Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

In Surprise Move, Iraq Invites Discussions Over Weapons Inspections

Aired August 02, 2002 - 09:06   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: On to the issue of Iraq, as the U.S. wrestles with whether to go to war with that country, a surprise invitation from Saddam Hussein. The United Nations' chief weapons inspector and his colleagues have been invited to Baghdad for talks on resuming long-suspended weapons inspections. Why now? And what will it lead to?
Let's go straight to our source, Richard Butler, the former chief of U.N. weapons inspections teams, our ambassador and resident.

So nice to see you back at A.M.

RICHARD BUTLER, FMR. CHIEF U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: Good to see you, Paula.

ZAHN: Nice to see you back in the country.

BUTLER: Indeed. But it doesn't smell too bad.

ZAHN: Depends on what neighborhood and what corner you buy your breakfast on.

Some of the food out there.

BUTLER: Something smells out there from Baghdad, absolutely.

ZAHN: You made this prediction months ago, you said that when Saddam Hussein felt threatened, he would come back in and say, come back in and inspect my stuff. Is this a joke?

BUTLER: Yes, it is, Paula. And I'm really sorry to say that there were terrific hearings in the Senate earlier this week, in which a number of people, including me, put forward the possibility that we make one last serious shot at trying to get arms control restored into Iraq.

But after all, as you know, and the audience knows, the fundamental problem we face is Saddam's addiction to weapons of mass destruction, which he has been building on in the period without inspections.

Now, Iraq must have been listening. They can hear the drums of war beating. It got their attention. And what did they do? They wrote a letter saying, we want to talk about the possibility of having inspectors back, not come in, let's do it, let's now get it straight and be honest; we want to talk about the possibility. And, Paula, in that letter, they dusted off a proposal that was three 1/2 years old, they put to me in 1998, which was a joke. They were told then it was a joke, and they're doing it again. I'm sorry. This is not serious.

ZAHN: What does it lead to?

BUTLER: It leads nowhere. They have said that the guy who succeeded me in the new inspection arrangement, Dr. Blitz (ph), should come there with some experts and talk about the conditions under which inspections might take place. Blitz (ph) hasn't given them a rely. Kofi Annan, I think, hasn't given them, the secretary-general of the U.N., hasn't given them a reply.

But it is talks about possibly doing something, as I've already said, and that's not the point. Those talks have gone on forever. There's only one thing that needs to happen, which is Iraq needs to say, OK, we'll do it, the doors are open, bring the inspectors, not people to talk, but the guys with the Geiger counters, the cameras and the instruments, bring them, and they can go anywhere anytime and prove our contention that we don't have any such weapons, which is of course a joke. Of course they do. Everyone knows they do, and that's why they're not throwing the doors open. I don't think this leads anywhere.

ZAHN: But why would you have more faith in the process this time around? I know you couldn't go wherever you wanted, but every time you want to inspect a place, didn't you pretty much stuff had been moved?

BUTLER: Up to a point, yes. We were pretty much able to get rid of a lot of stuff, and this isn't a promo or a bust. Paula, if we hadn't done what we had done, what we did, he would be armed to the teeth with all manner of weapons of mass destruction now, so we got rid of a lot of stuff but we didn't get it all, and we didn't get the capacity to make more, and that's what's been happening in the intervening four years, and we didn't, because he moved stuff, hid stuff, wouldn't let us go anywhere, anytime.

Paula, that's the bottom line. This man, the dictator of Iraq, has to cooperate and allow those weapons to be taken away, or not. If he does, we'll with in a different situation and maybe there won't be war. But if he doesn't, then I think action will have to be taken to remove him.

Certainly, the one thing we know from this rather silly letter the Iraqis have sent, or rather empty letter, is I think we must have got their attention in having this public debate about regime change.

ZAHN: Are the folks at the U.N. inclined to be as undiplomatic as you've just been about this overture? Are they going to say the same thing you said? Or will they have to be more diplomatic, and say, yes, we'll come and talk about it.

BUTLER: Paula, I am shocked and horrified that you would say that to me, that I sat here and spoke my mind. I'm a free man now.

ZAHN: I know you are. But recognize the constraints the U.N. guys are under. Can they say what you just said on the air?

BUTLER: Not on the air. Do they...

ZAHN: Would you think they will go and have these meetings, or do you think the will demand, you know what, we will only come in you allow us open and unfettered access to the sites.

BUTLER: I feel certain that they gave share exactly my view, in my analysis of this Iraqi offer. Will they say anything public? No, they won't. But Doctor Blitz (ph) unsuccessfully has said several times that he's not in the business of having political discussions. That's the job of the Security Council, and in particular, the permanent members, the big powers, OK. He says, I'm a scientist. I'm a technician. I need to take my team there with their instruments to go and do the technical job.

I would be truly surprised if Doctor Blitz (ph) says anything, or if he does say something, I would be truly surprised if he says anything different from what I just said. He is not going to go and play the shell (ph) game with Iraq, have political discussions, that he said many times, he's not responsible for, he's not going to have. He's got a technical job to do. If it's a serious offer to do that job, I'm sure he'll do it, and do it well.

But I don't think this letter from Iraq is such a serious offer, and I suspect that the guys at the U.N. privately think so.

ZAHN: Dr. Richard Butler. You're still the king of the diplomats.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com