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CNN Saturday Morning News
White House Claims Iraq Has Already Breached Resolution
Aired November 16, 2002 - 09:02 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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Back to our top story now, Iraq and the hunt for weapons. We are tracking the U.N. chief weapons inspector on his journey to Baghdad. Today Hans Blix completed the first leg, a visit to Paris and the French foreign ministry. From France, Mr. Blix will travel tomorrow to Cyprus, where he will be joined by other inspectors.
The team expected to arrive in Baghdad on Monday. Language needs to say in Paris today, in -- excuse me. He'll be in Iraq on Monday. Sorry for that.
We are monitoring the inspectors and reaction to them from Baghdad to Washington, and we begin our coverage in Washington at the White House, where we find CNN's Suzanne Malveaux.
Good morning, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.
Well, as you mentioned before, weapons inspector Hans Blix is on his way to Baghdad with an inspections team. He announced this morning, really, that they are going to be ready to go 10 days early to that deadline that Iraq has to account for its weapons program. This is really part of an accelerated schedule as the part of the U.N. as well as Bush administration trying to force Saddam Hussein to account for his alleged weapons of mass destruction, to disarm Iraq.
There are some in the Bush administration who already believe that Iraq is in materiel breach of the U.N. resolution, some saying that they point to the Iraqi military firing on allied forces in the southern no-fly zone within the last 24 hours.
Now, earlier, Blix in Paris this morning, meeting with the foreign French -- the French foreign minister, rather, issuing a warning to Saddam Hussein and to Iraq that there should be no delay, no blocking of inspections, otherwise it will be very serious.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANS BLIX, CHIEF U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: I'm going on tomorrow to Cyprus and from there, together with my colleagues, the director general, International Atomic Energy, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), to Baghdad for a couple of days' talk at the political level to initiate the new chapter of inspections. And, of course, we hope and expect to have full Iraqi cooperation.
We shall leave behind us a number of people who will be dealing with the practical things of setting up communications, transportation, and preparation for the inspection. And already by the 27th of November, we think that the first inspectors will be on the way and in -- on the job in Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: So Miles, really an accelerated schedule there. The United States as well as the United Nations really pushing Saddam Hussein to account for these alleged weapons of mass destruction, to disarm Iraq. President Bush just saying days ago that there will be no room for negotiations, that Saddam Hussein must comply, that he must cooperate.
And clearly the Bush administration is readying itself, it is prepared in case he doesn't, Miles.
O'BRIEN: Suzanne, tell us a little bit about, there are some 30 U.S. members on the Blix team. How much direct reporting back will they be doing to Washington, how much of it funnels through the U.N.? Is -- what are the rules of communication, if you will?
MALVEAUX: Well, they're actually going to be funneling it through both channels, through the Bush administration as well as through the U.N. They're going to keep close tabs on them. The president really looking very closely, through diplomatic channels, Secretary of State Colin Powell will be making sure to talk to his counterparts, kind of behind the scenes diplomacy.
One of the real issues here is what is going to be considered a material breach. There are White House aides who are saying they believe that Iraq is -- has not complied to the U.N. resolution, that it's already in material breach. This is something that Secretary Powell is going to be negotiating, he is going to be using his diplomatic skills, if you will, to talk to other foreign ministers about that.
But the Bush administration keeping a close eye through the U.N. as well as through diplomatic channels to see where we are with all this.
O'BRIEN: Thank you very much, CNN's Suzanne Malveaux at the White House, appreciate it.
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 16, 2002 - 09:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Back to our top story now, Iraq and the hunt for weapons. We are tracking the U.N. chief weapons inspector on his journey to Baghdad. Today Hans Blix completed the first leg, a visit to Paris and the French foreign ministry. From France, Mr. Blix will travel tomorrow to Cyprus, where he will be joined by other inspectors.
The team expected to arrive in Baghdad on Monday. Language needs to say in Paris today, in -- excuse me. He'll be in Iraq on Monday. Sorry for that.
We are monitoring the inspectors and reaction to them from Baghdad to Washington, and we begin our coverage in Washington at the White House, where we find CNN's Suzanne Malveaux.
Good morning, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.
Well, as you mentioned before, weapons inspector Hans Blix is on his way to Baghdad with an inspections team. He announced this morning, really, that they are going to be ready to go 10 days early to that deadline that Iraq has to account for its weapons program. This is really part of an accelerated schedule as the part of the U.N. as well as Bush administration trying to force Saddam Hussein to account for his alleged weapons of mass destruction, to disarm Iraq.
There are some in the Bush administration who already believe that Iraq is in materiel breach of the U.N. resolution, some saying that they point to the Iraqi military firing on allied forces in the southern no-fly zone within the last 24 hours.
Now, earlier, Blix in Paris this morning, meeting with the foreign French -- the French foreign minister, rather, issuing a warning to Saddam Hussein and to Iraq that there should be no delay, no blocking of inspections, otherwise it will be very serious.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANS BLIX, CHIEF U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: I'm going on tomorrow to Cyprus and from there, together with my colleagues, the director general, International Atomic Energy, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), to Baghdad for a couple of days' talk at the political level to initiate the new chapter of inspections. And, of course, we hope and expect to have full Iraqi cooperation.
We shall leave behind us a number of people who will be dealing with the practical things of setting up communications, transportation, and preparation for the inspection. And already by the 27th of November, we think that the first inspectors will be on the way and in -- on the job in Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: So Miles, really an accelerated schedule there. The United States as well as the United Nations really pushing Saddam Hussein to account for these alleged weapons of mass destruction, to disarm Iraq. President Bush just saying days ago that there will be no room for negotiations, that Saddam Hussein must comply, that he must cooperate.
And clearly the Bush administration is readying itself, it is prepared in case he doesn't, Miles.
O'BRIEN: Suzanne, tell us a little bit about, there are some 30 U.S. members on the Blix team. How much direct reporting back will they be doing to Washington, how much of it funnels through the U.N.? Is -- what are the rules of communication, if you will?
MALVEAUX: Well, they're actually going to be funneling it through both channels, through the Bush administration as well as through the U.N. They're going to keep close tabs on them. The president really looking very closely, through diplomatic channels, Secretary of State Colin Powell will be making sure to talk to his counterparts, kind of behind the scenes diplomacy.
One of the real issues here is what is going to be considered a material breach. There are White House aides who are saying they believe that Iraq is -- has not complied to the U.N. resolution, that it's already in material breach. This is something that Secretary Powell is going to be negotiating, he is going to be using his diplomatic skills, if you will, to talk to other foreign ministers about that.
But the Bush administration keeping a close eye through the U.N. as well as through diplomatic channels to see where we are with all this.
O'BRIEN: Thank you very much, CNN's Suzanne Malveaux at the White House, appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
