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CNN Live Today
Interview With Richard Spertzel
Aired November 25, 2002 - 10:03 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 LIN, CNN ANCHOR: We want to get some perspective through the eyes of a former weapons inspector. Retired U.S. Army Colonel Richard Spertzel led more than 30 weapons inspection missions between 1995 and 1998, and he is now a private consultant and is here to join us today.
Good morning, Mr. Spertzel.
RICHARD SPERTZEL, FMR. U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: Good morning, Carol.
LIN: Does it concern you that the weapons inspectors are first going to sites previously inspected four years ago, and it essentially may take out the element of surprise for the Iraqis?
SPERTZEL: Well, actually it doesn't, because the sites it would appear they are planning to go to were the sites that were under monitoring. And the purpose of monitoring was to hinder Iraq from using dual-purpose equipment for illicit reasons or purposes.
LIN: Dual-purpose, meaning that they could actually have a civilian purpose, like manufacturing milk or agricultural products, and it could also make weapons?
SPERTZEL: Exactly. It could also be used in one capacity or another in the development of their biological or chemical weapons.
LIN: All right, the initial inspections are described as a kind of a warm-up exercise. So, what exactly will these inspections involve? And how useful do you think these initial inspections will be?
SPERTZEL: The word I have heard is that it's sort of a practice session, if you like, for the new inspectors. In reality, in terms of expectations from them, you probably could do as well if you conducted them out of New York.
What I'm trying to say is that I don't expect them to find anything. The absence of finding anything doesn't mean a thing, because Iraq is surely going to expect all of the monitoring sites that had been monitored under UNSCOM to be eventually part of the UMOVIC monitoring system. And as such, I don't think they'll find anything at the present time.
LIN: So, is this really just to test the Iraqis' attitude and willingness to allow these site inspections to go on? SPERTZEL: Well, I don't even see them doing that, because if Iraq wants even a charade of cooperation, they're not going to object to these sites, because there basically won't be anything there at the present time.
LIN: Well, then I'm wondering, what is the initial point then? I mean, why not just wait until the December 8 declaration? Former weapons inspectors I spoke to before say that that is really where the first true lie may be detected, in a pile of paperwork, not actually at these initial sites.
SPERTZEL: Well, that's my sentiments, too. The declarations at that time will do two things. One is that there may be obvious errors of fact, a polite way of not saying a lie in those declarations, and there may be significant omissions. These then would provide sites or a list of possible sites that would need to be looked at and would be likely more profitable.
On the other hand, if Iraq totally agrees or hasn't had a change of attitude, they'll come forth with an elaborate description of additional items that they had withheld from the special commission.
LIN: And maybe the nature of the inspections, then, will change as a result of that, as they ramp up to some 80 to 100 inspectors. The inspectors going in this week are just a fraction of the total team that we'll be seeing in Baghdad.
SPERTZEL: Exactly. And that's when it's going to be much more meaningful than the present one. The present ones may be necessary as a beginning to wind up the inspection system.
LIN: Right.
SPERTZEL: But the world should not make a lot of excitement over these. They're more mundane, routine, I would not expect any confrontation whatsoever.
LIN: All right, we shall see. Thank you very much, Richard Spertzel, former weapons inspector.
SPERTZEL: Thank you.
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 25, 2002 - 10:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: We want to get some perspective through the eyes of a former weapons inspector. Retired U.S. Army Colonel Richard Spertzel led more than 30 weapons inspection missions between 1995 and 1998, and he is now a private consultant and is here to join us today.
Good morning, Mr. Spertzel.
RICHARD SPERTZEL, FMR. U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: Good morning, Carol.
LIN: Does it concern you that the weapons inspectors are first going to sites previously inspected four years ago, and it essentially may take out the element of surprise for the Iraqis?
SPERTZEL: Well, actually it doesn't, because the sites it would appear they are planning to go to were the sites that were under monitoring. And the purpose of monitoring was to hinder Iraq from using dual-purpose equipment for illicit reasons or purposes.
LIN: Dual-purpose, meaning that they could actually have a civilian purpose, like manufacturing milk or agricultural products, and it could also make weapons?
SPERTZEL: Exactly. It could also be used in one capacity or another in the development of their biological or chemical weapons.
LIN: All right, the initial inspections are described as a kind of a warm-up exercise. So, what exactly will these inspections involve? And how useful do you think these initial inspections will be?
SPERTZEL: The word I have heard is that it's sort of a practice session, if you like, for the new inspectors. In reality, in terms of expectations from them, you probably could do as well if you conducted them out of New York.
What I'm trying to say is that I don't expect them to find anything. The absence of finding anything doesn't mean a thing, because Iraq is surely going to expect all of the monitoring sites that had been monitored under UNSCOM to be eventually part of the UMOVIC monitoring system. And as such, I don't think they'll find anything at the present time.
LIN: So, is this really just to test the Iraqis' attitude and willingness to allow these site inspections to go on? SPERTZEL: Well, I don't even see them doing that, because if Iraq wants even a charade of cooperation, they're not going to object to these sites, because there basically won't be anything there at the present time.
LIN: Well, then I'm wondering, what is the initial point then? I mean, why not just wait until the December 8 declaration? Former weapons inspectors I spoke to before say that that is really where the first true lie may be detected, in a pile of paperwork, not actually at these initial sites.
SPERTZEL: Well, that's my sentiments, too. The declarations at that time will do two things. One is that there may be obvious errors of fact, a polite way of not saying a lie in those declarations, and there may be significant omissions. These then would provide sites or a list of possible sites that would need to be looked at and would be likely more profitable.
On the other hand, if Iraq totally agrees or hasn't had a change of attitude, they'll come forth with an elaborate description of additional items that they had withheld from the special commission.
LIN: And maybe the nature of the inspections, then, will change as a result of that, as they ramp up to some 80 to 100 inspectors. The inspectors going in this week are just a fraction of the total team that we'll be seeing in Baghdad.
SPERTZEL: Exactly. And that's when it's going to be much more meaningful than the present one. The present ones may be necessary as a beginning to wind up the inspection system.
LIN: Right.
SPERTZEL: But the world should not make a lot of excitement over these. They're more mundane, routine, I would not expect any confrontation whatsoever.
LIN: All right, we shall see. Thank you very much, Richard Spertzel, former weapons inspector.
SPERTZEL: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
