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CNN Live Today

U.N. Weapons Inspectors in Place

Aired November 26, 2002 - 10:01   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 begin in Iraq, where U.N. weapons inspectors are in place and on the eve of resuming their search.
CNN's Nic Robertson is in Baghdad with the latest on a mission that could ultimately chart the course for war and peace.

Nic, how is that mission going so far?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol. We've been finding out some new information from the inspectors here, how they expect to carry out their duty. They say when they get to those site, they'll be freezing the sites. They won't be allowing anybody to come on or off those sites. What inspectors say happened in the past is they turned up at the front gate, and meanwhile, Iraqi authorities were taking documents out the back gate. They say they have a lot of high-tech equipment with them, they're going to be taking soil samples, they're going to be putting seals on equipment, tags on equipment. The sort of things they're looking for are dual-use items. These are items that will have been brought in for civilian industries, and perhaps put to use in weapons of mass destruction.

They will be taking photographs and videotapes, they say, and some of the things they weren't able to do in the past. One of the inspectors said, don't be surprised if you see us carrying around big back packs. They're going to carry computers, so they can analyze a what they're seeing on the ground with a huge databank of information. That will be there with them. And if they can't cross reference it there on the ground, another piece of high-tech equipment can translate that information back to New York, and Vienna. They'll look at it, tell the guys on the ground, the inspectors in real time exactly what they're looking at, whether this is an important piece of equipment, whether it's not.

These inspectors say after years and years and years of looking at satellite photographs, finally now, they're going to get underneath the roofs of some of the buildings they've been looking at.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DIMITRI PERRICOS, UNITED NATIONS: So they will do an individual inspection. They will whether processes are as they should be, or they've been be changed in order to cover other requirements. They're going to see whether there are underground structures in a particular building, and they're going to examine documentation and records and even look for such communication and records, and these communication and records of course includes computers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: OK. So these inspectors now expecting to get out in what is going to be about 12 to 14 hours now, to actually begin their inspections for the first time -- Carol.

LIN: Thanks very much, Nic Robertson, reporting live in 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 - 10:01   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: We begin in Iraq, where U.N. weapons inspectors are in place and on the eve of resuming their search.
CNN's Nic Robertson is in Baghdad with the latest on a mission that could ultimately chart the course for war and peace.

Nic, how is that mission going so far?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol. We've been finding out some new information from the inspectors here, how they expect to carry out their duty. They say when they get to those site, they'll be freezing the sites. They won't be allowing anybody to come on or off those sites. What inspectors say happened in the past is they turned up at the front gate, and meanwhile, Iraqi authorities were taking documents out the back gate. They say they have a lot of high-tech equipment with them, they're going to be taking soil samples, they're going to be putting seals on equipment, tags on equipment. The sort of things they're looking for are dual-use items. These are items that will have been brought in for civilian industries, and perhaps put to use in weapons of mass destruction.

They will be taking photographs and videotapes, they say, and some of the things they weren't able to do in the past. One of the inspectors said, don't be surprised if you see us carrying around big back packs. They're going to carry computers, so they can analyze a what they're seeing on the ground with a huge databank of information. That will be there with them. And if they can't cross reference it there on the ground, another piece of high-tech equipment can translate that information back to New York, and Vienna. They'll look at it, tell the guys on the ground, the inspectors in real time exactly what they're looking at, whether this is an important piece of equipment, whether it's not.

These inspectors say after years and years and years of looking at satellite photographs, finally now, they're going to get underneath the roofs of some of the buildings they've been looking at.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DIMITRI PERRICOS, UNITED NATIONS: So they will do an individual inspection. They will whether processes are as they should be, or they've been be changed in order to cover other requirements. They're going to see whether there are underground structures in a particular building, and they're going to examine documentation and records and even look for such communication and records, and these communication and records of course includes computers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: OK. So these inspectors now expecting to get out in what is going to be about 12 to 14 hours now, to actually begin their inspections for the first time -- Carol.

LIN: Thanks very much, Nic Robertson, reporting live in 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