influence. Dana Bash, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And time's running out for your turn to weigh in on "Our Web Question of the Day." Should President Bush give U.N. inspectors more days, weeks or months to disarm Iraq? We'll have the results immediately when we come back. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here's how you're weighing in on "Our Web Question of the Day." Remember, we've been asking you this, should President Bush give U.N. inspectors more days, weeks or months to disarm Iraq? Look at this, 36 percent of you say days, 8 percent of you say weeks, 56 percent of you say give him some months. This is, of course, not a scientific poll.

Let's get to some of your e-mail. Bill asked this: "In his speech last night, President Bush claimed that Saddam had been ignoring the U.N. for 12 years and this wrong. In the same breath he said the U.S. was ready to attack Iraq without the U.N. Isn't this just as wrong?

Pam writes this: "The arms inspectors asked again today for the information the U.S. says it has about the location of WMDs, weapons of mass destruction, in Iraq. Is the administration playing the same game it is accusing Iraq of playing? The goal is to rid Iraq of WMDs without going to war, yet this administration is doing everything it can to prevent that."

And this from Colin: "The double standards practiced in the U.N. Security Council are fascinating. Why don't the descenting countries stand up and voice their support for Saddam Hussein instead of hiding behind the guise of world peace? We need to know who supports international terror and who is favor of a quick solution to global conflict."

That's all of the time we have today. Please join me again Sunday on LATE EDITION, the last word in Sunday talk. Among my guests this Sunday, the chairman and the ranking member of the Senate armed services committee, John Warner and Carl Levin.

I'll see you back here Monday at both Noon, 5:00 p.m. Eastern. Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

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 7, 2003 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Showdown: Iraq, the weapons report and the words President Bush didn't want to hear.

HANS BLIX, U.N. CHIEF WEAPONS INSPECTOR: It will not take years, nor weeks, but months.

BLITZER: Today, the showdown at the United Nations.

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: And the consequences of Saddam Hussein's continued refusal to disarm will be very, very real.

DOMINIQUE DE VILLEPIN, FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): War is always an acknowledgement of failure.

BLITZER: Has diplomacy run its course? Threats of force met with threats of vetos.

Will Saddam Hussein run away? Who will run Baghdad after a war?

Closing in on al Qaeda members. But are they closing in on the U.S.? Now, developments in the hunt for Osama bin Laden -- and new information on the terror targets in the homeland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: It's Friday, March 7, 2003. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

Focused on its showdown with Iraq, the Bush administration finds itself beset by a triple threat. Iraq is relatively upbeat as the move toward war is stalled, at least briefly, by diplomatic maneuvering at the U.N. Baghdad praises the Hans Blix weapons report.

The terror trail. As the United States hunts for Osama bin Laden armed with information from a captured terror chief, is bin Laden's network hunting for Americans?

And a warning at sea. After challenging U.S. air power, North Korea plans a test of a new anti-ship missile.

We have three reports. We'll go live to our national security correspondent, David Ensor, on the bin Laden hunt, and our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, on the latest threat from North Korea.

But first to Richard Roth at the United Nations with a setback for the United States -- Richard.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it would have taken a dramatic standoff or breakthrough to get this Security Council together. It's now still badly divided.

The weapons' inspectors report did not deliver one. Now the U.S. and U.K. are hoping a compromise proposal may do the job.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROTH (voice-over): A deadline for Iraq. The U.S., Britain and Spain want to give Iraq until March 17 to give up weapons of mass destruction.

JACK STRAW, BRITISH FOREIGN SECY.: Mr. President, the council must send Iraq the clear message that we will resolve this crisis on the United Nations' terms.

ROTH: The deadline, included in an amended draft resolution, which still needs approval by the full Security Council. France immediately rejected the idea.

DE VILLEPIN: They are giving the deadline of the 17th of March, which is 10 days. We don't think that we go to war on a timetable.

ROTH: The deadline dilemma pushed a U.N. weapons inspectors' report into the background. Chief Weapons Inspector Hans Blix did cite better Iraqi cooperation, but, again, with a caveat.

BLIX: Iraq, with a highly developed administrative system, should be able to provide more documentary evidence about its proscribed weapons programs. Only a few new such documents have come to light so far.

