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CNN Saturday Morning News

Saddam Hussein Reacts Live on Iraqi TV to Weapons Inspections

Aired November 16, 2002 - 07:49   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.


NEVILLE: All right, Miles, we want to take you to Baghdad where Rym Brahimi is standing by now with word on Saddam Hussein's reaction to the U.N. weapons inspectors -- Rym.
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hi there. Well, there was just a little -- the television -- Iraqi state television, sorry -- has just broadcast a message from Iraqi president Saddam Hussein to the people that actually especially to the members of the National Assembly.

Now you may remember that a few days ago before Iraq expected Resolution 1441, the General -- the National Assembly of Iraq, the Parliament if you will, had been asked to consider that and then to put forward its recommendations to the president and the Revolution Command Council.

Now the National Assembly in effect decided that it wanted to reject that resolution but also that it wanted the leadership or Saddam Hussein to make whatever decision would be best for the country.

Now the president, as you know, decided a couple of days ago that this resolution was going to accept -- to be accepted -- and today he's addressing his people; he's addressing the members of the National Assembly, explaining why it was important for Iraq to accept that resolution.

He's setting -- the members of the National Assembly, or the members of the Parliament -- that the resolution was indeed bad and unfair and unjust, but that for those among the Security Council who really care to find out about whether Iraq has weapons it will enable Iraq to prove that it is clean.

It was also enable Iraq to prove to countries that are ill- intentioned like the U.S. and Britain that it has no weapons of mass destruction and it also said that the president also said that he hopes that the people of Iraq and the members of the national Assembly in particular would not allow themselves to be shaken by this resolution.

So it came in the form of a few pages here we were distributed the speech and was a few pages here in Arabic but there was a broadcast reading this on Iraqi TV just a few moments ago. Again, explaining to the people of Iraq and to the members of Parliament why Iraq accepted the resolution. NEVILLE: OK, Rym Brahimi, thank you very much for that report and we of course will have more on this story in the next half hour so please stay with us right here as we continue after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired November 16, 2002 - 07:49   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
NEVILLE: All right, Miles, we want to take you to Baghdad where Rym Brahimi is standing by now with word on Saddam Hussein's reaction to the U.N. weapons inspectors -- Rym.
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hi there. Well, there was just a little -- the television -- Iraqi state television, sorry -- has just broadcast a message from Iraqi president Saddam Hussein to the people that actually especially to the members of the National Assembly.

Now you may remember that a few days ago before Iraq expected Resolution 1441, the General -- the National Assembly of Iraq, the Parliament if you will, had been asked to consider that and then to put forward its recommendations to the president and the Revolution Command Council.

Now the National Assembly in effect decided that it wanted to reject that resolution but also that it wanted the leadership or Saddam Hussein to make whatever decision would be best for the country.

Now the president, as you know, decided a couple of days ago that this resolution was going to accept -- to be accepted -- and today he's addressing his people; he's addressing the members of the National Assembly, explaining why it was important for Iraq to accept that resolution.

He's setting -- the members of the National Assembly, or the members of the Parliament -- that the resolution was indeed bad and unfair and unjust, but that for those among the Security Council who really care to find out about whether Iraq has weapons it will enable Iraq to prove that it is clean.

It was also enable Iraq to prove to countries that are ill- intentioned like the U.S. and Britain that it has no weapons of mass destruction and it also said that the president also said that he hopes that the people of Iraq and the members of the national Assembly in particular would not allow themselves to be shaken by this resolution.

So it came in the form of a few pages here we were distributed the speech and was a few pages here in Arabic but there was a broadcast reading this on Iraqi TV just a few moments ago. Again, explaining to the people of Iraq and to the members of Parliament why Iraq accepted the resolution. NEVILLE: OK, Rym Brahimi, thank you very much for that report and we of course will have more on this story in the next half hour so please stay with us right here as we continue after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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




Inspections>