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U.N. Inspectors Tour Plant in Baghdad

Aired December 02, 2002 - 11:07   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: Let's focus on the weapons hunt inside Iraq. U.N. inspectors combed a military industrial site in the heart of Baghdad today. Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is on hand now for this, the fifth day of inspections. We check in with Nic now. Hello, Nic.
NIC ROBERSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Leon. This inspection at the al-Karamah facility in central Baghdad was the longest single inspection we've seen that the inspectors have performed so far. And this site not one of the largest either, perhaps half a mile by half a mile square.

The inspectors in the 1990s suspected this site was involved in the production of parts of the al-Huseein Scud missile. That is a version of the Scud missile that's designed to go either further than the standard Scud. It can travel some 400 miles.

When the inspectors left, after their visit today, the director at that site told us that the plant is still involved in the production of missiles, but not these long-range missiles. Iraq is allowed under U.N. rules to make missiles that go shorter than 90 miles. And he told us they were still involved in that. he told us that the inspectors were able to look at everything they wanted to see on the site. They had access to everything.

One interesting moment during the day and we were peeping over the walls and looking under the gates to try to get an idea of what the inspectors were doing inside the facility, we saw one Iraqi official come out of a building clutching a bundle of documents. He looked quite agitated and then he went back in.

And certainly the director, the deputy director of the plant there confirming for us that part of the work the inspectors were doing today was looking for documents, was searching through office buildings, going through items in desks and such like -- Leon.

HARRIS: Nic, have you been able to tell from whatever vantage point you have been able to gain here exactly what level of cooperation the Iraqis are giving here? Is there any sense they may be cooperating on the outside but on the inside it might be a different story or what? .

ROBERTSON: That's not what we're hearing from the U.N. officials, Leon. They are telling us the cooperation is good. Iraqi television indeed yesterday released some of the first pictures taken inside with the inspectors with Iraqi officials accompanying them. The cooperation seemed to be good. The body language didn't look as if there was any tension between them.

So the message we're getting from the U.N., from the Iraqi officials is that the cooperation is not just skin deep. It does go to when they're working inside the facilities, and that's a message very much that the Iraqi government really wants to send -- Leon.

HARRIS: Thank you, Nic. Appreciate it. Take care. Be careful over there. Nic Robertson reporting live 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 December 2, 2002 - 11:07   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's focus on the weapons hunt inside Iraq. U.N. inspectors combed a military industrial site in the heart of Baghdad today. Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is on hand now for this, the fifth day of inspections. We check in with Nic now. Hello, Nic.
NIC ROBERSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Leon. This inspection at the al-Karamah facility in central Baghdad was the longest single inspection we've seen that the inspectors have performed so far. And this site not one of the largest either, perhaps half a mile by half a mile square.

The inspectors in the 1990s suspected this site was involved in the production of parts of the al-Huseein Scud missile. That is a version of the Scud missile that's designed to go either further than the standard Scud. It can travel some 400 miles.

When the inspectors left, after their visit today, the director at that site told us that the plant is still involved in the production of missiles, but not these long-range missiles. Iraq is allowed under U.N. rules to make missiles that go shorter than 90 miles. And he told us they were still involved in that. he told us that the inspectors were able to look at everything they wanted to see on the site. They had access to everything.

One interesting moment during the day and we were peeping over the walls and looking under the gates to try to get an idea of what the inspectors were doing inside the facility, we saw one Iraqi official come out of a building clutching a bundle of documents. He looked quite agitated and then he went back in.

And certainly the director, the deputy director of the plant there confirming for us that part of the work the inspectors were doing today was looking for documents, was searching through office buildings, going through items in desks and such like -- Leon.

HARRIS: Nic, have you been able to tell from whatever vantage point you have been able to gain here exactly what level of cooperation the Iraqis are giving here? Is there any sense they may be cooperating on the outside but on the inside it might be a different story or what? .

ROBERTSON: That's not what we're hearing from the U.N. officials, Leon. They are telling us the cooperation is good. Iraqi television indeed yesterday released some of the first pictures taken inside with the inspectors with Iraqi officials accompanying them. The cooperation seemed to be good. The body language didn't look as if there was any tension between them.

So the message we're getting from the U.N., from the Iraqi officials is that the cooperation is not just skin deep. It does go to when they're working inside the facilities, and that's a message very much that the Iraqi government really wants to send -- Leon.

HARRIS: Thank you, Nic. Appreciate it. Take care. Be careful over there. Nic Robertson reporting live 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