ROTH: The bottom line on the Blix report: no evidence of mobile weapons production centers, no evidence of underground weapons production, despite U.S. charges. Blix gives Iraq points for trying to give an accurate count for biological and chemical weapons it already destroyed, but scolds them for failing to revealing how many of those weapons it produced in the first place.

When it comes to Iraq's destruction of al-Samoud 2 missiles, this showdown.

BLIX: We are not watching the breaking of toothpicks. Lethal weapons are being destroyed.

POWELL: But problem was we don't know how many missiles there are, how many toothpicks there are.

ROTH: Blix's assessment of a timetable for Iraqi disarmament could not have sat well with the Bush administration.

BLIX: It will not take years, nor weeks, but months.

ROTH: And this from the top nuclear inspector.

MOHAMMED ELBARADEI, IAEA CHIEF: We have, to date, found no evidence or plausible indication of the revival of a nuclear weapon program in Iraq.

ROTH: Blix and EBaradei both cited better Iraqi cooperation in allowing scientists to be interviewed in private. But they both said they want to be able to speak to those scientists outside Iraq.

When they finished, divided Council members dug in deeper.

DE VILLEPIN: Why should we wish to proceed by force at any price when we can succeed peacefully?

STRAW: Dominique, that's a false choice. I wish that it were that easy, because we wouldn't be having to have this discussion. We could all put up our hands for disarmament by peace and go home.

POWELL: The clock continues to tick, and the consequences of Saddam Hussein's continued refusal to disarm will be very, very real.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROTH: A U.S. official says a vote is likely Tuesday. Initial reaction not favorable from some Council members. Chile said, didn't favor it, but hasn't said whether it will vote negative or not, if it come that vote -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Richard Roth at the U.N. Richard, thanks very much.

Here's your chance to weigh in the story. Our "Web Question of the Day is this: "Should President Bush give U.N. inspectors more days, weeks or months to disarm Iraq?" We'll have the results later in this broadcast. Please vote at cnn.com/wolf.

While you're there, I'd like to hear from you. Send me your comments. I'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also, of course, where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.

On the terror front, the recent capture of al Qaeda's operations chief has led to a stepped up hunt for the world's most wanted man. Is the noose closing?

Let's go live to our national security correspondent, David Ensor -- David.

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the answer to that question is yes.

There's a lot of rumors out there. There probably may be some disinformation too. But there's clearly also, progress. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ENSOR: An aggressive search for Osama bin Laden is under way, U.S. officials say, as they and Pakistani officials race to take advantage of new leads.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no question in my mind that we will catch bin Laden. It is only a matter of time.

ENSOR: The information is pointing to this part of northwest Pakistan and just across the border in Afghanistan. Narrowing the search, officials say, to a few Pakistani provinces and a small area along the Afghan side of the border.

Despite reports to the contrary, knowledgeable U.S. officials say they do not believe bin Laden is currently in the southwest. The Bolotchistan and Baluchistan province of Pakistan.

The new leads are coming from materials seized Saturday with Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, his laptop, cell phones and address book. The president called him the mastermind of September 11.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Khalid Shaikh Mohammed conceived and planned the hijackings and directed the actions of the hijackers. We believe his capture will further disrupt the terror network and their planning for additional attacks.

ENSOR: U.S. officials confirm Khalid Shaikh Mohammed is now talking and has begun giving his interrogators information that is of some use. Wherever he is, officials say bin Laden must know. He has never been in such danger since he escaped the closing noose in Tora Bora in December of 2001.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ENSOR: A senior law enforcement official tells CNN that among the many names and phone numbers found with Mohammed, including some in the U.S., are two names and numbers in New York City and one from Upstate New York. U.S. sources say the materials also include evidence Mohammed may have been planning attacks on apartment buildings, bridges and hotels, but there are no specifics -- Wolf.

BLITZER: David Ensor, thanks very much. And as David just reported, the last time anyone was sure where bin Laden was hiding out was in December of 2001. Coalition forces were sure they had him trapped when they bombed al Qaeda hideouts near Tora Bora in eastern Afghanistan.

No one knew whether he survived. Confusion about his fate followed until January 2002. That's when Pakistan's President, Pervez Musharraf, announced to the world, in an interview right here on CNN, that bin Laden had been killed in the Tora Bora attack.

