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Advance Team of Weapons Inspectors Lands in Baghdad

Aired November 18, 2002 - 10:00   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.


LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR; Well, just about 4 1/2 hours ago, the United Nations advance team of weapons inspectors landed in Baghdad to resume their search, a search that was plunged into the limbo some four years ago.
Senior international correspondent Nic Robertson checks in now live from Baghdad.

Good morning, Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT; Good morning, Leon.

Well, those inspectors quickly off the tarmac at the airport, headed to their hotel and a quick check-in before they headed out. They are now at their offices, or headed immediately after their hotel to their offices. These were the offices the U.N. inspection team had last used four years ago. Coming off the aircraft we saw some antennas. We know this advance team will be putting in secure communications, also cleaning out the offices, getting some of the vehicles that have been laying around outside those offices for the last four years, getting those vehicles ready for the inspection team.

Hans Blix, however, very, very clear about what his mission in Iraq is to be. He said they've come here to answer one question, and that is, does Iraq from weapons of mass destruction? He also said, that this is a new opportunity for there to be cooperation between the United Nations and Iraqi officials. He was greeted at the airport, it has to be said, by the previous Iraqi interlocutor with the previous U.N. inspection missions, Major General Hassan Amman (ph). He is the head of Iraqi's national monitoring directorate. He is the same man that the previous U.N. inspections teams had to deal with when here in Iraq.

However, Hans Blix has said now that the future stability here does very much depend on both Iraq and on the United Nations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANS BLIX, CHIEF U.N. INSPECTOR: Question of war and peace depends mainly upon Iraq on the one hand and upon the Security Council and members of the Security Council on the other hand. We will report objectively, will do our job professionally, we will report to the Security Council; it is for the council to assess whether there is a breach or not, and we hope there will be not a breach.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ROBERTSON: Now, the newspapers here in their editorials calling for very much the same thing from the inspectors, for them to be independent, for them to be unbiased, and for them to be honest in their work here -- Leon.

HARRIS: Nic, what I'm curious about is whether or not Hans Blix indicates what he thinks a breach will be. There has been lots of questions about whether or not they'll accept a series of events, or whether or not he will go for a no tolerance of any kind of breach whatsoever, any kind of activity by the Iraqis to hamper his efforts as well. Have you heard anything new about that?

ROBERTSON: Well, when he left Cyprus, or just before he left Cyprus on route to Baghdad, he did say that what would happen exactly would be if an event occurred on the ground in Iraq, it wouldn't be up to the inspectors, per se, to decide that was a material breach. It would be up to the inspectors to report to the Security Council. And the Security Council would then determine whether or not that was a material breach, but somebody said to him, OK, so what is it on the ground that the inspectors are going to report back? What is significant enough for them to report back to the Security Council? Hans Blix said that even a delay of perhaps half an hour to get into a site here that they might arrive at the gates and not be able to get in, if they're delayed for half an hour, that is something in his opinion that should be reported back to the Security Council. There ball would then be with the Security Council -- is that enough for a material breach?

HARRIS: Nic Robertson, reporting to us from Baghdad. Thanks, Nic.

Coming up at the bottom of the hour, we'll be hearing from former chief weapons inspector Richard Butler, who lead the last (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to Iraq, so stay tuned for that -- Daryn.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Now, let's get the view from the White House. Our national correspondent Frank Buckley is at the executive mansion and joins us now with more.

Frank, good morning.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

White House officials see the arrival of the inspectors on the ground in Iraq as simply the next step in what they call the road to disarmament. They also are confirming yet a third incident involving coalition aircraft being fired upon by anti-aircraft weapons in a no- fly zone. The White House position, that this is a violation of Security Council resolution 1441, constituting a material breach.

What remains unanswered is whether or not the White House intends to take this to the Security council as a material breach and to act on it. The U.S. position has been that in the case of a material breach that the U.S. would go to the Security Council, would engage in that debate that would take place in the Security Council, maintaining -- retaining the right to act unilaterally or with -- as the president has put it, with friends in a military action if that was required.

But, again, so far no word yet from the White House on whether or not they intend to take what they consider to be a material breach to the Security Council -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Frank Buckley at the White House. Frank, thanks.

