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CNN Live At Daybreak
New Inspection, Old Result?
Aired September 20, 2002 - 06:02 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: U.N. weapons inspectors could be back in Iraq in less than a month. But will they have a tougher resolution supporting them, or the mandate that's already in place?
CNN's Richard Roth is live at the United Nations. Here is Richard's story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): The speaker was Iraq's foreign minister, but the message was from President Saddam Hussein.
NAJI SABRI, IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTER: I hereby declare before you that Iraq is totally clear of all nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.
ROTH: U.N. weapons inspectors have not been able to certify that. Now, Iraq promises access again to the weapons experts, but is worried they will spy for the U.S. which some inspectors admitted doing the last time in Iraq.
SABRI: Some of the inspectors went on doing intelligence and espionage work that had nothing to do with the official mandate of an inspection team.
ROTH: In another part of the U.N. complex, chief weapons inspector on Iraq, Hans Blix, briefed his directors, the U.N. Security Council. Blix has been on the job for two-and-a-half years without any of his employees stepping foot in Iraq.
If Iraq follows through on cooperation, though, the first advance team of weapons inspectors will arrived in Baghdad October 15.
HANS BLIX, U.N. CHIEF WEAPONS INSPECTOR: We will go there with an advance team, and we will gradually build up the capacity. We don't have an army of inspectors sitting here and waiting. They are, and they're all around the world.
ROTH: Inside the Council, a diplomat said the U.S. urged Blix to speed up his overall timetable for inspections, a sign Washington wants to test Iraq's commitment to inspections.
BLIX: I have been advocating that Iraq should try, and we together, try to come to some flying start.
ROTH: Some Security Council members prefer a step-by-step approach, testing Iraq with inspections access, fearful of an aggressive U.S. resolution with ultimatums.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If now there is a real possibility to resume inspections and to make sure that the decisions of the Security Council could be and will be implemented, then this is the main thing.
ROTH (on camera): The top weapons inspector said Iraq was not ready to discuss substance when it comes to arrangements for visas, flights and communications for incoming inspectors. The U.N. hopes that changes in the round of talks in Vienna. If not, it provides even more ammunition for the U.S. to choose military might over intrusive inspections.
Richard Roth, CNN, the United Nations.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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 September 20, 2002 - 06:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: U.N. weapons inspectors could be back in Iraq in less than a month. But will they have a tougher resolution supporting them, or the mandate that's already in place?
CNN's Richard Roth is live at the United Nations. Here is Richard's story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): The speaker was Iraq's foreign minister, but the message was from President Saddam Hussein.
NAJI SABRI, IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTER: I hereby declare before you that Iraq is totally clear of all nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.
ROTH: U.N. weapons inspectors have not been able to certify that. Now, Iraq promises access again to the weapons experts, but is worried they will spy for the U.S. which some inspectors admitted doing the last time in Iraq.
SABRI: Some of the inspectors went on doing intelligence and espionage work that had nothing to do with the official mandate of an inspection team.
ROTH: In another part of the U.N. complex, chief weapons inspector on Iraq, Hans Blix, briefed his directors, the U.N. Security Council. Blix has been on the job for two-and-a-half years without any of his employees stepping foot in Iraq.
If Iraq follows through on cooperation, though, the first advance team of weapons inspectors will arrived in Baghdad October 15.
HANS BLIX, U.N. CHIEF WEAPONS INSPECTOR: We will go there with an advance team, and we will gradually build up the capacity. We don't have an army of inspectors sitting here and waiting. They are, and they're all around the world.
ROTH: Inside the Council, a diplomat said the U.S. urged Blix to speed up his overall timetable for inspections, a sign Washington wants to test Iraq's commitment to inspections.
BLIX: I have been advocating that Iraq should try, and we together, try to come to some flying start.
ROTH: Some Security Council members prefer a step-by-step approach, testing Iraq with inspections access, fearful of an aggressive U.S. resolution with ultimatums.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If now there is a real possibility to resume inspections and to make sure that the decisions of the Security Council could be and will be implemented, then this is the main thing.
ROTH (on camera): The top weapons inspector said Iraq was not ready to discuss substance when it comes to arrangements for visas, flights and communications for incoming inspectors. The U.N. hopes that changes in the round of talks in Vienna. If not, it provides even more ammunition for the U.S. to choose military might over intrusive inspections.
Richard Roth, CNN, the United Nations.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