But then in November 2002, the Arabic language news network al Jazeera aired an audiotape it said was from bin Laden. That was followed by a release of a second audiotape only last month. Experts say there's little doubt now Osama bin Laden is indeed alive. CNN confirmed he was injured at Tora Bora, but escaped and later had surgery to repair the damage.

Last weekend's capture of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed may be providing the best information so far on Osama bin Laden's whereabouts.

For more, I'm joined now from New York by Neil Herman. He's the former supervisor of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force. He played a key role in the initial search for Khalid Shaikh Mohammed.

Who is best suited right now to capture Osama bin Laden, either dead or alive?

NEIL HERMAN, FORMER FBI SUPERVISOR, JOINT TERRORISM TASK FORCE: Well, the Pakistan Intelligence Service, along with the CIA and the FBI, probably are in the best position right now to catch Osama bin Laden, based on the information that was revealed in Mr. Khalid's arrest last weekend in Pakistan.

BLITZER: And you say that because he's presumably along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan right now? That's the working assumption right, Mr. Herman?

HERMAN: Well, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed is a wealth of information. By far the most significant individual caught in the last 10 years.

The FBI had an opportunity to catch him approximately seven years ago when we sent a rendition team to Qatar. We missed him ,unfortunately. He then fell off of the face of the Earth and became a fugitive for the last seven years.

BLITZER: The arrest of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the capture -- that became public very quickly. I assume if they captured or killed Osama bin Laden that would be made public very quickly, too? Or is there some incentive -- would there be an incentive to keep that secret?

HERMAN: Well, it's a very fluid situation in Pakistan right now, whether Osama bin Laden is, in fact, within the borders of Pakistan or in the country of Afghanistan.

Either way, the information is a basic military operation with the support of the United States government. And that information must be developed very quickly based on the information from the searches that were conducted last weekend. All of that information, the phone records, the toll records, the paper trail, all the information on the laptop computer is invaluable to be analyzed and acted upon extremely quickly.

BLITZER: Why do you think that so much information is left on these computers, these hard drives? You would think that they would be more cautious in where they would keep this most sensitive kind of information.

HERMAN: Well in 1994, in an apartment in the Philippines, Ramzi Youssef, then the first conspirator in the World Trade Center bombing of 1993, was working with Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and other conspirators in a plan to blow up 10 American air carriers in the Far East.

When the search was conducted and analyzed, the information found on those laptop computers played an invaluable role in the arrest of Ramzi Yousef two months later in Islamabad.

So this information left by Khalid Shaikh Mohammed is nothing new. He is, in fact, the straw that stirs the drink and he is, by far, the coordinator for al Qaeda past and present.

BLITZER: And this notion of this capture earlier in the day, discredited later in the day, that either one or two of Osama bin Laden's sons had actually been captured or killed. What do you make of this conflicting kind of information we're getting from this border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan?

HERMAN: Again, the information is very fluid. There's a number of camps that the intelligence services, along with possibly special operations of our government have enacted. Certainly the elder son of Osama bin Laden, Said bin Laden, is a very integral partner in the al Qaeda network.

But that information again is very fluid and we'll take time to develop and the authorities must be able to assess its worth as soon as possible.

BLITZER: Neil Herman, formerly of the FBI. Neil, thanks very much for that important information.

HERMAN: My pleasure. Thank you.

BLITZER: And there are new developments in another hot spot as well. North Korea is now expected to test a missile in the Sea of Japan, possibly as early as this weekend. Our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre has more on that -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the last time North Korea tested one of these short-range anti-ship missiles was on the eve of the inauguration of South Korea's new president. At the time the U.S. dismissed it as no surprise, presumably they won't be too surprised about this one.

It was announced by North Korea that beginning essentially now and for the next three days, it's issued a notice to mariners that it'll test from the sea one of these short-range KN-01 missiles.

The U.S. will be watching, using various reconnaissance assets. But so far the U.S. hasn't announced whether it'll start resuming those reconnaissance flights. They will resume, but the question is will they resume with some sort armed escort or planes nearby to respond if there's another confrontation. But at this point, Wolf, U.S. officials down playing this latest North Korean missile test.

BLITZER: All right, more tension for the Bush administration on multiple fronts. Jamie McIntyre at Pentagon. Thanks, Jamie, very much.

The nuts and bolts of regime change. How will the military actually go about removing Saddam Hussein from power if it comes down to a war? We'll put that question to our military analyst, the former NATO supreme allied commander, General Wesley Clark. He'll join us live.

