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CNN Live At Daybreak
Eve of Inspections
Aired November 26, 2002 - 06:02 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.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: In just a few minutes, United Nations weapons inspectors plan a news conference in Baghdad, and 24 hours from now, they plan to start their search for weapons of mass destruction.
Let's go to CNN's Rym Brahimi, who is standing by live in Baghdad with the latest.
Hello -- Rym.
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Catherine.
Indeed, the inspectors had arrived yesterday from Cyprus -- 11 experts on chemical and biological weapons, 6 experts on nuclear weapons. Well, they're all here. We're expecting to hear from them anytime soon at U.N. headquarters here in Baghdad.
They're mainly going to go through the technical aspect, the logical aspect of their mission -- we're obviously not privy to a lot of other details -- mainly which sites they are going to start visiting tomorrow. All we know is that they are going to start with the sites that were left under surveillance by the previous U.N. weapons inspection team until they left in 1998. These could include sites that still have camera or monitoring equipment. We'll have to find out tomorrow.
But meanwhile, there's going to be that, and there's going to be no-notice inspections, so that by definition we're not going to know exactly where, when or how they're going to go about that. But again, it will sort of appear clearer as times goes by.
Now meanwhile, we understand that the chief U.N. weapons inspector, Hans Blix, has said that Iraq has to come up with pretty convincing evidence to prove it doesn't have any weapons inspections (sic). Well, that's also what the inspectors are here to do. And maybe, according to some diplomats that we've spoken to here, Catherine, the main thing is going to be a test of Iraq's cooperation, and I think that's what they're going to be looking for, not only in terms of the access that the inspectors are given to on the ground, but also with that famous "final, full and complete declaration" that Iraq is supposed to submit on December the 8th -- Catherine.
CALLAWAY: All right, Rym, I know you're going to that news conference, and we'll check back with you a little bit later -- that's Rym Brahimi joining us from Baghdad.
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 26, 2002 - 06:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: In just a few minutes, United Nations weapons inspectors plan a news conference in Baghdad, and 24 hours from now, they plan to start their search for weapons of mass destruction.
Let's go to CNN's Rym Brahimi, who is standing by live in Baghdad with the latest.
Hello -- Rym.
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Catherine.
Indeed, the inspectors had arrived yesterday from Cyprus -- 11 experts on chemical and biological weapons, 6 experts on nuclear weapons. Well, they're all here. We're expecting to hear from them anytime soon at U.N. headquarters here in Baghdad.
They're mainly going to go through the technical aspect, the logical aspect of their mission -- we're obviously not privy to a lot of other details -- mainly which sites they are going to start visiting tomorrow. All we know is that they are going to start with the sites that were left under surveillance by the previous U.N. weapons inspection team until they left in 1998. These could include sites that still have camera or monitoring equipment. We'll have to find out tomorrow.
But meanwhile, there's going to be that, and there's going to be no-notice inspections, so that by definition we're not going to know exactly where, when or how they're going to go about that. But again, it will sort of appear clearer as times goes by.
Now meanwhile, we understand that the chief U.N. weapons inspector, Hans Blix, has said that Iraq has to come up with pretty convincing evidence to prove it doesn't have any weapons inspections (sic). Well, that's also what the inspectors are here to do. And maybe, according to some diplomats that we've spoken to here, Catherine, the main thing is going to be a test of Iraq's cooperation, and I think that's what they're going to be looking for, not only in terms of the access that the inspectors are given to on the ground, but also with that famous "final, full and complete declaration" that Iraq is supposed to submit on December the 8th -- Catherine.
CALLAWAY: All right, Rym, I know you're going to that news conference, and we'll check back with you a little bit later -- that's Rym Brahimi joining us from Baghdad.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
