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Date: 02-06-03
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Colin Powell addresses the UN Security Council to argue
for a first-strike attack on Iraq; most of his claims can’t
be verified
Powell claims Iraq is harboring Al Qaeda terrorists, but
leaves out evidence implicating US allies; we hear responses
from Baghdad, France and Cameroon
United for Peace and Justice sues the NYPD for the right
to march against war on Feb. 15
9:01-9:06 Headlines
9:06-9:07 One Minute Music Break
9:07-9:20 POWELL ADDRESSES THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL TO ARGUE
FOR A FIRST-STRIKE ATTACK ON IRAQ; MOST OF HIS CLAIMS CAN’T
BE VERIFIED
Secretary of State General Colin Powell spoke before the
United Nations Security Council yesterday. He made the case
for a first-strike attack on Iraq, by presenting satellite
photographs, tapes of intercepted conversations between Iraqi
military officers, and information from Iraqi defectors and
people seized in Afghanistan and elsewhere since September
11.
Powell’s 70-plus minute presentation can be boiled
down to a few main points. Powell says Iraq possesses extremely
dangerous weapons of mass destruction; Iraq is systematically
trying to deceive UN inspectors and hide prohibited weapons;
and Iraq is harboring terrorists, including Al Qaeda.
But much of Powell’s presentation is impossible to
verify. Powell’s speech was peppered with assertions
like: “Our sources tell us,” or “we know
that...”. Defectors and detainees were not named. An
article on the front page of ‘The New York Times’
reads:“Powell’s Trademark: Overwhelm Them,”
referring to the infamous Powell doctrine of using overwhelming
force. Britain’s ‘Financial Times’ dubs
Powell’s presentation on Iraq an “effective performance”.
Powell also resorted to drama at times. At one point, he
held up a vial filled with white power and said less than
a teaspoon of dry anthrax shut down the US Senate in the fall
of 2001. He referenced the 2001 anthrax attacks despite the
fact there is no evidence Iraq anything to do with it.
France and Russia said the evidence only strengthened the
case for further inspections. France and Germany proposed
doubling or tripling the UN presence in the country. Iraq
rejected the presentation as a fraud.
But Britain pronounced Iraq in grave new breach of Security
Council resolutions. Spain’s Prime Minister urged the
Spanish Parliament to back Spain’s uncompromising support
the US even before Powell spoke. But some Members of
Parliament stood with posters reading “War, No.”
Ten Eastern European countries put out a statement backing
the U.S. They are all aspiring to NATO membership. Meanwhile,
the Prime Minister of Turkey said he will ask Parliament to
open the country’s bases to thousands of American troops.
Well today we’re going to take an in-depth look at
Powell’s speech. We’ll hear some excerpts from
Powell. We’ll hear the response the Special advisor
to Saddam Hussein gave late last night in Baghdad. We’ll
be joined in our studio by United Nations expert Phyllis Bennis
and others.
We thought we’d start with the first piece of evidence
Powell presented, audio clips he played just minutes into
his presentation. Powell says the clips are communications
between Iraqi military officers that were intercepted by the
US government. In the first conversation, two officers speak
on the day before UN weapons inspections resumed. One says
they still have a modified vehicle. The other appears surprised
and says QUOTE “I’m worried. You all have something
left.” The other replies. “We evacuated everything,
we don’t have anything left.”
To give us a taste of these conversations, we’ll play
a few seconds from the second audio piece Powell played. Then
Powell will explain it.
Tape: Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell addressing the
U.N. Security Council, 2-5-03
Guest: Phyllis Bennis, fellow at the Institute for Policy
Studies in Washington DC, specializing in Middle East and
United Nations issues She is the author of the book Before
and After: U.S. Foreign Policy and the September 11th Crisis,
Link: www.ips-dc.org
Guest: James Paul, Executive Director of the Global Policy
Forum. He has also worked as a writer and consultant with
projects for Human Rights Watch, Oxford University Press,
Physicians for Human Rights, and many others. He was awarded
the World Hunger Media Award in 1987 and he received a “Peacemaker”
award from the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation in 1996. He is
an editor of the Oxford Companion to Politics of the World
and his most recent book is Humanity Comes of Age.
Link: www.globalpolicy.org
Guest: As`ad AbuKhalil, author of “Bin Laden, Islam
and America’s New ‘War on Terrorism’ and
the forthcoming "The House of Bush and the House of Saud."