Plus new information on the U.S. war plan. Why the Pentagon is giving up on the element of surprise.

And managing the message. How the White House is doing it with some success, at least at home, if not around the world. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Saddam Hussein's final moments. How would he evade capture and death if the U.S. goes on war? Who will come to his aid? Who will not be so gentle? Some surprising answers coming up from the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander General Wesley Clark. Stay with us. We're back in one moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: U.S.-led forces have been leafletting Iraq, hoping to persuade Iraqi troops to ignore any order to use weapons of mass destruction. The leaflets say any unit that chooses to use such weapons will face swift and serve retribution from coalition forces and unit commanders will be personally held accountable. A similar message is being sent into Iraq in radio broadcasts.

The White House has long made it clear that the objective of any war against Iraq would be regime change, in other words removing President Saddam Hussein from power. As war becomes increasingly more likely, we thought we'd take a look at the tactics that might be used to achieve that objective. And for that let's go now to our CNN military analyst, retired General Wesley Clark.

General Clark, thanks for joining us. How do you get to remove Saddam Hussein from power if in fact there's a war?

GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, Wolf. We've got to go after his headquarters and find out where he's commanding from. And then we cut the communications, we take away his staff, we take away his ability to influence events and he just becomes an isolated individual. And if we take him, so much the better.

BLITZER: He does have escape routes. I'm sure he's been planning this for years and years and years.

CLARK: I figure he's got one escape route per body double. So maybe ten of them. He's probably going to go out by airplane, by sea, by camel, by car, by horseback, on foot.

BLITZER: If he does manage to escape, even in the midst of war, let's say he gets out of there somehow by donkey, if you will, which country in the neighborhood or maybe not in the neighborhood might give him some sort of sanctuary?

CLARK: Well I think that's the really important question because I think it's going to be -- he's got to worry a lot more about what happens after he gets out. There's a chance in the confusion he could slip away. But then he's looking at Belarus, maybe Russia would take care of him. Maybe Libya, maybe Somalia, Sudan.

But he can't look forward to a very happy life after that because he's a dictator. He lives by fear, he rules by intimidation and the people closest to him are frightened of him. Once he loses his grip on all that power, it doesn't matter how much money he has in a Swiss bank account, he's vulnerable and he knows it.

BLITZER: And if you take a look at earlier dictators, Hitler, Stalin or Mussolini, very few of them are willing to go out peacefully. I assume you think Saddam Hussein is not going to simply accept asylum in exchange for allowing himself to be kept alive.

CLARK: I think that's right because I think that Saddam Hussein would understand that if he got put there, there's still many people who would want to settle scores with him, that his chances of survival aren't very good even if he escapes.

So, therefore he's got an option of how this is going to end. I don't think he's going to pull a Hitler. I don't think he'll hide in a bunker and commit suicide. My guess is he's going to try to get away. And he may end up like Mussolini, fleeing on foot, dragged down, turned in to his opponents and hanging from a lamppost somewhere.

BLITZER: At some point down the road. What do you make, while I have you, General, of the latest development, the British proposal for another ten days or so of diplomacy? March 17 this, new deadline that may or may not fly with the other members of the U.N. Security Council?

CLARK: Well, I think it's promising if it brings greater coalition support to the United States and what we must inevitably do. I think that's promising and it's a good tradeoff for us because we've still got military forces moving into position.

But on the other hand, if at the end of ten days, we'll end up exactly where we are today, with nations threatening to veto and no consensus and still wanting months and months and months of more inspections for Saddam, then I think the president's going to have to wait very carefully.

BLITZER: And this notion at least gives the military another 10 days, two weeks maybe, to unload, to get ready. That probably is something General Franks, General Tommy Franks, the central commander, is appreciative of, right?

CLARK: I think that's exactly right. The more time we have, up to a certain point, the more forces we have, the lower the risk of going in.

BLITZER: General Clark, thanks very much for that assessment, appreciate it very much.

And as the world watches the apparent countdown to war, so does Saddam Hussein. We'll go to Baghdad for the latest reaction. And 40 minutes of questions, all but two of them about Iraq. What you didn't hear at the president's news conference, and why.