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 18, 2002 - 10:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR; Well, just about 4 1/2 hours ago, the United Nations advance team of weapons inspectors landed in Baghdad to resume their search, a search that was plunged into the limbo some four years ago.
Senior international correspondent Nic Robertson checks in now live from Baghdad.

Good morning, Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT; Good morning, Leon.

Well, those inspectors quickly off the tarmac at the airport, headed to their hotel and a quick check-in before they headed out. They are now at their offices, or headed immediately after their hotel to their offices. These were the offices the U.N. inspection team had last used four years ago. Coming off the aircraft we saw some antennas. We know this advance team will be putting in secure communications, also cleaning out the offices, getting some of the vehicles that have been laying around outside those offices for the last four years, getting those vehicles ready for the inspection team.

Hans Blix, however, very, very clear about what his mission in Iraq is to be. He said they've come here to answer one question, and that is, does Iraq from weapons of mass destruction? He also said, that this is a new opportunity for there to be cooperation between the United Nations and Iraqi officials. He was greeted at the airport, it has to be said, by the previous Iraqi interlocutor with the previous U.N. inspection missions, Major General Hassan Amman (ph). He is the head of Iraqi's national monitoring directorate. He is the same man that the previous U.N. inspections teams had to deal with when here in Iraq.

However, Hans Blix has said now that the future stability here does very much depend on both Iraq and on the United Nations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANS BLIX, CHIEF U.N. INSPECTOR: Question of war and peace depends mainly upon Iraq on the one hand and upon the Security Council and members of the Security Council on the other hand. We will report objectively, will do our job professionally, we will report to the Security Council; it is for the council to assess whether there is a breach or not, and we hope there will be not a breach.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ROBERTSON: Now, the newspapers here in their editorials calling for very much the same thing from the inspectors, for them to be independent, for them to be unbiased, and for them to be honest in their work here -- Leon.

HARRIS: Nic, what I'm curious about is whether or not Hans Blix indicates what he thinks a breach will be. There has been lots of questions about whether or not they'll accept a series of events, or whether or not he will go for a no tolerance of any kind of breach whatsoever, any kind of activity by the Iraqis to hamper his efforts as well. Have you heard anything new about that?

ROBERTSON: Well, when he left Cyprus, or just before he left Cyprus on route to Baghdad, he did say that what would happen exactly would be if an event occurred on the ground in Iraq, it wouldn't be up to the inspectors, per se, to decide that was a material breach. It would be up to the inspectors to report to the Security Council. And the Security Council would then determine whether or not that was a material breach, but somebody said to him, OK, so what is it on the ground that the inspectors are going to report back? What is significant enough for them to report back to the Security Council? Hans Blix said that even a delay of perhaps half an hour to get into a site here that they might arrive at the gates and not be able to get in, if they're delayed for half an hour, that is something in his opinion that should be reported back to the Security Council. There ball would then be with the Security Council -- is that enough for a material breach?

HARRIS: Nic Robertson, reporting to us from Baghdad. Thanks, Nic.

Coming up at the bottom of the hour, we'll be hearing from former chief weapons inspector Richard Butler, who lead the last (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to Iraq, so stay tuned for that -- Daryn.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Now, let's get the view from the White House. Our national correspondent Frank Buckley is at the executive mansion and joins us now with more.

Frank, good morning.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

White House officials see the arrival of the inspectors on the ground in Iraq as simply the next step in what they call the road to disarmament. They also are confirming yet a third incident involving coalition aircraft being fired upon by anti-aircraft weapons in a no- fly zone. The White House position, that this is a violation of Security Council resolution 1441, constituting a material breach.

What remains unanswered is whether or not the White House intends to take this to the Security council as a material breach and to act on it. The U.S. position has been that in the case of a material breach that the U.S. would go to the Security Council, would engage in that debate that would take place in the Security Council, maintaining -- retaining the right to act unilaterally or with -- as the president has put it, with friends in a military action if that was required.

But, again, so far no word yet from the White House on whether or not they intend to take what they consider to be a material breach to the Security Council -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Frank Buckley at the White House. Frank, thanks.

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