He is a professor of political science at California State
University at Stanislaus.
9:20-9:21 One Minute Music Break
9:20-9:45 POWELL CLAIMS IRAQ IS HARBORING AL QAEDA TERRORISTS,
BUT LEAVES OUT EVIDENCE IMPLICATING US ALLIES; WE HEAR RESPONSES
FROM BAGHDAD, FRANCE AND CAMEROON
At the United Nations Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell
put forward new details in an attempt to connect Saddam Hussein
with Al Qaeda.
Powell’s case centered on Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, a
Jordanian of Palestinian origin, who has trained with Al Qaeda
in Afghanistan. Last May al-Zarqawi visited Baghdad for medical
treatment and Powell claimed he accompanied by 24 other “Al
Qaeda affilates.”
And al-Zarqawi is among the leaders of the group Ansar al-Islam
which is based in northern Iraq, a region not under Baghdad’s
control. Ansar al-Islam has vowed to overthrow Saddam Hussein’s
government but Powell alleged Hussein has backed the group.
The Financial Times reported that US officials have not
drawn the conclusions expressed by Powell. “Before yesterday’s
speech, one described the assertion of a link based on Mr.
al-Zarqawi’s presence in Baghdad as an ‘inferential
leap.’ … UK officials, whose conclusions are based
on the same intelligence as that available to the CIA, remain
unconvinced that links are more than circumstantial.”
The New York Times also reported that Powell withheld some
critical details including the discovery by intelligence agencies
that a member of the royal family in Qatar operated a safe
house for Zarqawi. Qatar is seen as an important ally providing
air bases and a command headquarters for the American military,
The Times reported that Qatari royal family member was Abdul
Karim al-Thani provided Qatari passports and more than $1
million in a special bank account to finance the network.
Tape: Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell addressing the
U.N. Security Council, 2-5-03
Guest: As`ad AbuKhalil, author of “Bin Laden, Islam
and America’s New ‘War on Terrroism’.and
the forthcoming "The House of Bush and the House of Saud."
He is a professor of political science at California State
University at Stanislaus.
Tape: Gen. Amir Saadi, Special advisor to Saddam Hussein,
speaking late last night in Baghdad.
Guest: Jeremy Scahill, Democracy Now! correspondent in Baghdad
Link: www.iraqjournal.org
Tape: Dominique de Villepin, Minister for Foreign Affairs
of France, speaking to the U.N. Security Council, 2-5-03
Tape: Francois-Xavier Ngoubeyou, Cameroon Foreign Minister,
speaking to the U.N. Security Council, 2-5-03
Guest: Phyllis Bennis, fellow at the Institute for Policy
Studies in Washington DC, specializing in Middle East and
United Nations issues She is the author of the book Before
and After: U.S. Foreign Policy and the September 11th Crisis,
Guest: James Paul, Executive Director of the Global Policy
Forum. He has also worked as a writer and consultant with
projects for Human Rights Watch, Oxford University Press,
Physicians for Human Rights, and many others. He was awarded
the World Hunger Media Award in 1987 and he received a “Peacemaker”
award from the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation in 1996. He is
an editor of the Oxford Companion to Politics of the World
and his most recent book is Humanity Comes of Age.
9:50-9:58 UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE SUES THE NYPD FOR
THE RIGHT TO MARCH AGAINST WAR ON FEB. 15
A coalition of New York and national organizations opposed
to war in Iraq have gone to court for the right to march past
the Untied Nations at an anti-war rally set for Feb. 15.
Yesterday the group, United for Peace and Justice, sued
the city of New York after the police denied for denying a
march permit claiming the decision violated the group’s
First Amendment rights.
United for Peace co-chairperson Leslie Cagan says the suit
was filed after the New York police refused to grant the coalition
a permit to march anywhere in the city on Feb. 15.
In the federal suit, the group said a march across from
the United Nations on First Avenue was an"essential"
element of the planned anti-war demonstration, given the UN's
role in the Iraq situation.
The city has allowed huge marches pass by the UN before.
In 1994 a rally marked the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall
rebellion and two anti-nuclear rallies were held in 1982 and
1988.
Guest: Leslie Cagan, co-chair of the United for Peace and
Justice Coalition
Link: www.unitedforpeace.org
9:58-9:59 Outro and Credits
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