Plus, a look at the Pentagon's last minute battle plans. You are watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: White House officials say they're pleased with President Bush's news conference last night pressing his case against Iraq. Howard Kurtz of CNN's "RELIABLE SOURCES" and "The Washington Post" looks at the president, at least how he tried to get his message across to a jittery public.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOWARD KURTZ, HOST, CNN'S "RELIABLE SOURCES" (voice-over): President Bush hadn't held a prime-time news conference in 17 months, but as Hans Blix prepared to report to the U.N. on Iraqi compliance with the arms inspectors, the president dominated the morning headlines with the stark message that he's ready to go to war without the U.N., if necessary.

BUSH: When it comes to our security, we really don't need anybody's permission.

KURTZ: Bush has held only eight solo news conferences. His father had conducted seven times as many at this point in his presidency. The younger Bush doesn't much like the whole exercise, and last night he faced some reporters clearly skeptical of the White House rationale for attacking Iraq.

TERRY MORAN, ABC NEWS: What went wrong that so many governments and peoples around the world now not only disagree with you very strongly, but see the U.S. under your leadership as an arrogant power?

BILL PLANTE, CBS NEWS: There are a lot of people in this country, as much as half by polling standards, who agree that he should be disarmed, who listen to you say that you have the evidence, but who feel they haven't seen it, and who still wonder why blood has to be shed if he hasn't attacked us?

KURTZ: Even so, White House officials were pleased, because a news conference was a useful way for the president to make his case, without the formality of a prepared speech, that Saddam Hussein must be disarmed.

Mr. Bush pointedly passed over 82-year-old columnist Helen Thomas, a fixture of these gatherings for 40 years, and that was no accident. White House officials don't like the anti-war tone of her questions.

(on camera): There were two questions last night about North Korea, but none about efforts to find Osama bin Laden and none, amazingly, about the struggling economy. Bush has made this threat of war with Iraq the overwhelming focus of his presidency, and journalists for the moment are following his lead.

This is Howard Kurtz in Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And Howard, we'll have much more on the news media and the possibility of a war with Iraq Sunday morning on CNN's "RELIABLE SOURCES," that airs at 11:30 a.m. Eastern.

When we come back, post-war Iraq. If there is a war and Saddam Hussein falls, what will happen next? CNN learns details about what Pentagon planners have in mind for a possibly new Iraq.

And hunting for the world's most wanted man. Where is Osama bin Laden and how will the U.S. find him? Senator Olympia Snowe of the Senate Intelligence Committee will join us live. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer. Coming up, new information on how a possible war with Iraq may be fought, but first, let's look at some other stories making news right now in our CNN "News Alert."

(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: Not surprisingly, Iraq welcomed news that the chief U.N. weapons inspectors praised what they called new cooperation from Baghdad. There was a quick response in the Iraqi news media. The state-run newspaper urged the U.N. Security Council to reject, and I'm quoting here, "law of the jungle." While Iraqi TV took an uncommon step. Let's turn to CNN's senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the first time, Iraq's main television news broadcast had immediate reaction to developments at the U.N. The unusual move by the state broadcaster bringing positive government reaction to U.S. weapons chief Hans Blix's report. A view echoed by politicians.

MUDHFAR AL ADHAMI, IRAQI NATIONAL ASSEMBLY MEMBER: I found it positive and objective and showing that Iraq is cooperating, full cooperating, and free access giving to the inspection teams.

ROBERTSON: The news broadcast, focusing on speeches by the German, Syrian, Mexican, Russian, French and Chinese foreign ministers, highlighting their comments about Iraq's cooperation. All countries which favor continuing inspections, but full coverage of the U.N. Security Council debate including comments by U.S. and British representatives, was only available in government offices here.

AL ADHAMI: I hope that the American administration might reconsider at least, think wisely about -- reconsider their attitude and think wisely about this matter, because, after all, this will threaten the peace in the area and all over the world.

ROBERTSON (on camera): Few here, however, particularly following President Bush's recent reinforcement of the U.S. position towards Iraq believe war really can be avoided. It's not a matter of if, they say, but when.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And let's look at some other developments in the showdown with Iraq. Britain's army chief says his troops will be ready to go to war in days, but could fight immediately if necessary. On a visit to Kuwait, General Mike Jackson says there are concerns about chemical weapons and the desert heat, but he stresses his force is, quote, "very capable." Britain has almost 30,000 troops in Kuwait and has also sent combat ships and aircraft to the Gulf.

