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CNN Live At Daybreak

Final Day of U.N.-Iraqi Talks Proving More Difficult Than First Thought

Aired October 01, 2002 - 05:06   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: And now we want to get you the latest on Iraq. The second and final day of U.N.-Iraqi talks on the return of weapons inspectors is proving more difficult than first thought.
CNN's Chris Burns is covering the talks in Vienna -- Chris, what's the latest?

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Carol. Well, it's crunch time here today, the second and final day of the talks expected. And the big question that it comes down to is how and where will the world's nuclear watchdog agency here, the IAEA, be able to unleash its inspectors in Iraq, hoping that if they are successful they will help to avert a possible U.S. attack on Iraq over weapons of mass destruction.

How close and how effective can they be to tracking those down? That's the question I asked Hans Blix, the head of the UNMOVIC inspection teams, as he was walking into the talks today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANS BLIX, CHIEF U.N. INSPECTOR: We are discussing the whole gamut of practical problems and we, later in the afternoon we will tell you what we've got.

BURNS: But isn't that not going to be touched today?

BLIX: I won't say what we touch and what we don't touch. Afterwards we will tell you.

BURNS: How close to...

BLIX: The whole systematically, all what we can foresee in terms of inspections.

BURNS: How close to full and free access?

BLIX: Well, it all has to be immediate, unconditional, unrestricted access.

BURNS: But will it be?

BLIX: And this is what we are seeking to ensure. The devil sits always in the detail and we will try to see that we'll not stumble over any such things. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNS: And there's one very big detail. It's about 12 square miles of presidential palace grounds that in December 1998 the inspection teams left in frustration because they couldn't get to them. It is widely believed that that is where a lot of the alleged weapons programs are going on.

Will they be able to get there? Now, that is a question perhaps up to the Security Council to deal with. It is not expected to be resolved here at these talks. So the drama goes on, shifts to, on Thursday, to the United Nations, when Hans Blix goes over there to give his report to the Security Council, of course, where the U.S. is pushing its resolution demanding full and free access to all sites, and if not, then a possible attack against Iraq.

That's what they're lobbying the members of the Security Council, especially the permanent members. And now France, Russia and China have been very, very reluctant to agree to that. France is pushing for a two stage set of resolutions. One, the first one demanding inspectors, full and free inspectors, and if Iraq does not follow through then a second resolution calling for or permitting an attack against Iraq. The French foreign minister says they don't want at this point to give a carte blanche to the Americans to do what they want to do. They want to see if the inspections might actually be effective first and then see what happens -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, Chris, you said that the palace issue probably won't be resolved. Then are these talks really doing any good? Because that's the most important thing to the United States.

BURNS: Well, when you talk to the inspectors here off the record, they do say that, yes, it is a frustration, but take a look at their track record back when they, before they left. They believe that they were able to prevent Iraq from building a nuclear bomb because they went into enough areas and stymied and frustrated the Iraqis enough to keep them from gathering the critical mass, as you will, from building a nuclear bomb.

And that is what they believe they can do even if they might not have full access to all sites in Iraq, that with new technology, with the ability to go to many sites in Iraq, that they could be effective in preventing Iraq from building a weapon of mass destruction -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Chris Burns reporting live from Vienna, Austria this morning.

Thank you.

And don't miss "Showdown Iraq" today at noon Eastern with CNN's Wolf Blitzer. Among Wolf's guests today, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander General Wesley Clark and Ambassador Ralph Ickes (ph), former UNSCOM chairman. Again, this show airs at noon Eastern, 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time.

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




First Thought>


Aired October 1, 2002 - 05:06   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And now we want to get you the latest on Iraq. The second and final day of U.N.-Iraqi talks on the return of weapons inspectors is proving more difficult than first thought.
CNN's Chris Burns is covering the talks in Vienna -- Chris, what's the latest?

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Carol. Well, it's crunch time here today, the second and final day of the talks expected. And the big question that it comes down to is how and where will the world's nuclear watchdog agency here, the IAEA, be able to unleash its inspectors in Iraq, hoping that if they are successful they will help to avert a possible U.S. attack on Iraq over weapons of mass destruction.

How close and how effective can they be to tracking those down? That's the question I asked Hans Blix, the head of the UNMOVIC inspection teams, as he was walking into the talks today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANS BLIX, CHIEF U.N. INSPECTOR: We are discussing the whole gamut of practical problems and we, later in the afternoon we will tell you what we've got.

BURNS: But isn't that not going to be touched today?

BLIX: I won't say what we touch and what we don't touch. Afterwards we will tell you.

BURNS: How close to...

BLIX: The whole systematically, all what we can foresee in terms of inspections.

BURNS: How close to full and free access?

BLIX: Well, it all has to be immediate, unconditional, unrestricted access.

BURNS: But will it be?

BLIX: And this is what we are seeking to ensure. The devil sits always in the detail and we will try to see that we'll not stumble over any such things. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNS: And there's one very big detail. It's about 12 square miles of presidential palace grounds that in December 1998 the inspection teams left in frustration because they couldn't get to them. It is widely believed that that is where a lot of the alleged weapons programs are going on.

Will they be able to get there? Now, that is a question perhaps up to the Security Council to deal with. It is not expected to be resolved here at these talks. So the drama goes on, shifts to, on Thursday, to the United Nations, when Hans Blix goes over there to give his report to the Security Council, of course, where the U.S. is pushing its resolution demanding full and free access to all sites, and if not, then a possible attack against Iraq.

That's what they're lobbying the members of the Security Council, especially the permanent members. And now France, Russia and China have been very, very reluctant to agree to that. France is pushing for a two stage set of resolutions. One, the first one demanding inspectors, full and free inspectors, and if Iraq does not follow through then a second resolution calling for or permitting an attack against Iraq. The French foreign minister says they don't want at this point to give a carte blanche to the Americans to do what they want to do. They want to see if the inspections might actually be effective first and then see what happens -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, Chris, you said that the palace issue probably won't be resolved. Then are these talks really doing any good? Because that's the most important thing to the United States.

BURNS: Well, when you talk to the inspectors here off the record, they do say that, yes, it is a frustration, but take a look at their track record back when they, before they left. They believe that they were able to prevent Iraq from building a nuclear bomb because they went into enough areas and stymied and frustrated the Iraqis enough to keep them from gathering the critical mass, as you will, from building a nuclear bomb.

And that is what they believe they can do even if they might not have full access to all sites in Iraq, that with new technology, with the ability to go to many sites in Iraq, that they could be effective in preventing Iraq from building a weapon of mass destruction -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Chris Burns reporting live from Vienna, Austria this morning.

Thank you.

And don't miss "Showdown Iraq" today at noon Eastern with CNN's Wolf Blitzer. Among Wolf's guests today, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander General Wesley Clark and Ambassador Ralph Ickes (ph), former UNSCOM chairman. Again, this show airs at noon Eastern, 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time.

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




First Thought>