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CNN Live Today
U.S. Believes Iraq Has Ordered Atropine
Aired November 12, 2002 - 10:16 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: The showdown with Iraq appears a little bit more ominous today. Earlier this morning, Iraq's parliament unanimously rejected the United Nations's resolution calling for Baghdad's disarmament.
CNN's Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf is in the Iraqi capital, and she has the latest of what this could mean.
Jane, hello.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Hi, Daryn.
There's a little more than that of what meets the eye, although the Iraqi parliament recommended, as you mentioned, that they reject the Security Council resolution. They also mentioned that ultimately the decision be made by the -- quote -- "wise Iraqi leadership." Now that means of course President Saddam Hussein and his Revolution Command Council, that doesn't mean to be taken up there, and they will be held by a letter from the president's elder son, Ude (ph) Saddam Hussein, delivered to parliament, saying that actually even though this was a terrible resolution, Iraq should accept it, and that seems to be the way they are gearing toward.
We spoke to some people on the street in old Baghdad on Al Wutanabi (ph) Street, the traditional book-selling street. People are saying they didn't think it really mattered whether they accepted or rejected the resolution, that the United States was intent on attacking them anyway.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We think that American need to strike Iraq whether Iraq agree for that or not. This is what they have declared.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The act of the national assemblies are acceptable, because it is believed that the ship that makes the final decision.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARRAF: Now this drama of the acceptance or rejection of the Security Council Resolution could play out a little bit more until that Friday deadline, but it still does look like the final answer will be yes -- Daryn.
KAGAN; And, Jane, does it looks like we will have to wait all the way up to the Friday deadline, Saddam Hussein will keep the world waiting?
ARRAF: He may very well keep us waiting. It does give the Iraqi leadership more as they say quietly study of what they call a very damaging resolution to them, but also to engage in more publicity, and more protests and more explanations of why they feel that this resolution has impossible demands, demands so impossible to comply with that it sets them up for failure, and a military attack. So we could very well see a couple of more days on this -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Jane Arraf, in Baghdad. Jane, thank you.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: While we are waiting to see the next move that Saddam Hussein makes, it's clear he is not just sitting on his hands. There have been some reports in the media that really have shown some more signs of suspicion about some moves that Iraq is making right now. There are signs that perhaps that that country has been ordering nerve gas antidotes, and our David Ensor in Washington, and he's been tracking down this story this morning.
David, what have you found?
DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Leon, knowledgeable U.S. officials confirmed to me they do indeed have evidence that Iraq has ordered huge quantities of a couple of antidotes, one to nerve gas and one to other chemical weapons that are commonly used by militaries around the world. The first one is Atropine, a nerve gas antidote. Iraq has ordered large quantities. "The New York Times" first reported the story, said it has ordered one million doses of Atropine, plus the intravenous injection kits to use the drug.
Now this drug is also used against heart attacks, but is given intravenously then, not using these injection kits. The other drug that Iraq has ordered is called Obadoxine Chloride, which is an antidote to chemical weapons. So there is concern among some U.S. officials that Iraq may be planning to use either nerve gas or other chemical weapons against U.S. troops if they go into Iraq, and that is why they are ordering these antidotes to protect their own troops.
There are also those who theorize that Iraq may simply be placing these orders, knowing that the U.S. will probably make some effort to block the orders, but hoping that that it will cause concern in the U.S. and elsewhere, that these antidotes are being ordered, that Iraq might therefore be planning to use weapons of mass destruction against U.S. troops, and it might cause Washington to hesitate before invading that country.
So a good deal of intrigue and speculation about why Iraq has placed these orders. Most of them have been placed with Turkish countries -- Leon.
HARRIS: David, that brings for the immediate question, did these orders ever get filled? And why would a Turkish company take an order, because Turkey is not necessarily friendly to Iraq on these kinds of things.
ENSOR: Well, that's right. But business is business. We understand that at least some orders have been filled, but the U.S. is asking the Turkish government to intervene and prevent most of these orders from being filled, and it looks like the Turks will probably comply with that request.
HARRIS: Interesting, as you say, money talks. Let me ask you something else as well. You have been tracking down this story -- or reports that perhaps there have been Iraqi agents who have been surveilling U.S. embassies in various countries. What have you learned about that?
ENSOR: U.S. officials say that is true, that Iraqi agents have indeed been conducting some surveillance of a number of U.S. embassies around the world, and one or two military facilities as well. They say, however, that this surveillance has been, frankly quite clumsily done, and it is -- while something they watch they obviously track it; it's not something that causes great concern, certainly not as much concern with the matter with the chemical weapons.