It's not letting American troops deploy, but Turkey is beefing up its own forces along its border with Iraq. Hundreds of trucks with dozens of tanks and artillery pieces have moved into the area. Turkey has said it will send troops to the northern Iraq in case of a war to prevent the flood of refugees and the creation of an independent Kurdish state. Iraqi Kurds have vowed to resist such a move, and the United States today urged Turkey not, not to act alone.

CNN has learned that a former U.S. ambassador has been tapped to head a post-war civilian administration in Baghdad. Barbara Bodine served in Yemen during the bombing of the USS Cole in October 2000. The U.S. plan calls for the northern and southern sectors of Iraq to be administered by retired U.S. Army generals. A U.S. team would seek to establish a new Iraqi government structure, as soon as the military could assure security.

And as the U.S. military makes final preparations, it looks as though it will forfeit what is usually a major advantage in war, that is a surprise. Once again, here's CNN senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE (voice-over): Usually D-Day, the first day of a war, is a closely guarded secret, but Pentagon sources say the U.S. is considering giving up what it calls "tactical surprise," in order to minimize civilian deaths. President Bush has said as much.

BUSH: We will give people a chance to leave, and we don't want anybody in harm's way who shouldn't be in harm's way. MCINTYRE: Sources say the U.S. is considering dropping leaflets, warning the Iraqi populace 24 hours in advance. That will also maximize pressure on Saddam Hussein to reconsider the U.S.'s longstanding offer to accept exile.

BUSH: We believe that as a result of the pressure that we have placed and others have placed, that Saddam will disarm and/or leave the country.

MCINTYRE: Meanwhile along the Iraqi border in northern Kuwait, contractors guarded by the U.S. military are literally clearing a path for invasion. At least seven openings have been cut into the wire fence marking the U.N.-monitored demilitarized zone, and more openings will be cut in the days ahead, sources say.

And sources tell CNN that Saudi Arabia is quietly allowing U.S. to reposition forces from the Prince Sultan air base, southeast of Riyadh, to several forward bases closer to the Iraqi border. Sources say the forces include fighter planes, helicopters and some special forces.

And in Kuwait, the first of the 101st Airborne Division's Apache Longbow helicopters have arrived. Sources say the entire fleet could be up and flying within five to seven days. The U.S. is still waiting for Turkey to grant overflight rights for planes on two aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean Sea. At the very least, the U.S. is hoping to use the 25 U.S. warplanes that patrol the northern no-fly zone from Incirlik, Turkey.

(on camera): The war plan for Iraq does not yet have a catchy name such as Operation Desert Storm, but it does have a designation, Op Plan 1003 Victor (ph). Sources say it could be executed in as little as 10 days.

Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: On the trail of Osama bin Laden. U.S. forces are in hot pursuit of the world's most wanted man. Do they know where he is? I'll ask Senator Olympia Snowe. She serves on the Intelligence Committee.

And inside the White House, who is working on fighting America's critics around the world? We'll have a rare look inside behind the scenes. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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BLITZER: U.S. officials are downplaying reports that surfaced early in the day suggesting that two of Osama bin Laden's sons may have been captured in Afghanistan. The officials tell CNN they can't substantiate the reports and they don't believe they're true.

Ever since a top bin Laden aid was captured in Pakistan one week ago there's been speculation searchers are closing in on Osama bin Laden himself. Republican Senator Olympia Snowe is a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. She's joining us to discuss this and other issues.

Senator Snowe, thanks very much for joining us. Is the U.S. closing in on Osama bin laden?

SEN. OLYMPIA SNOWE (R), MAINE: Well, I think obviously, they're working very hard to do so and I think it is an extraordinary triumph that the United States has been able to apprehend some of the key financiers and masterminds of September 11 and part of, you know, obviously Osama bin Laden's operation. So I think they're moving in and trying to do everything that they can.

BLITZER: Have they dramatically narrowed the geographic area where they suspect Osama bin Laden may be hiding out?

SNOWE: I couldn't indicate that at this point, Wolfe. Obviously, if I knew within the Intelligence Committee, I could not say so, but I think that obviously, I think this has been a primary goal since September 11 and our people and conjunction with the Pakistanis and those in Afghanistan are working very hard to secure him.

BLITZER: And the Pakistani government is fully helping the U.S. government, right?

