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CNN SHOWDOWN: IRAQ
White House Publicly Unruffled by France, Germany, Russia
Aired March 5, 2003 - 12:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: The Bush administration is downplaying, at least for now, downplaying insistence today by France, Germany, and Russia to block a new U.N. resolution that even vaguely calls for war against Iraq.
The French, German, and Russian foreign ministers, two of whom wield veto power in the U.N. Security Council huddled today in Paris, after which they said no to force, while also rejecting an open-ended weapons inspection regime. On the surface, the White House remains unruffled.
CNN's White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is joining us now live with the latest. A very busy day at the White House right now, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Wolf. The White House is downplaying the significance of this, saying it's all a part of diplomacy. They're still confident they can get that U.N. second U.N. resolution passed, saying that French President Jacques Chirac has made very similar statements in October before the unanimous passage of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1441.
But having said that, administration officials quietly acknowledging that perhaps they won't get that support, perhaps they'll withdraw that resolution sometime next week if they feel they can't get the support, and then simply move without the United Nations -- Wolf.
BLITZER: What about the whole issue, Suzanne, of the president meeting today with this papal envoy. This is a potentially significant development as well.
MALVEAUX: Well, absolutely. Really on the peace front, he is meeting with Cardinal Laghi. It is a close family friend of the Bush family. The president met with the pope last May. The envoy is bringing a message from the pope saying that he feels under no situation or circumstance that this war is justified either morally or legally. The president being a devout Christian, of course, feels differently, sees this differently, says that it would be immoral if the administration did not get involved as Saddam Hussein used his weapons of mass destruction to either hurt or kill Americans or provided those type of weapons to terrorists.
But of course, the administration also saying this has been a very heavy decision for the president to make, that he has not made that final determination, but it should come sometime next week -- Wolf. BLITZER: All right. Suzanne Malveaux at the White House. Suzanne, thanks very much.
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