HARRIS: Understood. David Ensor, good work this morning.
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 November 12, 2002 - 10:16 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: The showdown with Iraq appears a little bit more ominous today. Earlier this morning, Iraq's parliament unanimously rejected the United Nations's resolution calling for Baghdad's disarmament.
CNN's Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf is in the Iraqi capital, and she has the latest of what this could mean.
Jane, hello.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Hi, Daryn.
There's a little more than that of what meets the eye, although the Iraqi parliament recommended, as you mentioned, that they reject the Security Council resolution. They also mentioned that ultimately the decision be made by the -- quote -- "wise Iraqi leadership." Now that means of course President Saddam Hussein and his Revolution Command Council, that doesn't mean to be taken up there, and they will be held by a letter from the president's elder son, Ude (ph) Saddam Hussein, delivered to parliament, saying that actually even though this was a terrible resolution, Iraq should accept it, and that seems to be the way they are gearing toward.
We spoke to some people on the street in old Baghdad on Al Wutanabi (ph) Street, the traditional book-selling street. People are saying they didn't think it really mattered whether they accepted or rejected the resolution, that the United States was intent on attacking them anyway.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We think that American need to strike Iraq whether Iraq agree for that or not. This is what they have declared.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The act of the national assemblies are acceptable, because it is believed that the ship that makes the final decision.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARRAF: Now this drama of the acceptance or rejection of the Security Council Resolution could play out a little bit more until that Friday deadline, but it still does look like the final answer will be yes -- Daryn.
KAGAN; And, Jane, does it looks like we will have to wait all the way up to the Friday deadline, Saddam Hussein will keep the world waiting?
ARRAF: He may very well keep us waiting. It does give the Iraqi leadership more as they say quietly study of what they call a very damaging resolution to them, but also to engage in more publicity, and more protests and more explanations of why they feel that this resolution has impossible demands, demands so impossible to comply with that it sets them up for failure, and a military attack. So we could very well see a couple of more days on this -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Jane Arraf, in Baghdad. Jane, thank you.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: While we are waiting to see the next move that Saddam Hussein makes, it's clear he is not just sitting on his hands. There have been some reports in the media that really have shown some more signs of suspicion about some moves that Iraq is making right now. There are signs that perhaps that that country has been ordering nerve gas antidotes, and our David Ensor in Washington, and he's been tracking down this story this morning.
David, what have you found?
DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Leon, knowledgeable U.S. officials confirmed to me they do indeed have evidence that Iraq has ordered huge quantities of a couple of antidotes, one to nerve gas and one to other chemical weapons that are commonly used by militaries around the world. The first one is Atropine, a nerve gas antidote. Iraq has ordered large quantities. "The New York Times" first reported the story, said it has ordered one million doses of Atropine, plus the intravenous injection kits to use the drug.
Now this drug is also used against heart attacks, but is given intravenously then, not using these injection kits. The other drug that Iraq has ordered is called Obadoxine Chloride, which is an antidote to chemical weapons. So there is concern among some U.S. officials that Iraq may be planning to use either nerve gas or other chemical weapons against U.S. troops if they go into Iraq, and that is why they are ordering these antidotes to protect their own troops.
There are also those who theorize that Iraq may simply be placing these orders, knowing that the U.S. will probably make some effort to block the orders, but hoping that that it will cause concern in the U.S. and elsewhere, that these antidotes are being ordered, that Iraq might therefore be planning to use weapons of mass destruction against U.S. troops, and it might cause Washington to hesitate before invading that country.
So a good deal of intrigue and speculation about why Iraq has placed these orders. Most of them have been placed with Turkish countries -- Leon.
HARRIS: David, that brings for the immediate question, did these orders ever get filled? And why would a Turkish company take an order, because Turkey is not necessarily friendly to Iraq on these kinds of things.
ENSOR: Well, that's right. But business is business. We understand that at least some orders have been filled, but the U.S. is asking the Turkish government to intervene and prevent most of these orders from being filled, and it looks like the Turks will probably comply with that request.
HARRIS: Interesting, as you say, money talks. Let me ask you something else as well. You have been tracking down this story -- or reports that perhaps there have been Iraqi agents who have been surveilling U.S. embassies in various countries. What have you learned about that?
ENSOR: U.S. officials say that is true, that Iraqi agents have indeed been conducting some surveillance of a number of U.S. embassies around the world, and one or two military facilities as well. They say, however, that this surveillance has been, frankly quite clumsily done, and it is -- while something they watch they obviously track it; it's not something that causes great concern, certainly not as much concern with the matter with the chemical weapons.
HARRIS: Understood. David Ensor, good work this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