SNOWE: Well, when I was in Pakistan last year they indicated that and certainly Musharraf did at that point.

BLITZER: And they were instrumental, obviously, in helping arrest or capture Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who was captured last weekend.

Why is it so hard, though, to find Osama bin Laden based on the briefings that you've received? Because I'm sure you've asked that question.

SNOWE: Well, I can't indicate what I've learned in my briefings, obviously, in the Intelligence Committee, but I think, suffice it to say, just from what we know from the terrain, you know, in Afghanistan and in Pakistan, it's very difficult and obviously, I think that's what's making it that much harder for our forces and over time -- but I think it will be a matter of time. At least that's my personal opinion.

BLITZER: And the reports earlier in the day suggesting that two of the sons or at least one of the sons may have been captured or killed or hurt. Have you heard anything at all on those reports?

SNOWE: No, I have not. No, I have not.

BLITZER: So that still -- that's still -- remains very much up in the air right now.

SNOWE: But I think what happened last weekend with the apprehending of Mohammed was really a major success and a major step forward because obviously he is one of the key operatives in the al Qaeda operation.

BLITZER: And I suspect that all of this activity, this intense activity along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, including some of the remote areas, is probably a spin-off of the capture of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed.

SNOWE: Well, you know, I can't say in terms of the operations, but I think that, obviously, we're going to be -- you know, our forces in conjunction with others, are going to be working very aggressively.

BLITZER: You support the president when it comes to the showdown with Iraq. But a lot of your constituents in Maine, as you well know, are very nervous about this and many of them outright opposed. They say what's wrong with giving these inspectors what they say they want, a few more months to try to get the job done?

SNOWE: Well, I think the question now, Wolf is how long. We've obviously seen 12 years of defiance and deception by Saddam Hussein. He breached, obviously, the cease-fire resolutions that included a condition for disarmament. He obviously drove out inspectors when there was no threat of force. He continues to evade and escape every means of complying with the U.N. Security Council resolutions and I think it's a point we have to recognize the continued threat that he poses and also potential convergence of transnational terrorism in states who sponsor weapons of mass destruction.

BLITZER: But you haven't seen any hard evidence flatly linking Saddam Hussein directly to 9/11 or al Qaeda?

SNOWE: No, I haven't -- what I have indicated is based on what Secretary Powell has indicated, which is Zarqawi, which is a key -- you know, he was an al Qaeda operative who was in Baghdad for medical treatment, who is responsible for the laboratory in northern Iraq that produces ricin and explosives.

Obviously, at what point does that nexus occur? You know, if you had a terrorist organizations, or terrorists who share Saddam Hussein's disdain for America, who better to provide them with weapons of mass destruction? We don't know. And the question is, what happens if we fail to connect the dots? The risk miscalculation is too great.

BLITZER: Do you think the president has successfully made the case last night for the possibility of war, especially among those who are very, very concerned about this, the anti-war, elements, whether in Maine elsewhere around the country.

SNOWE: I think he certainly made a convincing case of laying out the problems, the obstacles. The president, and I urged him to do so, to pursue a diplomatic course and what we're seeing is Saddam Hussein's pursuing a course of deceit. And I think it's a question of whether or not the Security Council is going you know, become a relevant institution in enforcing its own resolutions and that's what it's all about. It's diplomacy going to have the backing of a deterrent with credible threat? And I would hope that they would give support, ultimately, to a resolution, so that we send a message to terrorist organizations and others who are pursuing the idea of stockpiling weapons of mass destruction, that you can't do so with impunity without a strong international response.

BLITZER: Senator Snowe, thanks very joining us.

SNOWE: Thank you, Wolf.

Still ahead on this program, we'll tell you about a war that's already started, a war for hearts and minds around the world.

But first, our look at other news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): In the zone. Israeli troops have taken control of a four square mile area in northern Gaza, saying the move is necessary to stop Palestinians from firing rockets into nearby Israeli border towns. Israel calls the area a security zone and it says troops will remain there as long as necessary.

Cleric sentenced. In London's Old Bailey Courthouse, a Muslim cleric has been sentence for nine years in prison for urging his followers to kill Hindus, Jews and Americans. The public gallery was cleared after supporters raised an uproar, shaking their fist and declaring Allah is the only judge.

Algeria investigation. Experts from Boeing will help investigate yesterday's Algerian Airliner Disaster. A Boeing 737 crashed while taking off from a desert airport, leaving 102 people dead.

Great scott! He played a secret agent in the movies, but he was a secret financial agent in real life. Actor Sean Connery has revealed he put more than a million dollars into a special bank account and quietly donated all of the interest to the Scottish National Party. The party, like Connery, supports Scottish independence from the United Kingdom.

And that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Last month President Bush signed an executive order creating an Office of Global Communications. The small office has a big mission. Our White House Correspondent Dana Bash takes an inside look at the operation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TUCKER ESKEW, DIR. OFFICE OF GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS: Let's call roll. See who's here and get started on the day.

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is 9:30 a.m. Every day at this time, this team inside the White House coordinates battle strategy with its troops on the ground. No military brass here, this is a different kind of war. It's the war to win over public opinion around the world for President Bush's policies.

ESKEW: There is a possibility of meetings here on the White House grounds with Iraqi ex-pats. This is to put a human face again on the tyranny of Saddam.

BASH: The new Office of Global Communications, established to promote Mr. Bush's message to international audiences. The message these days, all Iraq, all the time. Staffers craft a daily e-mail with talking points, center reporters and public information officers at embassies around world.

Pushing America's message abroad is not new. Woodrow Wilson did it during World War I, Ronald Reagan during the Cold War.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONALD REAGAN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: But this president has to tackle technology like the Internet and satellite TV. They keep track of daily government events and public appearances of cabinet members. And make sure senior Bush officials accept offers for interviews in key countries they're trying to influence.

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I think that's old Europe.

BASH: Despite the effort, some see the administration's rhetoric as arrogant and insensitive, hurting the White House cause.

CHARLES DOLAN, COMMISSION ON PUBLIC DIPLOMACY: A way to determine that our communications planned to date has not been working is the fact that in Europe right now the protesters are coming out and demonstrating against George Bush, not against Saddam Hussein and clearly it should be the other way around.

ESKEW: We are here not so that America is loved, although millions around the globe do love America. It is so that our foreign policy's understood and the democracy, the democratic process through which it's arrived at is better understood. And therefore our values are better understood.

BASH: That's the long-term goal of this so-called public diplomacy, polishing and shaping America's shaky image abroad. But some say it's not just about message.

HISHAM MELHAM, LEBANESE JOURNALIST: Sometimes outside hatred, unfortunately, is also based on actual policies. Unless you deal with the policy issue, that perception will linger on forever.

BASH (on camera): But administration officials say if they attack Iraq, their job becomes even more important. So much so they intend to open an office in the Persian Gulf to be closer to the people they are trying to influence. Dana Bash, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And time's running out for your turn to weigh in on "Our Web Question of the Day." Should President Bush give U.N. inspectors more days, weeks or months to disarm Iraq? We'll have the results immediately when we come back. Stay with us.

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BLITZER: Here's how you're weighing in on "Our Web Question of the Day." Remember, we've been asking you this, should President Bush give U.N. inspectors more days, weeks or months to disarm Iraq? Look at this, 36 percent of you say days, 8 percent of you say weeks, 56 percent of you say give him some months. This is, of course, not a scientific poll.

Let's get to some of your e-mail. Bill asked this: "In his speech last night, President Bush claimed that Saddam had been ignoring the U.N. for 12 years and this wrong. In the same breath he said the U.S. was ready to attack Iraq without the U.N. Isn't this just as wrong?

Pam writes this: "The arms inspectors asked again today for the information the U.S. says it has about the location of WMDs, weapons of mass destruction, in Iraq. Is the administration playing the same game it is accusing Iraq of playing? The goal is to rid Iraq of WMDs without going to war, yet this administration is doing everything it can to prevent that."

And this from Colin: "The double standards practiced in the U.N. Security Council are fascinating. Why don't the descenting countries stand up and voice their support for Saddam Hussein instead of hiding behind the guise of world peace? We need to know who supports international terror and who is favor of a quick solution to global conflict."

That's all of the time we have today. Please join me again Sunday on LATE EDITION, the last word in Sunday talk. Among my guests this Sunday, the chairman and the ranking member of the Senate armed services committee, John Warner and Carl Levin.

I'll see you back here Monday at both Noon, 5:00 p.m. Eastern. Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

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